A Test of Commitment

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;

(CSB)

The ultimate measure of commitment to someone or something is when we place our trust in that person or thing.  However, trust placed in anything other than God is a misplaced trust in something imperfect that will eventually fail to meet up to our expectations.  It is therefore important for people to place their trust in God for God does not lie and delivers on every promise in God’s Word (Numbers 23:19).  In Proverbs 3:5-12 we have a test of commitment testing our,

1)      Trust (Proverbs 3:5) – What we treasure most in our lives indicates where our heart and trust is (Matthew 6:21).  If the treasure of our hearts is in anything other than God, it is a misplaced trust in something imperfect that will fail us.  This includes trust in our own abilities or understanding over Godly wisdom. 

2)      Making God part of all we do (Proverbs 3:6) – How we as believers act outside the four walls of the church indicates the extent to which God is part of all we do and also our level of commitment.  Is God just that Sunday thing we do and check off our list each week or is God something we involve in everything we do.  If one were to subpoena our coworkers, neighbors, and friends, including Facebook and Twitter friends, asking them under oath if we are followers of Jesus Christ, would they answer yes or no.  If the answer is no, we have to question our commitment to Christ.  

3)      Humility, reverential fear of the Lord and hatred of evil (Proverbs 3:7-8) – Pride precedes destruction and a fall (Proverbs 16:18).  In contrast, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7).  God also detests evil.  Our level of humility or surrender of our lives to God and obedience to the Word of God out of reverence and worship of who God is also tests our commitment.  In addition, a heart felt desire to no longer sin shows our abhorrence of evil and commitment to draw close to God by ending the sin that separates us from God. 

4)      Honoring of God with our money and time (Proverbs 3:9-10) – So important is tithing to God, that it is the only thing in scripture that God challenges us to test him (Malachi 3:10).  Giving of our money and time to the Lord is giving part of ourselves to Him.  It also tests our trust in God to support us out of the 90 percent that remains after the tithe. 

5)      Acceptance or rejection of God’s instructions or discipline (Proverbs 3:11-12) – Like a parent correcting a child, God corrects us, His children.  He does not correct oR discipline his children to exercise authority over us but instead does it out of love.  Commitment comes from accepting and not rejecting Gods instructions and correction. 

Just as God in Malachi 3:10 challenges us to test Him with our giving, I want to challenge everyone reading this to test their commitment to God using the yardstick of Proverbs 3:5-12.  Using this yardstick, we can measure our trust, our witness to the lost, humility, reverence for God, hatred of sin, trust in God for provision, and our acceptance or rejection of God’s instruction and discipline.  From this foundation of commitment, we are prepared to live for Christ.

However, what does living for Christ look like?  The answer to this question is complex but Jesus gives simplification through the Beatitudes.  Over the next 9 Saturday postings, we will be looking at each of these guidelines for Christian living and how best to apply them to our daily lives.

May God bless everyone reading this.