In this episode of "Jesus Can" we explore the importance of commitment to God, to others and to your local church. We also explore the cost and the rewards of being committed. If you need prayers or counseling kindly contact us on the email address houseofsalvation55@gmail.com or WhatsApp +27729110805, for further information check www.houseofsalvation55. co
Kingdom Community TV Podcast
Power of commitment!
(upbeat music) - Are you weary and heartbroken? Do you need healing and deliverance? Welcome to the program, Jesus Can with your host, Dr. Bongyu. Our mission is to help you step by step live a victorious life in Christ. Enjoy today's program. (upbeat music) - We are reading from the book of Second Chronicles, chapter 16, verse nine, New Living Translation. The eyes of the Lord such the whole earth, in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. Heavenly Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, we thank you for the reading of your word. Father God, shape us, mould us, make us, Father God, the verses that you want us to be. Lord, we are Italy and you are a potter. Lord, I pray for each and everyone who's listening, Father, touch them accordingly in the mighty name of Jesus, amen. Today, we are talking about the power of commitment. Once upon a time, there was a 10 year old boy who asked the mom and the father while they were eating breakfast and asked for help to say that he was given a homework where he should distinguish between commitment and contribution. So the boy said it didn't understand the meaning of commitment and contribution. So the father was silent for a while and then he answered and said, my boy, just look at your plate. As you are eating this bacon and egg, just imagine this bacon. This bacon, there was a peak that has been killed for us to eat this bacon. And then with that egg, there is a chicken that laid that egg. So, but the difference is that the peak that gave this bacon committed its life. But the chicken committed an egg, contributed an egg. So didn't commit, but rather has contributed, has given an egg of which is not also bad, has contributed, but now we should understand that commitment, now commitment is bigger than contribution because commitment involves dying. Dying to yourself, it involves denying yourself because now you are committing, you cannot commit without denying yourself because now if you are too cautious of yourself, it will be difficult for you to commit. So that's why now the peak committed by giving the life. Paul says, it's no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me. Even the life that I live, I live through Christ. So what is he saying? He's saying that he has been crucified to with Christ. He's dead with Christ, so now Christ has taken over because with commitment, we need Christ to take over. Unless the seed dies, there won't be any multiplication. So the seed needs to die for commitment, you need to die to yourself. So now today we are reading here in Second Chronicles, the Bible tells us that the Lord is searching the whole earth in order to strengthen those who are fully committed to him. So God is searching in each and every country, he's searching in each and every continent. He's searching to say who is committed, who can I support, who can I strengthen because he's a God of love, he's a God who has good plans for our lives, but also he needs commitment because he can give you all the gifts. And now you find that you're not committed and as you are not committed, like it will be just like a waste. God is not a God who selfish, he is like a giver as he gave his only begotten son, but also the commitment on our side makes things easier because God uses people with his hands, with his feet. So that's why he also requires commitment on our side. Yes, yes, done it all, but on our side we also need to commit. And commitment is one thing that will also shape our lives because ourselves, we are a sum of our commitments because it's always said that a mature person lives according to his commitment, but immature people, they live according to emotions. So commitment goes beyond emotions, commitment goes beyond feeling, commitment is unconditional, commitment is not symbiotic, it's not because you did this to me, I also then do this to you, but like commitment, you do good, even if there is no reciprocation because now you are committed, you understand what is commitment, you have bound yourself like it's a pledge, it's a binding like that, it's a commitment. So now, firstly, it's important for us to commit to God. The Bible tells us in 2 we should love the Lord with our whole heart, with our whole soul and with our whole strength. So, in totality, we should love the Lord. So if we love the Lord, it's only then that we will be able to commit to him because now I want to talk about committing to God because even God demands commitment, that's why he says, those who love me, they should deny themselves and take their cross and follow me. And he says, those who love me, they should feed the sheep, he says, those who love me, they should keep my commandments. So like there is no, like a mincing of words there, God demands commitment because we are his creation. So like we need like to commit to him. He needs our whole heart, whole soul and whole strength. So it's important for us to seek God fast in everything and be able to commit like a, in prayer to commit in reading the word, commit in fasting when it's needed, commit in giving, commit in meditation, commit in praise and worship, commit in gathering with the saints because now we understand that God is a God who is willing to lift us high, but also needs you to be there, needs you to stick there, to commit you will be staying there like abiding there, like just hanging around there, committing to be there to say, I am here and he's the one who will make the work, their job on you, but yourself is just to avail yourself and commit to say, I am here. Use me, I am here. Sometimes we always say that we are committed to God and now there is no need to commit to church because we are about the kingdom of God. But we should understand that also the kingdom of God is the one that created churches, like for to be like a body of Christ, they were like family, like families just like in life, they are like different families and people are placed on families and they have different roles. So is like the church, the gathering. God has created the gathering. So now he even adds members to the gathering because it's like the whole church, like it's the kingdom, the whole church is the body of Christ, but we cannot gather all of us in one place because we are in different places and also like we are in different like countries. So like there is just that need that there should be churches and as there are churches, like God adds people to those churches. We should understand that a church is not just a building but a church is a living organism. It's like a dynamic like system that God has ordained and given it power, empowered it to be like a change that has become of change in our society. So now that's why people are needed to be committed in the church for the church to be able, like to make a difference in the world. Like it needs people who will be committed. So sometimes when we don't want to commit, then we say no, as long as like I'm fine with God, as long as like my relationship is good with God. Yes, I agree. It's good that the relationship is good with God. But I believe that God wants you to be planted somewhere. God wants you to be a member somewhere. As like the book of Corinthians, like 12 second Corinthians of the way, it tells us like about like the members, different members like in the body of Christ that have different like functions in unity. So now you also need to be added there because the Bible also tells us that the church is the candlestick. So as you are the light, you should be attached into the candlestick. You cannot just be the light that just floats. I understand that in churches, there are some heads. I understand that in churches, sometimes there is like, you find that like you don't see like things the same way, but God like has given us now the fruits of the spirit, because now we have the fruits of the spirit, the fruit of the spirit, which is love and also which like encompasses all the understanding like because now you will be patient, you will be gentle, you will be able like to have the peace, to have the joy and be able to interact with other people in the midst of diversity, in the midst of differences. But God is well like unity works well, well like there are differences. And then God shows himself like to be glorified that as he said that we are one and as we are one Jesus said, we I have also given them the glory so that they can be one. So as to verse 42 tells us that the people were devoted to a postal stitching, they were devoted to gathering, they were devoted like in breaking of the bread, they were devoted in prayer. So now it tells us these people were gathered in one like group. So to tell us that we also need to be committed somewhere where you can be devoted somewhere. And then thirdly, I want to say that we should also plan to commit to others. Relation, shipwise, land to commit. In the marriage, land to commit just to know that marriage is a commitment. In the family know that you are committed to those kids. Know that you are committed to the people around you. God has brought specifically people around you so that you can be of help to those people so that you can be committed to them. God honors commitment, that's why he says he's looking like two and four is searching the whole world to look for those who have their hearts that is committed to him. Because he's using people and now he needs hearts that are committed. When we look at Elijah and Elijah, we remember that Elijah was the prophet and now Elijah was the young prophet who was following Elijah. At some point when Elijah was about to be taken away, then he told Elijah to remain at better. And now Elijah refused to remain at better. He further asked Elijah to remain like in Jericho. Elijah refused to remain in Jericho. And then Elijah continued asking Elijah to remain in Jordan. Elijah refused to remain. So three times Elijah was trying to get rid of Elijah but Elijah was saying, I'm committed to you. So wherever you are going, I'm going. And with that commitment, with that persistence, it's how Elijah now received the mental, that's why Elijah did even double like the miracles of Elijah because he got the double portion. So what am I talking about? I'm talking about commitment. If Elijah remained in better, if Elijah remained in Jericho, if Elijah remained in Jordan, Elisha wouldn't be able to get that mental. But it's because of the commitment, of his commitment that he was able to get the mental and get double the portion. Ruth and Naomi. Ruth, we know that was the daughter-in-law to Naomi. Naomi had two daughter-in-law's Ruth and Opa. And we remember that with Opa, Opa decided to say, okay, now since now, their husbands like they did because both now actually all three of them now were videos. And now, like he... Naomi, being the mother-in-law, was willing to release her daughter-in-law's to say, let them go, maybe instead in your life. But Opa is like agreed to go, but Ruth says no, said no. Wherever you are going, I'll go with you. The people, your people will be my people. And your God will be my God. So now, we should understand the commitment here because Ruth had a chance to be free here. But Ruth chose to be committed to the mother-in-law. And that's why now he got a reward. She got a reward of like marrying Boaz now, like a godly man chosen by God because now there was an element of commitment. You should always know when you see someone who's doing well or who's succeeding that in one way or another was a place where he was committed. Commitment is what is needed for multiplication for like all success, because now with commitment, things they come with commitment. Sometimes we give up too early. Sometimes we quit too early and without like getting the results. So that's why it's important for us to commit, to be able to be steadfast just like him on them. Because sometimes it's not easy, but we just have to hang on them because if we understand commitment, then we'll be able to hang on them. Joseph, if we can remember Joseph, was committed to his master. When Joseph was faced with pretty fast wife, when pretty fast wife was making advances on Joseph, Joseph said, my master had given me everything, like I'm in charge of this household, the whole household, I am in charge of it except you wife of Potipha. So now you can understand that the Potipha was not there, but now Joseph was like committed to the master, to say, I want like do what is wrong, I want do what will help my master because of commitment. Joseph understood commitment. And unfortunately that commitment is the one that led him to go to jail. But remember, even when now he was in jail, now God being gracious, God being good, rose like a raised Joseph up, because Joseph still had a criminal record that he's a rapist. Joseph still was known as jailbed, but that jailbed, that rapist now was able to be lifted up to be a prime minister. So you can understand the power of commitment. Joseph was committed to the master until up to the end. I once read of two boys who grew up together from childhood, they grew up together, they went to the same high school, they went to the same college and after that, they decided to be soldiers and they went to the mother and so the other time now, they were in war and they were fighting. And now they will seem their team seem to be defeated, like they were being killed like that. And now they decided to run back to the camp where they've put their tents and everything. So now as they were running back, the other boy realized that the friend is not there. So the boy decided to go back to the field where they were fighting. The master refused to say, please don't go there. Are you right? Are you like, are you thinking well? Because look now, it was so fierce where we are from. So if we have survived to come back to the camp, so why are you going back there? Because it means maybe my friend is already dead. So why are you going there? Why are you bothering yourself to even go there? But now this boy, because he understood the commitment, he understood that they come from like long way back, like from their childhood, they grew up together. This boy remembered their background. Now they were men and remembered that they started being friends when they were still boys. So he said, I cannot just allow my friend, like my childhood friend to just die like that and be left just like that in the field. I'm going to look for my friend and see where he is because I'm committed to him and he is also committed to me. And indeed, this young man went back, like despite that the master was refusing. And now as he was going back like that, in no time like that, he came back. And when he came back, he was carrying the dead body. And now the master was saying, you should have just listened to me. I knew that this friend of years has already died. So now that's why I told you just that don't bother, just stay. It's even like now a blessing that you were able to even come back because you could have also been killed there. And then now this young man says, sorry master, I understand, but I just want to correct you. Actually, when I went back, I found my friend still alive. So my friend saw me and my friend saw me picking him up. And his last words were that I knew for sure that you will come back because I know that we are committed to each other. So now as he come with the friend, the friend died like in his hands. Commitment, I'm talking about commitment until at the end. Commitment is when you will go through like the stops until the end. Commitment is when you will be willing to risk your life because you know the commitment. You know that you have, like by yourself, you have pledged it's a commitment. So if we can understand commitment, we will know that commitment goes almost hand in hand with integrity, goes almost hand in hand with faithfulness. So nowadays commitment is a difficult task. That's why even people don't like to commit. They don't like to commit like to church. They don't like to commit to relationships. They don't want to commit to marriage. They just want to keep their options like open because they feel that commitment is binding, but that's what God needs. God needs people who are committed, starting being committed to him and also learning to commit to even others because that's what God requires of us. I know that there is definitely a price in being committed. It's like it takes like a price. It costs to be committed. You know the things of God, most of the things of God, they are hidden. The treasures of God are hidden in commitment because now as you commit, it's where you will find the gold. It's where you find the breakthrough. If you look at Naman, Naman was supposed to go and wash by the river Jordan seven times. If Naman didn't commit to that, if Naman only went four times, Naman could have still like had, if he was still alive, he would have had the leprosy because he didn't commit to the end to what is instructed. Most of the time we fail to get our breakthroughs because we get tired of committing. Now you are aware like abiding and now staying in his presence and now suddenly you get tired. Now suddenly they have made you angry. Now suddenly you are quitting. Now suddenly like you are giving up. It is said you are always a winner until you quit. You are always a winner until you give up. So the slight commitment doesn't want people who will quit. Commitment doesn't want people who will give up. Commitment wants people who will say we are going forward. Even with the walls of Jericho, same thing the walls needed to be surrounded like seven days like that. So now if like they just stop on day three or day four, they wouldn't have seen the final day where they were supposed to shout like on the last hand, but now that took commitment. If they didn't see those walls falling, they had to still continue. That's why even ourselves, maybe there are things that we are committed to and we are believing God that the Jericho wall will fall and the Jericho walls that are still standing. We have now surrounded now the area four times, five times and we don't see a change. What if I can tell you that now maybe you are at the bridge, now maybe you are at the sixth like a level, like your surrounding is at the sixth level, seven times you are just now about like to have your breakthrough. But if you are not committed to the end, you may miss that. That's why I got once people who are committed to all be able to stand up to the end now. But you know, sometimes when you are committed, you are regarded as a fool because people don't understand commitment. So they don't know what agreement you have with God. They don't know that what commitment you made with God, but they had like quick to judge the two. If all you could have done this and that, but they don't understand because they never like understood commitment. So now commitment can also have like the hindarances, the things that make us not to commit. If we are still full of pride, it becomes difficult to commit because now to commit, sometimes you have to humble yourself. To commit, you will need to be consistent. To commit, you will need like to quit comparing because if you are comparing, you will see as if others like are having it nice. And now with your race, now you will give up on your race. Why God has planned your race? And now there is a finishing line. There is a time for reward, but you will end up quitting because of comparison, like seeing that your journey is more difficult or challenging than the other people's journey. And now also being like the, this thing of not believing what God has said, the sin of unbelief. You don't believe that God is faithful to fulfill whatever you need in your life. Now you end up like a breaking that commitment to say it's not coming all right, but God is looking for people who will pace you until at the end because he wants to strengthen them. He wants to support them. He says he's looking to and fro for such people because he wants to support them. He wants to strengthen them. So I believe that he wants to support them and strengthen them in this ad because remember, this is not just about that you are committed so that you can be able to go to heaven, but he says he wants to strengthen and support. So I believe in heaven, there's nothing, no one needs support, no one needs strengthening because everything has been fulfilled and everything has been conquered, but strengthening and supporting is needed here on earth. So he wants to conquer you. He wants you to be prosperous here on earth because we are the as of earth. We are the inheritance like we have the right to inherit all what God has for us here on earth. We have to dominate here on earth, but sometimes we fail to dominate because we cannot commit. I will say that you cannot dominate anything if you cannot commit to it. So this is the message that the Lord has placed in my heart that God is calling us to commitment. Let's commit and the Lord will raise us up today, places that we never thought that he will take us to in Jesus name, amen. - Thank you for tuning in to Jesus Can with Dr. Bongi. We hope you've enjoyed the program. Please tune in again, same time, same place. Always remember that if Jesus can, you can. Shalom. 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