When we marry, we stand in front of our family and friends and make lifelong commitments to the one we love. When we have children, we make implicit commitments that we will love them, care for them and train them until they are old enough to fend for themselves. These commitments are important and essential, but just as it is important to make commitments at the beginning of a relationship, it is also important to maintain and make commitments throughout the course of a relationship!
We are asking our church family together to make several commitments to invest in their physical family (present or future) in a few very specific ways. I know, some balk at commitment or would even push back "It's none of your business what I do," but that is a heart that is spiritually immature and is contrary to the teachings of scripture.
The people of Israel in the Old Testament and the people of the church in the New Testament made commitments corporately and individually to strengthen their relationships with God and with one another. If you resist commitment, a good question to ask yourself is "Why?"
There are great reasons to commit! Commitments challenge us to focus our energies and to push ourselves in healthy ways that lead us to extraordinary results we won't do when we just "go with the flow." And commitments made with a group of people are even better! Commitments made in community provide us greater support and unite and rally us behind purposes that are greater than ourselves -even though the benefits are experienced on an individual level too.
So far in my posts on our FAMILY campaign, I've discussed an overview of our fall campaign and a breakdown of the elements involved. All of these things have the power to revolutionze our families and yet all of them will accomplish absolutely nothing in the absence of the essential ingredient of COMMITMENT.
To maximize the benefit of all the fall family campaign we are asking people to pray and then determine which of the following commitments they will make as an investment in their family during the month of October:
- To attend (or listen online when you have to miss) to each part of the series
- To participate in a weekly Home Fellowship
- To pray daily for their family
On the first official day of the campaign (10/3) we will be asking people to make these commitments. In the meantime I hope you will:
- Examine yourself to see why you resist making comitments (if you do).
- Consider the commitments being asked of you in this campaign and consider the beneits you might experience if you would make them.
- Pray and ask God to reveal which commitments He would have you to make,
- Commit on 10/3 to the commitments you will make and then trust God for the discipline to follow through!
I'm praying for you and your commitments even as I pray about my own!
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