Passion and Commitment

Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself – Revelation 19:7

There are so many scriptures that reference to believers as being the bride of Christ. I think it’s cool how in Revelations it describes this marriage ceremony where God conquers evil and claims us as his forever.

As I wait in eager expectation of this beloved day where I can see God face to face, I can’t help but to wonder how can I truly devote myself to God even in the dry seasons.

I have never been married, and I was not raised in a two parent married household. But I’ve seen my fair share of marriages on the rocks or those that end in divorce. Being a people watcher and analyzer, I feel like marriages lack two important things. Commitment and passion. Too often in the Christian body, our relationships and marriages with Christ lack commitment and passion.

Passion. By the end of church on Sundays, I am so fired up for God. I am excited. The music, the fellowship, the altar call, the sermon, it all works to get me passionate about this Christian walk. And then, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, ThursdayFridaySaturday comes…

Don’t get me wrong I absolutely love God, but sometimes the fire I have for God on Sunday is snuffed out by Monday. Just look around. We see this excitement for (blank) that fizzles out before we know it. People enter marriages expecting passion for the other person to always be there. Some people enter careers so excited for job, but their passions dies out months later.

The thing is that passion is only one element to any relationship. When the cares of this life come, we need something more to withstand.

Commitment. We do what we say. Maybe I’m the only person, but when I’m at altar call I lay out everything bare before God. I call out my sins, I declare my desire for God, and I promise to really serve him. It’s all great when I’m on the altar, but sometimes when I leave it’s another story.  

“And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and chocked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty” Matthew 13: 4-8.

We are all seeds. What we decide to do with our seeds is important. We can find ourselves falling on hard times and forgetting everything we felt and believed on Sunday. The above scriptures describe us in our walk with God--- we fall away, become concerned with other things, we don’t stay grounded in God, we lose our passion.

For me, especially in my dry seasons when I can’t feel God near, I must remain committed to him and his word. In my commitment, I know I am planting myself in good soil and will bring forth a good harvest.

Commitment and passion go hand in hand. Commitment without passion is a jail sentence. I’ve worked several jobs when I had to be committed to work for a certain amount of time even though the passion and desire to be there was gone. I’ve also been passionate about things, like basketball, without commitment. It made me an excited player who lacked skill because I couldn’t dedicate myself to practice. Passion without commitment is a ticking time bomb.

Use your passion, that excitement for God, to propel yourself forward in him. Your commitment is when you decide to pray, read the word, or do something to remained connected even when you don’t feel like it.

Don’t shy away from asking God to help you feel passion for him or commitment to him and his word. He is willing to help you (Psalm 46:1). He was human just like us, so he understands (Hebrews 4:15). In his passion and love for us, he died for our sins. He committed himself to his word even when it was not easy.

He is an ever-present help in time of need. May we have better relationships and marriages with Christ by staying passionate and committed to him.

                                                                        

Blessings,

Courtney