Commitment is very essential and it is the single factor that makes you an effective and fruitful Christian. If you have commitment you will stand for something or else you will fall for anything. Commitment means to practice your beliefs consistently which will always ignite you for action. Commitment will keep you focused and all the unwanted things that come on the way can be avoided.
Our first commitment is towards God and His Word (Matthew 6:33). Nothing more should be important to a believer than doing God’s will without compromising or delaying it. The world will say your first commitment must be towards you, earnestly attempt for self-improvement. But a true believer knows that it if we honor God He will honor us. Commitment is proven at the most difficult times. Temptation to compromise on commitment is when storms hit our life, when comforts are taken off, when glamour and success wears off, and when heat is rising up in life. A captain earns his reputation during storms. Joshua and Caleb held on to their commitment even when the rest of people came against them. They never compromised (Numbers 13:25-14:10). I would like to share with you a story on commitment of a believer.
Eric Henry Liddell was born on the 16th of January 1902 in Tientsin, North China. He was the second son of the Rev & Mrs. James Dunlop Liddell who were missionaries with the London Mission Society to China. As a young lad Eric, with his older brother Rob, were left at a boarding school while their parents and sister Jenny returned to China. There is where he basically spent his youth. After that Eric In 1920, Eric joined his brother Rob at Edinburgh University to read for a BSc in Pure Science. He graduated after the Paris Olympiad in 1924. Athletics and rugby had always played a large part in Eric’s University life. He loved to run and play rugby. He ran in the 100 yards and the 220 yards for Edinburgh University and later for Scotland. He played rugby for Edinburgh University and in 1922 played in seven Scottish Internationals with A. L. Gracie. But since he was a busy man he did not having enough time to play both sports so he chose running. He chose running over rugby aiming for the 100 meters in the Paris Olympics.
But when he got to Paris, and the Olympics, his 100 meter race was going to be run on a Sunday. Eric refused to run on Sunday since it was the day to worship God. So he disqualified himself from the finals, and put Britain’s hope of a medal in jeopardy as well. In Britain people were raving mad and very disappointed in him because he was the favorite to win the 100 meters race and he wasn’t going to run it. Instead Eric was going to run the 400-meter race, a race he wasn’t even prepared for or had even trained for. He was criticized and mocked by people in the streets, shops, and diners. However Eric ran to victory, five meters ahead of the silver medalist.
“The Flying Scotsman” had a gold medal and a world record, 47.6 seconds. Most important of all, Eric Liddell had kept his commitment to his convictions of faith.
How is your commitment towards God? Is it conveniently compromised for comforts and benefits or are you standing strong to the convictions despite of the situations you are facing. God is committed to our ultimate good because He has loved us with an everlasting love.
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