Commitment flows out of a willing heart...
It's so frustrating talking to someone who just don't get it!
Never mind who. But I have been talking and sms-ing to this person about coming to church. He comes once in a while, but never really wants to attend on a regular basis. This is a person who's very dear to me, so I have been trying to ask him to attend regularly every week. But he just keeps telling me that he is not at the level where he can handle the kind of commitment our church demands yet.
Hello?! I was thinking to myself - 'what kind of commitment is attending one two-hour service every single week?' Yes sure, it's some kind of commitment, but it doesn't require you to give your life or sacrifice much. But I figured, an excuse will always be an excuse. I'll just leave it as that for the moment.
Commitment. It's a word that scares many people off! Maybe because with it comes a whole string of sacrifices in time, money, life... But if we know what really is commitment, it might be a little easier to swallow.
Commitment flows out of a willing heart. If you are not willing, nobody can force you to commit to anything. If you don't love that somebody, how to commit to a relationship? If you are not willing to grow in the Lord, how to force you to commit to a church?
The commitment that you have will only mean something if it flows out of a willing heart. Sure, you can still be committed even if you are unwilling. But it doesn't mean anything to God. And it doesn't really matter, cos it's not going to last anyway. A commitment without willingness is like a beautiful easter egg. Pretty on the outside, but empty inside.
Let us examine our hearts today. What is stopping you from making a commitment to God or be planted in a home church? Is it the lack of a willing heart? And note. Commitment flows. It's a natural process. If you are willing, commitment will naturally come. You don't even need to try too hard or force yourself to do it. It just happens.
Jesus made a commitment to die for our sins. Sure, he may have struggled at the last hour. But Jesus was completely willing. If Jesus was willing to commit to us, what about us?
Never mind who. But I have been talking and sms-ing to this person about coming to church. He comes once in a while, but never really wants to attend on a regular basis. This is a person who's very dear to me, so I have been trying to ask him to attend regularly every week. But he just keeps telling me that he is not at the level where he can handle the kind of commitment our church demands yet.
Hello?! I was thinking to myself - 'what kind of commitment is attending one two-hour service every single week?' Yes sure, it's some kind of commitment, but it doesn't require you to give your life or sacrifice much. But I figured, an excuse will always be an excuse. I'll just leave it as that for the moment.
Commitment. It's a word that scares many people off! Maybe because with it comes a whole string of sacrifices in time, money, life... But if we know what really is commitment, it might be a little easier to swallow.
Commitment flows out of a willing heart. If you are not willing, nobody can force you to commit to anything. If you don't love that somebody, how to commit to a relationship? If you are not willing to grow in the Lord, how to force you to commit to a church?
The commitment that you have will only mean something if it flows out of a willing heart. Sure, you can still be committed even if you are unwilling. But it doesn't mean anything to God. And it doesn't really matter, cos it's not going to last anyway. A commitment without willingness is like a beautiful easter egg. Pretty on the outside, but empty inside.
Let us examine our hearts today. What is stopping you from making a commitment to God or be planted in a home church? Is it the lack of a willing heart? And note. Commitment flows. It's a natural process. If you are willing, commitment will naturally come. You don't even need to try too hard or force yourself to do it. It just happens.
Jesus made a commitment to die for our sins. Sure, he may have struggled at the last hour. But Jesus was completely willing. If Jesus was willing to commit to us, what about us?
Comments
Dun be frustrated... i guess the person is too drawn into the worldly pleasures he has been in. However i believe deep inside his heart, he knows that there is that longing for God, probably just unwilling to give up what he has now...
Dun be dishearted... I'm sure he will come back to God and just pray that the day will come faster!
First, do you believe that God love your friend more than you? If you believe, you can just simply trust God in convicting your friend of his commitment to attend church more regularly. Don't you trust the loving character of God?
Second, if God allow us to have the freedom to choose Him or not. He do also allows your friend the freedom to choose whether to go to church regularly. If God respect the freedom that He has given to us, don't we should also respect your friend's freedom too? He never halt Adam and Eve when eating the forbiden fruit in the Garden of Eden, don't He?
Third, our duty as a Christian is to love God and love people. And to love people, we need to accept them as who they are. Does God demand us to be perfect once we become a Christian? Absolutely not. God still love us and accept us with our flaws. After all, our salvation is not determined by whether do we attend church or not, it is the grace of God that saves us, not church attendance right?
If you agree with me, why don't you let God and let go. Don't you think you will feel much more comfortable and at ease in that way. And you can enjoy your friendship with the person without trying to change the person. Although, I should compliment good your intention, but good intention need to act out of great wisdom.
Attending church is definitely not to make up the attendence. God specifically mentioned being rooted in the church so that one learns to be accountable. Being in a church, you have others that are more mature to guide and help us grow in maturity in the Lord. So many pple who claims they are christian backslide when they meet problems that seems too great for them to handle. reason is they find no support from fellow christians who will encourage and help them!
I agree with the part you said that we should let God and let go, though not completely. In all things, I definitely trust in God that He takes care of everything. Yet, our God is not a passive God. He doesn't come through for us if we just sit around and think that God will somehow work a miracle for us. We got to show God that we are here for Him to use, and that we can be a channel and vessel, that through us, the love of God can be magnified. We got to desire the breakthrough.
Church attendance is of course not everything. But the bible says that 'faith without works is dead'. A person who says that he loves God, but doesn't do anything to show that he loves God is a liar. Because if you truly love God, your actions will tell. There is absolutely no meaning in simply saying something without doing it, because it's all just empty talk. Grace is not the end of the matter. And God's grace to us is not CHEAP GRACE.
Of course I can sit around and just take life easy. But at the end of day, I would rather not, because I am called, not just to enjoy the fellowship with God, but to disciple somebody, to motivate somebody.
I don't want to be a superficial Christian who just cares about myself or live my life deceiving myself that grace will solve everything. If I truly love my friends, I would be a hypocrite if I know of such a loving and real God, yet do nothing to tell my friends about it. Do you agree with me?
wow, xuan.. I like this para.. very very true! :p
Friends may reject us one, two, hundred, even thousand times... but at the end of the day, we still love our friends as usual and still being there for them and at the divine right timing, we will be ready for them!
Praise the Lord!
we are called to belong, not just believe.. church is known as the body of christ and we ppl are referred "members" as the organs in the body of christ. in order for the organs to "operates", it must connected to the body! The church is a body, not a building; an organism, not an organisation.
attending church is not just for the sake of attendancy.. its time for us to come closer to god, fellowship w the ppl He loved. it also helps in indentifyin you as genuine believer, keep you out from backsliding, moves you out from isolation. and the MOST IMPT THING IS THE BODY OF CHRIST NEEDS YOU. and thats when ministry comes in.
Salvation is committing yourself to Christ.. theres another impt thing is to commit yourself to a group of believers - Fellowship.
Paul said,"when we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attendtion to those who are in the family of believers" yes, we dont or we cant change people.. coz only God can change people.. god use us to change ppl's life without we ourselves knowing abt it! haha and its only when we starts praying for that person.. god do wonderous miracles! and we are called and commanded to be invloved in each other's lives! =)
ehz and also the 3 barriers that block our surrender to God are pride, fear and confusion. so maybe your dear frenz falls in one of the barriers.. so keep prayin ya..! we are all praying!! =)
no worry.. god will welcome him back just like the father who rejoiced when his lost son is back. =)
So have you succeed in getting your friend to come to church regularly? And why do you get so frustrated when you can't get your point across to the person? I thought you said you love your friend right. And love is patient according to the scripture, and why should you get frustrated if you are patient with the person. How do you define love? In your own ways and in God's way?
I am not criticising you about your intention of sharing Christ with your friend, my dear sister in Christ. Instead, I am affirming you that you have a wonderful, honourable and good intention for your friend. But as I said good intention need to act out of great wisdom. And do you know what is wisdom? It is spelled as W.I.S.D.O.M.
Just like to share with you a verses from the wise book of Proverb. Proverbs 27:14 said:"If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse." Don't underestimate this little verse, it contain a lot of profound insights that we can treat our friend. First, this verse is telling us blessing is good only if you do it in the right way and at the right timing, or else, it will be treated as a curse. So good intention require wisdom to do things at the right time, in the right way.
Second, if you want to bless someone, can't you wait till later part of the morning. Waiting demands patient and patient is an act of love. We need to be patient especially when people don't don things in the way we think is right of them. And patient is necessary, because not everyone grows at the same phase as we are. If you have learn gardening, you will probably know all flower germinate at the different speed. Some need more days and some need less. You can't expect roses to grow at the same phase of dasies.
Third, we probably have to understand our neighbours sleeping pattern. Your neighbours may not be like you waking so early in the morning. May be, our neighbour just don't have the habit of sleeping early and may be our neighbours is working night shift the night before. And if I am a good neighbour, I will understand my neighbour and not keep asking:"Why my neighbor can't be like me waking early in the morning, don't my neighbour know 'zao shui zao qi, shen ti hao'."
Fourth, if I know that I have blessed my neighbour in the wrong way and at the wrong timing. If I have turn my blessing into a curse then I should apologise to my neighbour and certainly not at the wrong timing again. I will said:"I am so sorry for being imposing and insensitive. I don't mean to hurt you. Please forgive me." Won't you think that will be more humble and more human and more loving to our neighbour rather than telling them what is right and what is wrong:)
Just to share with you something that I have personally gone through. There was a period that I often go to church late. Because, at that point of time, my grandmother just pass away not long ago. And I am struggling with God and keeping asking why He never healed my grandmother of her cancer. I was spiritually very very low at the moment and the church leader keep commenting on people who is going to church late. Instead of feeling love, I feel very hurt by them because they are not very understanding. And I stop going to church for a while. When I get right with God, I sent a email to share my view regarding punctuality with them in a very indirect manner. From that point, they actually stop commenting on people who is late for church. It is really very commendable for people who is spiritually low to make an effort to come to church. Whether they are late or irregulars, they are already very commendable. Rising above your feeling and emotion is already very commendable. Let us affirm them of that small effort that they have put in and not keep judging them, pointing a finger at them. Love cover a multitude of sin. Overlook their flaws, love them as they are. God will rather have son and daughters who come to church late and irregular than have no son and daughther to come to church at all.
You may have misunderstood me.. I feel frustrated inside of me because I know God has such a wonderful plan for my friend, but he is not getting the best yet cos of his personal choice. But I dun throw my frustrations right at his face. The frustrations I feel inside of me just urges me to keep praying for him, and not give up on him. I do not attempt to force him or do anything unreasonable.
There is only a thin line between passiveness and gentleness.It is dangerous to assume we are being gentle and leaving leeway or grace, when in actual fact, we are being passive. Why live in self deception?
I do agree with some of the things you say. But I hold on to principles that I will never compromise or let down on. Some things are so important and basic that they just can't be compromised. At the end of the day, we must recognise that God loves us wholeheartedly, but He doesn't really need us. He is self-sufficient. He is Almighty.
Please don't think you are doing God a favour by going to church. The fact of the matter is, we need God, not the other way round!
Coming to church late perpetually without any apparent reason, to me, is just showing outright disrespect for our God. If I recognise that God is important to me, and I have the fear of the Lord, I won't want to be late for service. Is it even an issue for discussion??