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Commitment
by Duane Huffstutler Num 30:2 2 If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. (KJV) We talk about commitment, being committed to this and committed to that, what really is commitment? What does it mean to be committed? My dictionary says that commitment means the act of committing, pledging or engaging oneself. Commitment also means a pledge or promise; obligation; engagement or involvement. The bible even goes as far as calling it a vow, and then it says that if you make a vow you better not break it. A vow is a solemn, holy promise, by which a man bound himself to do certain things in a particular way, time, etc., and for power to accomplish which he depended on God; hence all vows were made with prayer.Adam Clarke's Commentary. Let's break it down a littleA solemn holy promise by which a man bound himself to do certain things, this sounds a lot like a commitment. This solemn holy promise can be made to the Lord or to another person and it is just as binding to another person as it is to the Lord. This commitment or vow is binding until the commitment is completed. That means that you cannot just walk away when you feel like it, you have to stay until the project is finished. If you make a promise to someone you are committing yourself to them for the purpose of the promise. It is like your word, if you say you are going to do something and don't do it you have broken your word and after breaking your word a few times people will get to where they don't believe anything that you say. Just like that, if you commit to something and then don't do it after a time or two, people will not even pay any attention to your commitments. God sees this as sin and will hold it until it is either paid or until the wrath of God is poured out on the unjust. This is what Adam Clarke had to say about unpaid vows, in his article on the Apocalypse, he is taking his text from Revelation 14:1919 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. (KJV) Child of Adam, hear, and be admonished now while salvation is so freely offered. Be not deceived, for God is not mocked. Those impieties of thine, those guilty sports and gaieties, will yet have to be confronted before the judgment seat. Those gatherings in the gaming-hells and drink-shops of Satan, those sneers and witty jests at sacred things, those fiery lusts burning on the altars of carnal pleasure, are all written down in the account-books of eternity to be brought forth in the great day. That wicked profanation of thy Maker's name, that broken pledge, that unfulfilled vow to God and man, that scene of riot, that hidden going to the haunts of the profligate, all are noted for future settlement. The blood of wronged and murdered innocence will not always cry in vain. The wail of trampled helplessness will not be unheard forever. The mother who destroyed her babe, the clerk who dipped too deep in his employer's till, the enemy who set fire to his neighbor's goods or sought to blacken his good name, the boy who cursed his parents in secret, the spiteful slanderer and persecutor of God's ministers and people, and every despiser and neglecter of the great salvation, must each answer at the tribunal of eternal justice. And if clean repentance out of these and all such sins be not speedy and complete, there is no hope or mercy more. The Apocalypse, God takes vows and commitments very seriously: Eccl 5:4-5 4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. (KJV) How many times have you made a vow or a commitment and not showed up to complete the obligation? Have you received forgiveness for the unpaid vow or commitment? The Bible states that it is better to pay it late than to not pay it at all. If you have forgotten about it pray that God will refresh your memory so that you don't stand before him with an unpaid vow or commitment. The Bible states that no sin will enter into heaven; an unpaid vow is a sin in God's book will you let it keep you out of heaven? Duane L. Huffstutler, Written 2011, Faithwriters.com Duane L. Huffstutler is the Sunday School Director at Oak Grove Pentecostal Ministries in Bonifay Florida. All scripture is from the King James Version (1611) Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |