Commitment to the Lord

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth… Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:28-31).

By John and Beth Reese

A. Commitment to the Creator - (Isaiah 40:28-31).

1. He created us and knows His purpose for us (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 33:11-22; 139:13; Jeremiah 29:11; Zechariah 12:1; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:5,9)

2. As Creator, He knows what makes us succeed as individuals (Jeremiah 10:23; Proverbs 16:3; Ecclesiastes 12:1; Matthew 7:24-27).

3. He created marriage and family and knows their purposes (Psalm; Malachi 2:15).

4. As Creator, He knows how marriage and family succeed (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:6).

5. As Creator, He has first claim on your life (Exodus 20:2-3; Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:30).


B. Commitment to the Lord

1. Faith (Hebrews 11:6).

2. Dependence (Psalm 127:1).

3. Obedience (Matthew 7:24).

4. Repentance (Acts 17:30).

5. Self-denial, crucifixion (Matthew 16:24; Luke 14:26-33; Galatians 2:20).


*Practical Suggestions:*

  • Develop the habit of doing what you learn from God’s Word, immediately.

  • Pay extra attention to God’s will when it goes against your natural inclination.

  • Pray, “not my will but Yours be done.”

C. Commitment to the Almighty

1. Source of all power(Ephesians 1:18-19; 3:20-21).

2. Source of all wisdom (James 1:5).

3. Source of all provision and protection—know that you cannot be with your spouse or child every minute, but that the Lord can and will be there (Psalm 121:2,7-8).

4. Source of answers to prayer (Mark 11:23-24).

5. Source of success—not the worldly definition but the spiritual definition, the only one that counts (Psalm 37:5-6; Proverbs 3:5-6; John 15:5).

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

*Practical Suggestions:*

  • The foundation of the family should be the Lord. Fathers should learn to imitate The Father.

  • The first place to go for training and for help in time of crisis is always the Word of God and prayer.

  • Families need to spend time talking and praying together. This is especially true for the married couple.

  • Keep bringing your bad habits, dysfunctions and problems for God to solve.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).

D. Commitment to the Savior

1. Source of adoption—God saw all your sins, weaknesses and problems, yet before creation He chose you for His family (Ephesians 1:4-6).

2. Source of the Holy Spirit- (Ephesians 3:16).

3. Source of re-creation—Don’t be led into the trap of believing you always remain a victim of your own childhood. You can break generational cycles of dysfunction (2 Corinthians 5:17).

*Practical Suggestions:*

  • The family needs to work on getting their priorities in order:
    God – Spouse – Children – Work including with the church – Other things

  • As a Christian, try not to let your Christianity become common place. Sometimes it is easy to do things out of habit; remember that you need to be praying and communing with God.

  • Be a living example of how God re-creates the broken.