How to Increase Commitment to God

Commitment is an important concept for Christians. We need to understand and practice

commitment because God is a committed person. In the Bible, commitment involves four
aspects:
1. Whole-heartedness, a complete heart for God (2 Chronicles 15:17, 16:9)
2. Entrusting our lives to God
3. Consecrating our lives to God, setting ourselves apart to be used for His purposes
4. Sacrificing our time, material, and lives for God (Romans 6:13)

The best example of this type of commitment is God Himself. God commits Himself to
us wholehearted and unreservedly. Total commitment is the only type of relationship that
He has with people.

Genesis 28:15
I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this
land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

Wow! God promised Jacob complete commitment. God promised to be with Jacob
wherever he went and for as long as was needed to complete everything He had promised
to Jacob. Arent you glad that you can count on God? People will disappoint you, and
even you cannot count on yourself to do what is right sometimes. But God will never fail
you. He will never abandon you or forget you or leave you hanging. He has no limits or
conditions to how He loves you. He doesnt just love you a little bit, but He loved you
enough to give His only Son to die for you. God is completely, 100% committed to you.

How can we increase our commitment to God?
God desires us to be committed to Him as well. He was the one who reached out to us
when we didnt know Him. He initiated our relationship and helps us to grow in our
relationship with Him. God desires for us to be completely committed to Him, just as
Jesus was completely committed to the Father.

When we talk about complete commitment, it may seem like a scary thing. The first thing
to realize when we talk about increasing our commitment is that it is our choice. We are
the ones who must choose to increase our commitment. It is voluntary. God will not force
anyone to commit more to Him.

Because commitment is voluntary, we must first have a strong desire to commit to God.
We must understand what is at stake when we talk about commitment. We must
understand the immense value of what God has in store for us as we grow in our
commitment. If we think about it this way, increasing our commitment to God will not
seem like a scary thing, but something that we value and desire.

Commitment is one of those things that are only revealed by testing, similar to loyalty
and faithfulness. You only know if you are committed or not when you have to choose
between commitment and something else. We all face decisions in life where we must
choose between commitment and no commitment. Although we may not realize it at the
time, each of these decisions is like a fork in our path. If we understand the value of
commitment, then we will more easily choose the correct path.

1. Desire to be blessed by God
Consider the example of Jacob and Esau. For all his character flaws, Jacob had one
excellent characteristic. Jacob truly valued the things of God. He was willing to do
anything to receive the blessing of God. Jacob even wrestled with the angel of the Lord,
refusing to let go until he received the blessing. On the other hand, Esau did not value the
things of God. The Bible says that Esau despised his birthright, or did not appreciate its
value, and traded it for a bowl of soup.

We can learn from Jacob and Esaus example that one way to increase our commitment
to God is to desire His blessing. Jacob would not give up on God for anything because he
so desired Gods blessing.

If you desire Gods blessing, you are not going to be content with a bowl of soup as Esau
was. We should eagerly desire to receive Gods blessing. Its not wrong to ask God to
bless our families, our work, and our ministry. Instead, it is a healthy sign of our
dependence on God and our trust in Him. If we do not depend on God, then it is easy to
become proud and put Him as a second priority.

Be like Jacob and determine to see Gods blessing in our lives! We should have the
attitude of not wanting anything but what God has prepared for us. His blessing is always
the best. If He blesses us with a job, its going to be a far better job than the one we
sought after using our own ideas and abilities.

If we desire God blessing, then we will want to increase our commitment to Him.

2. Desire to be used by God more
Another example of someone committed to God was King David. He was zealous to be
used by God. When the Philistine giant Goliath taunted the army of Israel, David was
indignant. Even though he was just a teenager, he plead with King Saul to be able to go
and fight against Goliath.

Because David valued Gods presence in his life, he was careful to do things the correct
way. David refused to harm King Saul even when Saul was trying to kill him. He left
vengeance to God. David also desired to build a temple for God. Throughout his life,
King David wanted to be used fully by God.

In the same way, we should be ambitious to be used by God to the fullest extent. We are
limited only by the faith that we have. We should therefore increase our holy ambition to
be used by God and make the most of the grace available to us. It would be a tragedy if
we only succeeded in taking hold of 50 percent of what God had for us.

As a church, we should not be satisfied with only saving 10,000 people but we should
desire to be used to transform entire nations and the lives of hundreds of millions of
people. We should have a vision as big as Gods vision. He desires that we go and make
disciples of all nations.

Psalm 2:8
Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your
possession.

If we desire to be used by God, then we will be careful to do things the correct way so
that God can use us. We will be careful not to disqualify ourselves. We will be careful
about our thoughts and actions.

3. Desire to receive more reward
Many times we are willing to do difficult things because of the reward. If we want to slim
down our body, then we are willing to skip dessert or spend hours at the gym. If we want
to start a career in finance, law, or engineering, then we are willing to spend years
studying for a degree. In the same way, if we want to receive a reward from God, then we
will seek to increase our commitment to Him.

It is not wrong to want to receive rewards from God. Actually, the reverse is truetoo
often Christians dont desire heavenly rewards enough. As a result, their commitment to
God is weak and they are always struggling against their flesh. We need to constantly
remind ourselves of the real rewards in heaven. We need to constantly look forward to
the day that we will stand before the great white throne in heaven to receive our reward.
We want Jesus to look at us and say, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have
been faithful with a few things during your time on earth; I will put you in charge of
many things in your eternal home in heaven. Come and share your masters happiness!

The Bible talks over and over about the rewards that Christians can expect. We should
cultivate a strong desire for heavenly rewards.

Romans 2:7
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will
give eternal life.

Hebrews 10:35-36
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere
so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

2 Timothy 4:7-8
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in
store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award
to me on that dayand not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

1 Peter 5:4
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never
fade away.

4. Desire to know God more
Moses is another example of someone who remained committed to God because of good
desires. Moses longed to know God more. He spent 40 days on Mount Sinai with God,
speaking with Him. When the Israelites built the tabernacle, Moses would go into the tent
and speak with God face to face, as if to a friend. Moses desired to know God more.

Exodus 33:17-18
And the Lord said to Moses, I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am
pleased with you and I know you by name. Then Moses said, Now show me your
glory.

We should want to know God more intimately. Not just know about God, but understand
His heart. We want sympathy of feeling so that we feel the same as He does. Thats why
Paul was glad when he experienced persecution because he knew that he was persecuted
for Jesus sake, and that he shared a fellowship with Jesus by suffering for Him.

Philippians 3:7-10
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I
consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain
Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the
law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God on
the basis of faith. I want to know Christyes, to know the power of his resurrection and
participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow,
attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

We should desire to know more about how God feels about people, how much He loves
people and wants to do for them. We should desire to know more about Gods infinite
goodness. He is so good that no mind can conceive, no eye has seen, and no ear has heard
what good things He has prepared for those who love Him.

Conclusion
We need to cultivate desires for good things. Then it will be easier for us to increase our
commitment to God. When we desire and value the things of God, we will not struggle
with our flesh as much when facing decisions about commitment.