All In?
There’s a key quality that makes a major difference in the fruitfulness and success of any relationship or enterprise in life. That quality is commitment. Successful marriages are built on it. Businesses are grown and sustained by it. Winning teams demonstrate it. Productivity and promotion are often the rewards of it. Commitment matters.
The Bible talks a lot about commitment. One of the terms Scripture uses to describe it is “wholehearted.” People who are truly committed to God, to His Word, His work and His people put their whole heart in. There’s no duplicity, no disloyalty, no part-time mentality, no “hot today and cold tomorrow,” no infidelity of heart, mind or body, no fickleness.
Unfortunately in today’s world commitment is under-valued, and often non-existent. It’s rare to find people sticking to their word and doing what they’ve promised. Loyalty is practically a thing of the past. People tend to hold something back and keep their options open in their relationships and responsibilities. The only thing most people are committed to is themselves — their own ambitions, goals, dreams and desires.
When King David was preparing his son Solomon to be his successor as Israel’s king, he specifically addressed the importance of commitment:
“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. — 1 Chronicles 28:9 (NLT)
David knew that Solomon’s success as the nation’s leader would be determined by the degree and depth of commitment he demonstrated to God, to God’s Word, to God’s work and to God’s people. Anything less than wholehearted devotion and loyalty to any of these would compromise Solomon’s effectiveness, and diminish his legacy. Solomon needed to be “all in.”
If we’re going to experience the best God has for us, we too must be “all in.” We must wholeheartedly commit ourselves to God, His Word, His work and His people. We must demonstrate real commitment to the Lord, the assignments and responsibilities He has placed in our hands to do, and to the people He has called us to serve. We must be done with hot and cold, up and down, on and off ways of living and relating.
We receive great blessings when we live this way. High commitment living is the pathway to growth. It’s the pathway to peace. It’s the pathway to a joyous and fruitful life.
How about you? Are you “all in?”
Dale O'Shields
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