A Life Committed to God’s Kingdom

As I dive into the powerful words of James 4:4-5 and Hebrews 12:28-29, I can’t help but reflect on the profound message they convey about the commitment we need to have in our relationship with God. It’s a call to go all in, to live a life completely sold out for Jesus, because if you aren’t sold out for Jesus, you’re still for sale.

There is just one choice – a life with God or without Him. Life with God, when we don’t fully commit, can seem boring and unexciting. It’s like wanting the best of both worlds, but in reality, we end up with either one or the other. The truth is, the life you go all in for is the life you truly enjoy. It requires giving the same level of commitment to the Word as we did to the world.

The Call to Commitment

Going all in for God leads to a profound reverence for Him. In 2 Timothy 2:22, we’re reminded to flee from the desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. The fear of God becomes the biggest indicator of whether we flirt with sin or flee from it.

Reflecting on the story of Joseph in Genesis 39:6-12, we see a clear example of fleeing from sin. Despite being tempted day after day by Potiphar’s wife, Joseph refused to compromise his commitment to God. He was willing to risk looking funny by fleeing rather than flirting and falling. This story teaches us that compromise catches up to us, and it’s not about being all out but simply about not being all in.

The Importance Of Relationship With God

The saying, “The word of God will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the word of God,” underscores the importance of our relationship with God in maintaining our commitment. Compromise is not being all out; it’s merely not being all in. We all have room to compromise, at times, we will even encounter a perfect condition for compromise but compromise always catches up to you.

There are two types of fires in our spiritual journey: the compromising fire that brings pain and the consuming fire that brings purification. The compromising fire is like playing with danger – indulging in small addictions, lying, cheating, and engaging in unhealthy relationships. On the other hand, the consuming fire is the purifying force of the Word of God, prayer, fasting, godly community, discipleship, and church involvement.

The Cost Of Commitment

In the pursuit of a life on fire for God, we need to recognize that Jesus is worthy of everything we might be scared of losing. In Luke 9:23, Jesus challenges us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. It’s a call to lose our lives for His sake, knowing that in doing so, we find true life. God wants us to be all in for Him.

I’ll be honest – I was scared to go all in for God. The fear of the cost was real. But when we consider the words of Philippians 3:8, where Paul counts everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ, we realize that following God may indeed cost us a lot, but not following Him costs us so much more.

So, let’s not play with fire; let’s be on fire. Let’s go all in for God, understanding that the consuming fire of His love and presence is the only thing that can purify our lives and lead us to a kingdom that cannot be shaken. It’s time to live a life that reflects the grace we’ve received and serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).

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