Four Commitments - Committed to Lordship

Greetings Dear Readers,

Many years ago, when my children were very small and I still in school on the student side of the classroom, I partook in a grand thing.  I will get to the substance of that thing in a bit but I wish first to explain my method.  You see one of the things I ponder in attempting to walk closer to Christ along the path is the nature of commitment. 

In my life I have made and broken both large and small commitments.  I have had others make commitments to me both large and small and break them.  I work hard to be someone that can be “counted on.”  I know that it hurts me deeply when someone breaks even a small commitment to me (I realize that has to do with expectations and I will get to that later this month).  My focus this week is on understanding my own commitment to God and the journey he has set for me.

Many years ago I was privileged to be part of a movement called “concerts of prayer.”  I do not know of a long enduring impact of the events but I do know that what I learned about commitment to God during it has stayed with me over the years.  This week I am going to dive deep into the four areas of focus related to commitment that I learned during this time.  As I share this part of the journey with you, I want you to be sure that I am seeking to understand how I can better follow Christ in these areas.

Some of what I share will be very old and some a little harsh.  That is never directed at you Dear Reader but rather at my own thinking.  It is in my mind that I wrestle with these things and never do I wish you to think that I am judging you.  Still I value your prayer, support, and insights into my musings.  So walk with me if you will for a bit down a part of the path that is both concrete and ethereal.  We will begin with Lordship.

I must be committed to God as Lord of all things and as Christ as the “heir apparent.”  I will never abandon thinking about things and reasoning my way through my faith.  I will also cling to the idea that God is sovereign.  He is in control.  He knows what is going on even when I am totally confused and bewildered.  This is one of the reasons that faith is so vital.  It is an act of faith to give power over to another.  It is also true that my acknowledgement of God’s lordship is only my acknowledgment.  It does not confer any power on him that does not already possess.  God is God whether I see it or not.

Because of this I must give my thinking, actions, attitudes, and dreams over to my Lord.  As his vassal I become free to be his vessel to work our redemption in the lives of others.  So I must daily renew my commitment to the fact of God’s Lordship.  Some days I must renew it every moment.

“I claim no right to myself, no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me. Neither do I have any right to this body or its members, no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears or eyes. I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own. I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him, I have given every power so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect. I have expressly promised Him, for by His grace I will not fail. I take Him as my whole portion and felicity, looking upon nothing else as any part of my happiness. His law is the constant rule of my obedience.” – Jonathan Edwards

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."