Commitment

Commitment is the key to any successful relationship. Be it with Christ, a spouse a child or any relationship for that matter. While some run from commitment for fear of being tied or bound, I happen to believe it is to the contrary. Commitment brings tremendous liberty into every relationship and will help you overcome difficult circumstances and temptation so long as you remain committed.

My commitment to Christ enables me to overcome every attack of the enemy in my life. When the temptation comes to compromise in any area of life it is my commitment to Christ that brings me through. How that works, is I have made the decision to be faithful to Christ before the question to compromise every crosses my mind. I can’t wait until I am in the heat of the battle to decide what I will do when it comes to my commitment to Christ. That decision must be made long before I am faced with the decision to compromise my relationship.

The same is true in my relationship with my spouse. Connie and I have committed to one another in every area of our lives. I have settled it in my heart that outside of my relationship with Christ this is the most important relationship in my life. Therefore, I refuse to allow any area of compromise to derail it. I have already made the decision to be faithful and true to my spouse before any areas of compromise cross my path.

You can apply this principle to every area of your life in relationships. However, if you choose to compromise any committed relationship it will bring with it conflict and chaos.

Pastor Ray

Commitment, Compromise & Conflict III

Joshua 24:15 “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Early in Joshua's leadership he faced the very decision that every believer must face and resolve for themselves.

In Joshua 24:21-22 the very thing that Joshua had settled for himself must now be settled by those whom he had led. "that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves"

If we are to lead spiritually with any effectiveness or influence, (be it our family, or in some capacity in the body of Christ) we must be totally committed to the call and cause of Christ.

• First, the Committed freely choose the Lord to be their Lord...
• If you haven't settled it spiritually
• If it's not settled deep in your soul
• You will struggle to stay committed through difficult decisions, places of compromise or elements of conflict.

• Secondly, the committed wholeheartedly serve the Lord...

Joshua not only saw the Lord as his Lord, but he saw himself as the Lord's servant. Therefore, as committed believers we must covenant ourselves with the Lord.

• Thirdly, the committed trust and obey the Word of the Lord...

Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Pastor Ray

Commitment, Compromise & Conflict II

If you listen to the news at all you can quickly discern the struggles we face as a Christian community.

Here are some things that caught my attention in the news from this past week…

• Another teacher scandal of inappropriate relations with a minor
• Yearning For Zion Ranch, a polygamist compound in West Texas is raided for sexual child abuse
• Three third graders plot to harm or even kill their teacher after being disciplined for a wrong behavior
• Two different fourteen year old girls in separate incidents try and dispose of their newly born child
• and the list goes on

Realizing the mixed up world we now live in, I must ask my self the question. What can the church do to impact our culture and change our world?

I conclude that the church must draw the line in the sand and raise high the standard of holiness while loving people unconditionally. It has been said that to draw a hard line is a lack of compassion. I beg to differ with that opinion and to the contrary, to not draw the line at all is a lack of compassion.

With that being said, we can have a high standard of holiness, have a definitive line drawn in the sand as to sin and still love people. We must understand that loving people does not mean we have to compromise the Word of God or our standards. But, if all we do is establish the line and never point people to the cross or teach them to grow in God’s Word we are simply building a doctrine of legalism.

The answer to changing our culture and our world is not a legalistic doctrine based on a set of rules established by man. It is a Bible based foundation established for the purpose of changing peoples hearts.

Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;(NKJV)

Pastor Ray

Commitment, Compromise & Conflict

Welcome back to “Coffee With the Pastor”. It has been a while since our last coffee break so pour yourself a cup and relax. I am back on a schedule to write each week so you will receive the new weekly updates.

I have spent a great deal of time in prayer and study over the past several months regarding the state of the church and the family. My conclusion is that we have lost our way in both. The family is in dysfunction not because of the church, but in spite of the church. And the church is in dysfunction because of our inability to be committed in relationships. I am sure that sounds a bit harsh but church as usual is not going to change the conflict in our homes, or in our world.

I have just started a new series of messages for the family that starts with “Commitment” on behalf of every believer. Joshua 24:15 “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The first key to any committed relationship be it with (Christ, your spouse, or your children) is me and not we. In other words every commitment starts with the individual voluntarily and willingly committing to that relationship. At any point in which that relationship is compromised it will eventually lead to conflict. Thus the series; “Commitment, Compromise and Conflict” and unfortunately many in the church today are in conflict rather than commitment.

The question is, how is your relationships?

I will be writing a great deal on this subject over the next few weeks with the intent that God’s Word will strengthen your commitments or bring you out of conflict.

Pastor Ray