COMMITMENT THROUGH ACTION
Since we’ve been talking about commitment, I’d like to take a few days to take a look at some things that will help you stay committed. Today we're going to focus on how taking personal responsibility to put action to our faith will help us stay committed. James 2:17 reads, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
In the Christian world, a lot of times we are taught that we can simply speak our lives into a better existence. But, the truth is, talking the talk alone will not work without walking the walk. In other words, you can have faith and speak faith-filled words, but will that alone change the circumstances in your life? I don’t think so. I full-heartedly believe there is power in what you say— the Bible says the tongue has power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21), but words alone are not enough.
So, while you can’t simply talk yourself out of your problems, you can talk yourself into faith and into believing things can be better. Once you have the faith to believe for something better it's time to put action behind it. This is where your personal responsibility comes in. If you have faith to believe something can be different in your life, you alone are responsible to put action into those things, and it will take commitment to stick with it when things get hard or when things don’t seem to be changing.
This is true in all areas of your life. For example, if you want to be closer to God, don't just tell Him that or say that. Show Him! It is equally important to do something to grow closer to Him and to keep doing even when it doesn’t seem like He’s working in your life. In a marriage, you can't just talk about how your marriage is going to get better. Do something about it! Start treating your spouse better, forgive, make your marriage a priority, even when it is hard to do so.
I've heard it said that if you want to see something different, you've got to do something different. The problem isn't usually a lack of being able to say good things or to believe for a better life, it's a lack of staying committed to doing something to make it better. Taking personal responsibility for putting your faith into action will help you stay committed in this way.
TODAYS CHALLENGE
Find areas in your life that you would like to see improve and take personal responsibility to see that situation change. If this involves relationships on the job, in school or at home, I want to challenge you to find something nice to do for that person. If you continue to do this more than just today I believe simple things such as this will begin to improve your life and help you experience God's fullness here on this earth. Let me know your thoughts on this.
TODAYS PRAYER
Lord, I don't want to just be a person who talks about being a better person or experiencing a better life. I want to take personal responsibility for putting my faith into action. I want to be a person who is committed in words and action to you, my friends and family and every area of my life. Thank you for giving me this day and building in me the power to put action to what I say and believe. In Jesus name, amen.
