Commitment runs very shallow in our modern Western world. Most people seek convenience and ease in their lives—even in their religion. What does Jesus Christ expect of those who would be His disciples? How much commitment is really necessary?
Christ warned His disciples that a time would come when many who claim to be Christian would be offended, and would hate and betray one another (Matthew 24:10). Clearly, such individuals would lack deep enough commitment to their Savior and His Way.
History is replete with stories of "sunshine patriots"—those who lacked the commitment to weather personal hurts, slights or hard times that came their way. Perhaps the most infamous name in early American history was that of Benedict Arnold. His name has been paired with Judas Iscariot as synonymous with "traitor."
Benedict Arnold did not start out as a traitor, of course. He was, in fact, the youngest American general in the Revolutionary War, and was a hero of some of its early engagements. Like many others, he professed devotion to the cause of American independence. He was highly respected for putting his life on the line, and for being in the forefront of action with his troops. Yet Arnold's commitment to the ideal of an independent United States had definite limits, shaped by his personal ambition. Arnold had become increasingly angry at the actions of his superior officer, General Horatio Gates, whom he felt took credit for all of Arnold's good ideas, and who was receiving praise and recognition to which
Arnold felt entitled. Soon, Arnold's resentment extended to General George Washington, whom Arnold blamed for not seeing through Gates. Eventually, Arnold grew to resent and oppose the entire American cause. Embittered, he made a bargain with the British to betray his colleagues and the American position at West Point, New York—and Arnold's name became synonymous with "traitor."
Obviously, Benedict Arnold's commitment was shallow. He cared more about his perception of "unfair" treatment than about the cause to which he had once pledged himself.
In Matthew 24, as elsewhere, Jesus Christ made it plain that many Christians will become spiritual "Benedict Arnolds." What about you? How deep do your commitments run?
God's Commitment To Us
We sometimes reflect on our commitment to God and to His way of life, but do we think about His commitment to us? Perhaps we do not often enough consider it this way, but God has shown to each of us the deepest of commitment. In return, of course, He requires total commitment from us.
God gave His friend Abraham a test of obedience quite unlike any that had come before. God told Abraham to take his son Isaac to Mount Moriah, and offer him as a sacrifice. Isaac, Abraham's son by Sarah in their old age, was the son for whom they had waited for decades. Yet as much as Abraham loved his son Isaac, he loved God more. Abraham did not yet understand why God had given this command, but because he trusted his Creator, he took young Isaac to Mount Moriah along with the items needed for the sacrifice. Of course, as we know, God intervened at the last possible moment and stopped Abraham from carrying out the sacrifice. God had seen that Abraham's commitment to Him knew no bounds.
This was not some arbitrary test that God imposed on Abraham. It foreshadowed what God Himself would do, nearly 20 centuries later, when the Father gave His Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of every human being who would ever live. God's love for us—and His commitment to our salvation—knew no bounds! For our sake, He made the supreme sacrifice! And Jesus Christ— who had from the beginning been with the Father, possessing eternal power and glory—voluntarily emptied Himself and became a mortal man, born as a helpless human baby who grew to adulthood in the ancient Roman provinces of Galilee and Judea. When He began to teach authoritatively about God's way of life, and worked miracles to heal and help others, He came into conflict with the religious establishment of His day, which hated, resented and feared His popularity with the masses of ordinary people. Ultimately, His enemies collaborated to have Him arrested and turned over to the Roman government for execution by crucifixion—one of the cruelest tortures ever devised by human beings.
Consider the commitment that God the Father and Jesus Christ made to each of us personally. Paul wrote in Romans 8:32 that God is so deeply concerned about each of us that He did not even spare His own Son in order to bring about our salvation. So how can we doubt that the Father, and the resurrected Christ at His right hand, will freely give us all the help we need in order to enter the Kingdom of God? God's commitment to us is so deep and so powerful that it staggers the imagination.
But what about our commitment to Him? What kind of commitment does He expect of us? Jesus told His disciples that in order to be His followers, they would need to do three things: deny themselves, take up their cross daily and come after Him (Luke 9:23). What did Jesus mean by this? Understanding what Christ meant is the key to understanding the level of commitment that Christ and the Father require of us. Make no mistake about it—there will be no "fair weather" disciples or "sunshine patriots" in the Kingdom of God!
Deny Yourself
Christ demanded self-denial of those who would follow Him. This, of course, "goes against the grain" of our modern Western world, where most everyone is seeking self-fulfillment, not self-denial. People are frantically trying to "find themselves"— not to lose themselves!
Popular teachings and therapies today promise to help people "feel good about themselves." Many today do not consider themselves "happy" unless they can do whatever they wish. As a result, they reason that since God is love (which He is), He must certainly want people to be "happy"—and that God would therefore approve of whatever actions increase their "happiness." If personal happiness means violating a biblical injunction or compromising a clear biblical standard, then so be it! Far better to deny the Bible than to deny the self—or so they think.
However, simply put, obedience to God involves denial of self. When we tithe, or keep the Sabbath, or avoid meats that God deems unclean, or give up our comforts to help another person, we are demonstrating that our appetites and physical comforts are not the ruling forces in our lives.
Helping, serving or giving to others generally involves self-denial. It often means putting off something else we had wanted to do, or inconveniencing ourselves in order to meet others' needs. Yet it is not enough to help, give or serve while resenting the "inconvenience" we are experiencing. We must help, give and serve with a willing heart. When Paul told the Corinthians that a special offering was being collected to feed the poor brethren in Judea, he reminded them that God "loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). God cares not only about what we do, but about the attitude with which we do it.
What motivated God the Father and Jesus Christ to deny the self on our behalf? Why did they offer such an amazing sacrifice? Their motive was love—outgoing concern toward us as potential future members of the Family of God. Love is at the basis of God's character—and with it the willingness to deny self in order to help those whom He loves. Christ said that if we are to come after Him, we too must be willing to deny the self. To live as Christians, we must understand and practice this vital concept!
God's law is for our good. It points the way to eternal life and joy forever. Yet it often goes against the grain of our human nature. We do not find it natural to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, or to pray for those who seek to spitefully use us. In doing so, we deny the natural human instincts and urges common to us all. However, just as God loves us with a sacrificial love, we as future members of His family must learn the way of love that is prepared to say "no" to self.
King Saul's son Jonathan is an outstanding example of someone who denied the self and exemplified true love. In 1 Samuel, we read about Jonathan's close friendship with David, the future king of Israel. David became a national hero after killing Goliath, and he went on to achieve other notable victories over Israel's enemies. Seeing David's popularity, Jonathan's father King Saul was soon consumed with jealousy. Jonathan and David, however, became very close friends.
As Saul's jealousy grew, he began to formulate plans to kill David. Knowing that his son was David's friend, Saul sought to stir jealousy within Jonathan's heart and mind. "You will never be established in your kingdom," Saul warned Jonathan, "as long as David is alive." Jonathan came to understand that David, not he, would become king—yet he always sought to help and protect his friend, thus denying the self and showing real love.
Are we like Jonathan? Or are our minds open to jealousy and resentment of others? Do we have the kind of love that is prepared to deny the self?
Take Up Your Cross Daily
What did Jesus of Nazareth mean when He told His disciples that they must be prepared to take up their cross daily? What is our cross, and how do we take it up daily?
The stake that Jesus took up at the end of His life, as he walked from the Governor's Palace to His place of execution, symbolized the purpose for which He had entered human flesh and come into the world. It was indeed the instrument of Christ's execution. However, it was by His death and shed blood that He paid the penalty for sin and made possible our reconciliation to God. Additionally, He triumphed over Satan and all his works, ensuring the ultimate victory of all those who would follow Him.
For Jesus, taking up His cross represented the shouldering of responsibility, no matter how personally distasteful. Every fiber of His being cried out for some alternate way; nevertheless, He surrendered Himself completely to the Father's perfect will (Matthew 26:39). In asking His disciples to make such a sacrifice daily, Christ showed that our responsibilities are not just one-time events, but are obligations that we must shoulder day by day. We face many distasteful and difficult matters in our lives, and we must carry them day by day, one day at a time.
What was Jesus' attitude toward His sacrifice? In Luke's account, we learn that a large crowd followed Him when He began the trek to Calvary, including many women who began to wail and lament loudly at what was happening to Him. Christ turned to them, and told them that they should instead weep for themselves and their children because of the terrible calamities that were going to come upon them and their nation (Luke 23:27–31). Christ's attitude, even while facing immense personal difficulty, was of outgoing concern for others. He shouldered His personal burden, but not with an attitude of self-pity! Do we approach our duties and obligations with that kind of attitude?
Christ's example on the way to Calvary teaches us another important point about taking up our cross; we have not failed if we find that we need some help along the way! Even Jesus received help. Because of the terrible beating He had suffered, and His subsequent loss of blood, His steps faltered and He could not carry His burden all the way to the top of Golgotha by Himself. Simon of Cyrene was pressed into service, to help by carrying it the rest of the way. The lesson for us is that if we willingly shoulder our burdens and start on the way, God will arrange the necessary help so that we can make it to the journey's end.
Follow Me
Christ not only told us the way; He showed us the way! The essence of being a Christian is being one who follows Christ. He set us an example that we should follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21).
After Christ's resurrection, He appeared to the Apostles on several occasions over the next 40 days. His third appearance took place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples, at Peter's suggestion, had gone fishing. Christ appeared and ate a meal with them. After the meal, Christ strolled along the seashore with Simon Peter, and began to discuss the martyr's death that Peter would eventually face. Peter's response illustrates the way we all so often respond.
Peter looked back and saw John, the beloved disciple, standing in the distance, then interrupted Christ to ask Him what would happen to John. Christ's response to Peter is instructive for us: "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me" (John 21:20–22).
So often, like Peter, we become worried that others will fare better than we will. We focus our attention on them, and wonder why their future may be different from ours. Christ's response to each of us is the same as it was to Peter. He tells us not to worry about what He has in store for others, or how their lives may be used for His glory. Rather, He tells us, we must simply concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other to follow Him! Step by step, and day by day, we must follow Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
About a week before the glorious miracle of the transfiguration, Jesus Christ told His disciples that if they made preserving and protecting themselves their first priority, they would ultimately lose the very life they sought to protect. However, if they were willing to forfeit physical life for His sake, they would be rewarded with life eternal (Matthew 16:25–26).
The commitment that God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ extended toward each of us was absolute and without reservation. The commitment that we extend in return must also be without reservation or equivocation. We give our utmost for His highest reward. We can do no more than that, and God will accept no less!