“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” -Luke 9:62
Success in anything really is a matter of commitment. To succeed at whatever thing at all, there’s a quantifiable degree of commitment required to make it work, and this statement by Jesus Christ reveals the same attitude towards the Kingdom of God. In a commentary, Albert Barnes wrote, “To put one’s hand to a plow is a proverbial expression to signify undertaking any business. In order that a plowman may accomplish his work, it is necessary to look onward – to be intent on his employment – not to be looking back with regret that he undertook it. So, he that enters on it must do it with his whole heart.”[more…]
I have found that whatever you want to become, unless you activate the law of commitment, you will never become it. You have to commit yourself to making God’s plan work while you live the life God has placed in your hands. It is like saying nothing just happens until something happens to make it happen. I have also discovered that our relationships are sustained by this law. To increase financially, this law works the same.
To enjoy the best of Christianity, commitment has to be activated. If you’re born again, Jesus has delivered you already from the dominion, control and authority of the kingdom of darkness, now you are in the kingdom of light (Col. 1:13). You cannot want the best of both worlds. You cannot try to imbibe the ideas, mindsets, traditions of the world, and expect to succeed in the kingdom. You have to maintain your commitment to God. So today, this month, I want you to open up your heart as we see how this law can be activated, and by activating it, succeeding as your vision is possible.
What is Commitment?
In my study, I discovered that the word ‘commit’ in the Bible carries with it a negative tone, which is why you hear that people commit sin. But in the real sense, it means to practice something continuously or to form a habit, to give yourself over to something (Act 14:26). Commitment is the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause or activity.
Someone said, “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permits. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” “Commitment is action,” says Steve Pavlina.
The most important single factor in individual success is COMMITMENT. Commitment ignites action. To commit is to pledge yourself to a certain purpose or line of conduct. It also means practicing your beliefs consistently.” Possibly the best description of commitment is “persistence with a purpose.
Many successful business people today are hailed as visionary leaders. On careful inspection, they are found to be individuals who hold firmly to a simple set of commitments, usually grounded in beliefs such as “the best product money can buy”, or “the highest possible customer service”. It is the strength of these commitments, religiously followed, that led to their business success.
Any vision that is not pursued remains at the same level no matter how long it has been with you. I know quite well that you have been taught to believe that ‘vision is for an appointed time.’ Yes, the vision will be proved with time, but that does not say you should fold your hands and watch time elapse before your eyes. In fact, the place where they often quote while saying that has another statement, “The just shall live by his faith.” (Hab. 2:2-4). That is to tell you that faith is required to move with any vision, and faith is NOW, not later.
The will to win actually, is from God who is trying to move you in the direction of His plan for your life (Phil. 2:13). He does this by motivating you, inspiring you, and then expects you to move in that direction and be committed. Kenneth Copeland says, “When you make a full, no quit, no turning back forever commitment to God [your dream, vision, purpose, life-task], fulfilling your calling will be the most exciting thing you have ever done. But until the issue is forever settled in your mind and heart, you will have hell on earth. Satan will torment you unmercifully.”
Swami Vivekananda wrote, “Take up an idea. Make that idea your life, think of it, live on that idea. Let your brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea… This is how great spiritual giants are produced.” If there is any struggle you need to be involved with, it is the struggle to maintain your commitment to your LifeTask. Better put: Find out what you want to be or do, then commit yourself to becoming or doing it. Nothing will take the place of hard work intelligently directed. And like E. W. Kenyon said, “Struggle to improve in every effort, improve the dream,”
Desire is the key to motivation, but it is determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.
Commitment has been discovered to be one of the major keys in leadership. Whatever you are willing to do, stick with it till it is done completely. Our country has a reputation for having a large number of uncompleted projects. We tend to start things we cannot finish.
To Be and To Do
To Be requires a consistent habit pattern of doing things. To Do means that whatever it is required to be who I’m meant to be, I am ready to do. There is a To-Do list and there is also a To-Be list.
What is a to-be list? It is simply a list of the time and tasks that I need to invest in, so that I can move towards being the person God has called me to be. On a to-be list, you get to have something that looks like a growth plan: this is who I am now, this is who I can become with time. Here, you get to learn new things, meet new people, get better results as you work at your purpose and LifeTask. Commitment here, unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives you the “right stuff” to turn your dreams into reality.
What is a to-do list? It is a lineup of tasks and activities that help you accomplish an assignment. A to-do list is the crux of your daily productivity. It helps you keep a prioritized list of important things that ought to be done.
5 Keys to Activating Commitment
1. Be willing to pay the price required for the fulfillment of your purpose. Every accomplishment is preceded by some commitment, your LifeTask cannot be an exception.
2. Be flexible enough to accept change in the planning stage of your vision. Luke 14:28-30. It is very simple here: if you do not have enough resources to carry out that particular project, change the design or the strategy to one that your resources can handle.
3. Think before abandoning what you’re doing now. Do you think there’s a greener pasture on the other side? Are you assuming that there is a perfect relationship, husband, wife, or even a church somewhere? Then think again before you quit.
4. Run your life on principles, not opinions. In the course of being a leader, you will encounter circumstances and situations that your action or reaction will go a long way. If you run your life on principles, at such points, it will be reflexive to respond to that situation in the best way. Opinions, on the other hand, differ with each individual; they are never consistent. You cannot run your life on what this person says or another person says, and you’ll be committed to anything.
