Committed to the Cause
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.”
Luke 9:51–53
One of only twelve men to walk on the moon, Apollo 15’s Colonel James Irwin, was a committed Christian. When he retired from NASA he established the High Flight Foundation and traveled the world telling people about Jesus. Irwin could have been proud of his achievement, but instead he dedicated himself to service. He said, “As I was returning to earth I realized I was a servant, not a celebrity. So I’m here as God’s servant on planet Earth to share what I’ve experienced that others might know the glory of God.”
The Christian life requires commitment. We live in a day of people dabbling in this and toying with that before taking something else up as a hobby to divert their attention still further. The ministry of Jesus Christ was powerful in large part because it was focused. Jesus knew what was important, and He did not allow other things to get in the way of what God wanted Him to do on any particular day.
If we only do what is easy, we will not get much done. Pressures, obstacles, and setbacks are not necessarily a sign that we have strayed from God’s purpose; often, they are the devil trying to derail us. If we follow the example of Jesus, we will stay on task and hold fast to our commitment to follow the will of the Father. If we want to succeed in His work, then we must “set our face” and keep moving forward.
Luke 9:51–53
One of only twelve men to walk on the moon, Apollo 15’s Colonel James Irwin, was a committed Christian. When he retired from NASA he established the High Flight Foundation and traveled the world telling people about Jesus. Irwin could have been proud of his achievement, but instead he dedicated himself to service. He said, “As I was returning to earth I realized I was a servant, not a celebrity. So I’m here as God’s servant on planet Earth to share what I’ve experienced that others might know the glory of God.”
The Christian life requires commitment. We live in a day of people dabbling in this and toying with that before taking something else up as a hobby to divert their attention still further. The ministry of Jesus Christ was powerful in large part because it was focused. Jesus knew what was important, and He did not allow other things to get in the way of what God wanted Him to do on any particular day.
If we only do what is easy, we will not get much done. Pressures, obstacles, and setbacks are not necessarily a sign that we have strayed from God’s purpose; often, they are the devil trying to derail us. If we follow the example of Jesus, we will stay on task and hold fast to our commitment to follow the will of the Father. If we want to succeed in His work, then we must “set our face” and keep moving forward.
Today’s Growth Principle:
If we are going to accomplish anything of value for God, we must be committed to follow it through to the end
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