Know Commitment – A Devotion

Psalm 25:8-10 (NLT)

The LORD is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

 

To know God a covenant must be established between the heart of each man or woman with the Lord on a personal, intimate level. Beneath the surface of superficiality, it is a commitment to the Lord in exchange for everything God has promised. It is a mutual relationship that yields more for God’s People than it does for our Father in Heaven. God is good. He is always good. He is unable to sin. He cannot falter. It is not in His Character or Nature. He is the perfect partner because of this trait yet people struggle everyday to commit their heart and life to God and enter the Covenant that He is offering. Life is laid before mankind as a route to the proper path as we have all gone astray. The primary purpose for our existence is to know God and enter into covenant with Him. It is the reason you are alive. God is patient, loving and kind. He searches for the humble and righteous scouring the darkness of the world for the smallest flicker of light. These are the people God is passionate over. The ones who realize in the midst of the confusion and desperation of a dying world that without the Promise of God they will never make it out alive, a people who have decided that the trivial love and frivolous nature of the world is not for them desiring a deep, abiding relationship with their Creator. Is that you? Tired of being letdown by earthly love and in search of love, joy, peace and hope, I have good news. God is looking for you as well. His Unfailing Love and Faithfulness has aimed its sights on you unyielding and unrelenting, God desires your heart. He is seeking engagement. The Dowry of God is His Promises and they are rich. Though we have little to offer, we have exactly what He desires – our mind, body and soul. The being who He created is all that God demands – will today be the day you become committed to your Creator? Will it be the day that His Unfailing Love and Faithfulness take you over? Today could be the day that you know God by knowing His Covenant for your life!

Psalm 105:7-8 (NLT)

He is the LORD our God. His justice is seen throughout the land. He always stands by his covenant—the commitment he made to a thousand generations.

 

God is a Covenant God. He is committed to His Will and His Promises. He does not change. He does not lie. (Numbers 23:19) When God speaks promises to His People they are bound by His Person. They have to be fulfilled because as the Creator and Sovereign Ruler it is a mandate that must come true to confirm His Authority. (Isaiah 55:11) A covenant with God is a commitment between the Highest Ruling Power in the Universe and His Creation. It is personal. It is between one person and God. Unfortunately, sin has made it impossible for mankind to reciprocate proper love to God. With fickle hearts, His People struggle to remain committed to their First Love instead running from place to place looking for love in all the wrong places based on emotion. Even Christians struggle to serve God based on how they feel. Your relationship with God is much more than a casual friendship. His Fervent Love for you demanded a bond that included a pledge and promise sealed by Blood. Such a commitment requires death when broken. It is not to be taken lightly. God’s Covenant with mankind through the Blood of Jesus Christ is an engagement. Your heart now belongs to One and Only One – the Lord. You have no right within the mandates of your promise to God to share your heart and life with anyone more than God. God is committed to His Covenant. It is time to know what commitment really is and enter this New Covenant God has offered His People.

Hebrews 8:10-11 (NLT)

But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.

 

God was not satisfied with the proximity of mankind. He wanted His Children closer so He did away with the old covenant that required continuous sacrifice for prevailing sin and offered a New Covenant. This New Covenant was made possible through the Blood of Jesus Christ shed for the remission of sin once and for all. It was complete payment for the sin penalty and an opportunity for people to have a brand new life and live in close proximity to God all the days of their life. No longer would there be a need to go through a priest or mediator but now His People could enter directly in to His Presence and communicate with God face-to-face and heart-to-heart. The external relationship with God and people became internal. His Word could now be etched on the human heart rather than stone tablets. His Spirit would now be able to dwell inside of man. No longer would man have to lead man into worship. A covenant with a people now was reduced to a covenant that was personal and intimate. God desires an intimate covenant relationship with you today. Others may share the Truth with you, your church may support your commitment to Christ, however; it is a personal promise-filled covenant between you and your Father. It is intimate. You must know God to have this kind of relationship. It is the heart’s desire of God. Is it your heart’s desire?

Hebrews 12:23-25 (NLT)

You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!

 

As we move through the Blood of Jesus Christ into the New Covenant and New Life provided in our agreement with God, it is important to note that this is not a promise to be taken lightly. It is a commitment bond stronger than any marriage. It should be contemplated and defined. You must know the terms of this arrangement for it is a matter of life or death. Naturally, we gravitate toward life but it has a requirement. The old life living under the old covenant demanding a blood sacrifice is now left behind to enter this Old Covenant. You have yielded your heart, mind and soul to the Lord Jesus Christ. No longer is your body your own. Everything it does, thinks or speaks is representative of the Kingdom of God because you have accepted the terms of the New Covenant. Our new life is characterized by obedience and commitment to the Lord in ALL things. It is important to be righteous in your standing with God. Otherwise it is a breach of contract and even though grace is available for those who strive to live for the Lord, it is not available to those who do not pass completely through His Blood. Your entire life is subject to this bond with God. Not just the parts you choose to yield, it is a whole covenant not lacking in promise or benefit that requires your whole life to be established. Do not be foolish in thinking that God is fooled by half-hearted love and commitment.

Genesis 9:12-16 (NLT)

Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.”

God identified the problems in the world. He searched for one who was righteous and found Noah. God provided an arc for safe passage from death to life. Then God flooded the whole earth removing the sinful generation who had reproduced generations of faithless people. It was a brand new start. God gave Noah the promise that He would never do such a thing again and sealed it with a sign – the rainbow. Though there have been floods all around the world some small while others devastating, God has never wiped the earth clean again. God sees the problem, provides for the faithful and makes a promise. God makes a covenant with His People while man can only make a commitment to God. A Covenant is a pledge that is specific, detailed and formal which is backed by all the Authority of God. Man can only commit their life to God because we really have nothing to offer. We can live in His Covenant but God cannot depend on our commitment. Jesus Christ allows God to live in our life. His Blood is the ultimate sacrifice that allows us to maintain a relationship with God. Noah had a rainbow. We have Jesus Christ. I am quite sure when the sky rumbled and clouds filled the air that Noah instantly sought a rainbow. When storm clouds rise and faith seems futile, we have Jesus Christ. By keeping our eyes on Jesus, we too have blessed assurance that even when we falter in our commitment – God’s Covenant holds true.

Matthew 26:27-28 (NLT)

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenantbetween God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”

 

To solidify our commitment to God, people must constantly strive to remain true to our covenant with God. Jesus Christ created a pathway by His Blood. It is impossible to reach God bypassing the Blood of Jesus Christ. It is messy because it washes away our sin even the ones we are desperately holding on to. It is a passage from death to life that requires leaving some things behind forever. However, to know commitment is to live the New Life in the New Covenant with God constantly returning to the place of commitment. A covenant with the Lord will change you.

Genesis 17:1-5 (NLT)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.

Abram remained faithful to God for 99 years before realizing the true potential of his partnership with God. Through many trials, he endured until he was changed. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. It was a change that revealed a promise that seemed impossible and illogical but came true nevertheless. God is always striving to bring His Children from a place of commitment into His Covenant. The promises of God are waiting for us to pass from death to life. To walk boldly into the Covenant of God committing our entire life to serving God, it will not only impact your life today but it will change your tomorrow, too. No longer bound by the rules and regulations of this life, the supernatural Kingdom of God is your primary source and provides every single of God promised to you! Your New Life holds everything you have been longing for but you have to go through the change to attain it. Move into the Presence of God and remain there while the Lord changes you. Commit your life to serving God. Serve Him faithfully. Live blamelessly. Your Promise is coming and it will meet you in this place.

Isaiah 54:9-10 (NLT)

“Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth,
so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you. For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you.”

 

Determine to live fully in the New Covenant and brand New Life that God has given you. Faithfulness will take you there. Obedience opens the door wide. Commitment confirms your intent. God is looking at your heart today. What does it hold? Are you willing to release it all to the Lord for a gentle washing in the Blood of the Lamb? God’s Promises await the committed. Live in God’s Covenant today! He is faithful. He is glorious! He is love – TRUE LOVE and He is waiting on you!

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