Commitment

What does commitment mean to you?

In this day and age, commitment means a lot of different things to different people. Commitment in marriage can be "till death do us part" to some and others it simply means "till I get tired of being married to you".

Commitment to family isn't what it used to be either. Yesterday, the world learned about a Tennessee mother who put her adopted son on a plane to return him to Russia because she thought he was too violent.

Commitment in the Church means different things as well. To some, commitment in the Church means "till something else comes along that I like better" or "till you disappoint me".

I think Christians need to be reminded that commitment in the Church is demonstrated by commitment to the Church. I'm not talking about commitment to a building, a name or a denomination. It's commitment to people.

In the context of the local Church, a person needs to make a commitment to a group of people (ie, a local Church) as a result of sharing the vision that God has called them to in that community. Vision is the most important component in making the decision of commitment. Vision dictates where you are, where you are going and how you're going to get there.

In the local Church, commitment will be demonstrated by offering your time, treasure and talent. Each local body of believers needs these three things from all of us to prosper, grow and fulfill the vision to which God has called them. When we give of these three important resources, we're saying, "I am committed to you!"