The Cambridge Dictionary defines "committed" as: "loyal and willing to give your time and energy to something you believe in."
Psalm 37:5 reads: "Commit your way to the LORD."
Is it necessary for every Christian to show their commitment the same way? Can you actually tell how committed someone is by watching how they worship?
"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (Colossians 2:16-17)
If that's the case, our public worship style does not at all determine whether we are committed or not. We also have no right to tell someone that their way of worship is wrong.
So, what are the things that do show that you are a committed Christian?
We should probably go directly to Jesus for that:
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)
So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! (Mark 7:5-9)
How much of your worship is based only on human rules? And how much of it is Spirit and truth? I believe that Romans chapter 14 has one of the best descriptions of how to live a life committed to Christ. It involves Jesus' commandment to "love one another" (John 13:35). I can't print the whole thing here because it's too long, but I'll give you the highlights:
Don't quarrel about things that aren't essential, like when to worship or what to eat (verse 1).
God is the master of all of us. We aren't in charge of anyone else, so we don't have to try to make them do things the way we think is right. It is between them and God. (verse 4).
If someone is convinced in their own mind that they are worshiping correctly, it is not up to us to judge them or treat them with contempt (verses 5-10).
Don't flaunt your beliefs by doing something that someone else is upset by, even if you are convinced it is okay, but do everything you can to live at peace with your Christian brothers and sisters (verses 13-21).
Don't follow what other people do if you believe it to be wrong, or even if you have doubts about it. Do what you can do confidently in faith (verses 22-23).
This list takes away all of the human rules that we like to rely on. It makes things uncomfortable. In our humanness, we are happier if the rules are clear. If someone else is doing things differently, we have to question our own beliefs and actions. But Paul, who the Christian Church relies on for all sorts of rules, spends this whole chapter saying that there are a bunch of different ways of following Christ. And that we humans are not actually in charge of deciding which way is right. And that our relationship with God is so much more important than what we do or how we do it.
Are you committed? Are you loyal and willing to give your time and energy to God?
Don't worry if your life doesn't look like some other Christian's. And especially don't worry if some other Christian's life doesn't look like yours! In the end, we are all only answerable to God.
If you have questions or want to discuss this further, feel free to comment, or contact us privately. We would love to connect with you.
Well said.