Will You Commit to Recommit?

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” – Colossians 3:2
 
Few things burden the heart of a pastor more than watching some members in his flock wander around in their faith.  They may go through periods of zeal – times when they are truly excited about things of God.  However, it seems those times are often overcome by times of spiritual drought.  This leaves a pastor striving in prayer on their behalf – yet wondering if they even realize they have pulled away once again. 
 
If a pastor is worth his weight, he’s attempting to preach the whole counsel of God.  He isn’t skipping the tough passages when he gets to them.  He’s instructing the membership in theology and practicality.  He’s preaching on God’s sovereignty and the saint’s responsibility.  He’s attempting to preach the Bible with clarity as he feeds the sheep he has been placed over.  Yet, the sheep don’t always feed. In fact, oftentimes they aren’t even near the trough. 
 
How is your commitment lately?  Honest truth – are you more concerned with the things of this world or with the things of God?  I’m not looking for a comment on this post.  I’m asking you to search your heart.  Be honest with yourself.  Do you find it easy to walk past your Bible as you reach for the remote control?  Do you find it difficult to pray?  Do you even realize you need to pray?  Are you committed to your local church?  Do you find it easy to make excuses to stay home when the church is meeting?  Do you offer support in your fellow members’ in times of need?  Do you support those in your local church – in whatever capacity they have been gifted for?  Do you pray for them?  Are you ready to follow them as they labor for your souls?  Is their work on your behalf something you have forgotten?  Do you appreciate the time they put in to teach you God’s Word?  These are just a few questions that need to be asked – and asked regularly by every child of God. 
 
Jesus didn’t call us to a part-time faith.  Life seems to have a way of taking over.  We are taught such a culture of individualism in the West that we don’t even consider that we are hurting the church body when we aren’t doing what we are supposed to do.  Even if we are present, if we aren’t fulfilling our role, we are little more than a withered hand or foot.  God has sovereignly placed us in a congregation to serve (Acts 2:47).  When we don’t do our part…or worse, don’t even show up…the church is suffering – whether we want to admit it or not.  If you are a Jesus follower, you are not given the option to serve yourself.  No, you are called to deny yourself, to take up your cross and to follow Jesus…every single day (Luke 9:23).  Whenever the church assembles, if at all possible, you are to be there to do your part – not just to fill an open seat.
 
But your service to God doesn’t begin and end on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening.  You are called “daily” follow Jesus.  How are you doing on Tuesdays…or Thursdays…or Saturdays?  Are you just as committed on those days?  Do you read, study and meditate on God’s Word?  Do you pray for your church and the membership?  Do you pray for your pastor that he may be preparing to feed you the next time he preaches?  Do you share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with lost sinners around you?  Do you love the brethren?  Do you love the lost?  And if that calling isn’t enough, do you love your enemy?
 
Seriously, these questions need to be evaluated by all professing Christians on a regular basis.  It’s easy to drift into being lackadaisical.  It’s easy to find excuses on missing church or skipping reading.  But, that equates to putting this world before the Lord, right?  We must agree that when we choose to go to something the world has to offer rather than attending the Lord’s house or doing the Lord’s work, we are setting our minds on things on the earth, right?  The fact is, we need to evaluate our commitment more regularly than we do.  Again, Jesus doesn’t call us to a part time faith.  There is a cost in following Jesus – and that cost is the treasures in this world. 
 
As we consider this challenge…the challenge to reevaluate, let us all ask ourselves how we’d respond if this was the conversation we had with Jesus today:

“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another he said, ‘Follow me. But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:57-62)
 
If we are honest, most of our excuses to forgo serving the Lord and putting the things of the world before Him are lesser than the requests in this passage. Evaluate – and commit to recommit.  One day, your answers to the simple questions asked here will matter more than anything else.  And the answers are eternal.