Fully Committed to God? But how?

How in the world can a Christian possibly be “fully committed” to the Lord?  In a recent posting we were reminded that God keeps His eyes on any person who is ‘fully committed to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).  But what does being “fully committed” look like?  

In essence, three things need to happen every day in your life:  Reading and Meditation, Confession of Sin and Consistent Striving toward Holiness (Sanctification).  Let’s detail each one.

Reading and Meditation – Every day a believer needs to be reading God’s precious Word and spending time meditating on it.  This means stopping while reading and pondering what’s been written.  Let’s try it with two different verses.

• ·         Psalm 23:1 says “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” To meditate on this verse means to say something like ‘Wow, the Lord is not just a shepherd, He’s MY Shepherd.  How thankful I am, a helpless sheep, to know that He will provide everything I need just when I need it.’
• ·         Psalm 39:1 says “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say.” To meditate on this verse means to say something like ‘Wow Lord, sin is constantly coming out of my mouth but you’ve said I’m to be careful to not let this happen.  What are some of the ways I sin with my mouth?  Hmmmmmm.’

By mediating on these two scriptures, you’re kept in-tune with God’s heart and reminded of His will for you (to not be in want and tonot sin by what you say).

Confession of Sin – Every day a believer needs to spend time confessing sin.  This means saying out loud every offense – every unkind word, every fib, every wrong motive and every moment of self-reliance.  Max Lucado says “Confession is telling God you did the thing He saw you do.  He doesn’t need to hear it as much as you need to say it.” This act of humility cleans you from sin’s stain, sets your heart right and prepares you to seek the process of sanctification.

Consistent Striving toward Holiness (Sanctification) - Every day a believer needs to consider holiness – the act of keeping yourself set apart for God’s spiritual purposes.  This means contemplating areas in your life that don’t live up to God’s holy standards and then seeking to correct these areas using your God-instilled ability to practice discipline and self-control using the supernatural strength the Holy Spirit provides.  For example:

• ·         you may need to re-consider some of the shows you watch on TV
• ·         you may need to scrutinize some of your unhealthy relationships
• ·         you may need to reject some thought patterns that are causing you to doubt God’s sovereignty
• ·         you may need to recognize how your job is pulling you from your family obligations

These areas are not necessarily sin but they’re areas that need some observation on your part so that they don’t turn into sin.

With God’s help and your surrendered heart, this primer for staying “fully committed to God” can be a reality in your life.  2 Chronicles 16:9 – “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed toHim.”