In the world we live in today, we have alot of total commitment being portrayed, but it is not in service to Jesus Christ. We are commited to ball teams, school systems, and work. If we are not totally sold out for the Gospels sake, we are just like a truck stuck in the mud. We are just spinning our wheels when we half heartedly serve Christ. It never ceasees to amaze me that people who just go to Church on Sunday mornings complains when trouble hits their house. I have had them to tell me "I don't understand why this is happening, I serve God with all my heart." I ask them where they were Sunday nite and I get all kind of stories why they didn't come and still they think they are doing God a favour because they drag themselves up the Church steps in the morning time. I know I fall far below where I should be, and I guess I am judging but it still bugs me how nonconcerned people are about their service yet they have all the advice in the world about how to correct the problems in the local Church. Committment is a area where we as a Church needs to really bear down on the uncommitted because I really do believe we could be at the thresshold of the Second Coming our Lord and Saviour. God bless everyone and have a good day. - Jerry

Jerry- You are an absolute blessing to ll the readers on this site. I appreciate your positive contributions. Your love for the Lord and fellow man certainly shine through. God bless you! - TGW

How many people do you know that spend as much time preparing for eternity as they do planning their next vacation? - Grant

Thanks Jerry for Your insight. You are in a position to hear a lot of excuses I'm sure. I agree with you that I think we are on the verge of the 2nd coming & tribulation. I unfortunately think satan puts so many activities in peoples lives so they don't have time to think of Godly issues. Parents are stressed to the max driving around kids to every possible practice or class of some kind & in the big picture of eternity most of it will mean absolutely nothing. Standing before God & saying we didn't have time to go to church because of cheerleading practice, piano, dance lessons,ball practice,etc. probably isn't going to impress Him too much I'm afraid. - Christ Follower

Jerry, you mentioned being committed to a ball team. Let's compare that with service to God. Parents today who have kids on a ball team give up a lot of time and money for them to be on that team. Some volunteer to help coach or bring drinks and food. They take them to as many practices as the coach will have. They practice with them at home, get them private lessons, get on the internet and buy books to learn more about the sport. They watch professional games on TV to see what they are doing. The more involved they are the more they learn and the more they learn the more they enjoy being there. So going to their game, shouting and cheering and getting emotional with their team family only seems natural. They're hearts are in it. Some parents take off work to go to games.

Matt. 6:33 says "seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness...". What if we were to put a lot of time and money into our relationship with Christ, go out with other Christians and practice the love of God on those in need, do Bible studies at home with our children, privately pray in our quite place, get on the internet and buy books that would teach us the Hebrew and Greek terminology of the word of God, read our Bible and watch faith based shows on TV? It only seems natural that we would want to go to the game(church) and shout and cheer and get emotional with our church family. Our hearts would be in it. What if we took off work to go buy an elderly couple some groceries and help them clean their yard?
I feel your frustration when I look out on the congregation, as I lead worship, at the blank stares and folded arms. If they only knew what power the release of their true worship would bring them. If we, as a church, teach and show a relationship with Jesus Christ as most important the rest will follow as soon as that relationship is built. - Keith R.

Keith, we did all that with our three children when they were growing up, we did the soccer games, football, baseball and basketball but as the scripture said that you quoted we sought the kingdom of God first. There were many times we had our children leave practice and games to go to Wed nite service and Revivals much to the dismay of the coach. Our oldest was even a top draft choice in girls soccer but we taught them God comes first. Today each of them is active in Church, our son is a mimister and the two daughters are sunday school teachers. Yes I am bragging on them because I am prouid of them, but I am most proud they are saved and ready for when the Lord comes back. The bible also tells us to "train up a child in the way he is supposed to go and when he is old he will not depart from it." God is good to do just as his word says he will do. I don't ask for pats on the back I just want the Lord to be pleased with me, and I am thankful when he is. - Jerry

Before there is any confusion. I am not saying that having your kids in sports is a bad thing. I am just using that as an analogy. If we put as much energy in our spiritual lives as we do our physical lives, me included, well I think Christ would have already returned because we would have been ready a long time ago. My son is 13 and plays soccer and basketball and my daughter is 8 and dances. My son is the one who gathers the team together before they start to pray. My daughter dances to Christian music. Like Jerry says, we can do things as long as God is first. We minister to people while we are at games and practices. That's all I'm saying, put God first no matter where you are or what you are doing and service and worship will come naturally. It will be like breathing. - Keith R.

Jerry, I agree that we should all strive for God's will in our life. But what does working Sunday night at your church have to do with serving God? That's serving the church, not God. I think asking someone where they were last Sunday night is quite rude, and it implies that had they been in church, things may have worked out for the better. That simply isn't a biblical principal. - Austin

I am so thankful for families such as yours, Keith R., who lead the way in putting God first. I never had the experience of having group prayer before my son's games but I would have welcomed it. I remember being surptised when I heard quite a number of years back that youth sports were having games on Sunday morning during church time. Jerry, I am glad that you are committed to being there for your congregation for all those services. I grew up in a church where we mostly did Sunday School and the worship service without services on Wed. and Sunday evenings. So now that I am a member of a Baptist church I am working toward being more committed to attend on Wed. and Sunday evening. The more I attend, the more I want to attend because it makes me feel closer to my church family. I think the commitment makes a positive difference in spiritual growth. It is one tangible way to show our love for God (by being there for Him and His children). - Janice

Austin,
You must have misread what I wrote in a previous post. I didn't mention anything about working in the church. What I wrote was people are sold out to their jobs, and that is fine if they have their lives in order, God must come first. If He is first in our lives then yes we should be devoted to our public jobs because that is where we make our living. What I was conveying is that when there are services going on at our church it is our duty to be there to see that the work of the Lord is being done. No it is not rude to ask someone why they were not in a service when they complain about problems happening in their lives. Sometimes we are punished by God because we are lacking in his service. I have said before, sometimes I will ask the children where they was at during a previous service and then I will ask the parent and sometimes the stories will not match. Yes sometimes the children will lie but if you ask the question in a way to not make the child think they are in trouble they will tell you the truth. Just because a person is an adult doesn't mean they allways tell the truth, a person who is not living a life that is sold out to God will live sometimes. If you miss several services and your pastor doesn't ask you where have been then in my opinion he is not doing his job and is doing you a disservice. If your church is a large church such as Johnson Ferry Baptist, then you pastor can't possible know when you miss, but there should be deacons or some other position who has the job of seeing to the needs of the personal spiritual welfare of the members. Again when trouble hits our lives and we don't understand why it is happening, then we should do a personal check up and see if we have NOT done something that we should have done. Seek ye first the kingdom of God is a wonderful scripture but so is Forsake not the assemblies of yourselves. Do I do all that God asks me to do? No I don't so that is why when I am punished I don't aks why, because I usually know why. Today there is not enough taking of ones own responsibilities, in church or in public and that is why we are in the shape we are in. Even in public we don't stand up and do as we should do, we want everyone else to give us something when we should get up off of our lazy duffs and get out there and do what is needed to have what we need or want. You may still not agree with me and that is okay but this is how I feel about lazy christians, if they don't want to help with the work then they shouldn't complain when they don't reap fruilt. Thank you for your response and I hope you don't take this as jumping on you if you do then please forgive me for offending you. Have a blessed day. - Jerry