April 8 Devotion

Commitment
It's more than a 10-letter word

The approach of Easter with its message of salvation is an ideal time for Christians to review our spiritual inventory through self-examination. The following is one such consideration:

• Do I regularly set aside time for prayer?
• Are my prayers a spiritual communication with God or some memorized words?
• When life is especially challenging, do I grit my teeth and charge ahead or do I seek God's guidance?
• When life is going well do I give God the glory and thank Him for His many blessings?
• Do my prayers seek God's will or are they filled with "gimmies"?
• Do I go to worship service regularly? Out of habit? For spiritual renewal? Both?
• Do I tend to stay home from worship service if the weather is bad?
• Do I stay home from work if the weather is bad?
• Do I attend worship services even when the senior pastor is away?
• Do I participate in special services?
• Do I seek to use my spiritual gifts according to my understanding of God's will for my life?
• Do I fulfill my commitments of prayer, talents, gifts, and service?
• Where is my financial support of the church in relation to competing priorities?

The questions can be endless! Self-examination should be continuous, and honest answers to the questions may be troubling. Unlike poor performance in the secular world, half-hearted commitment to the Lord's work usually has no immediate obvious penalty. However, God's atonement through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, calls us to a high standard!

Truly, in His eyes, commitment is more than just a 10-letter word.

The father of one of our members