COMMITMENTS THAT REWARD

Why are commitments important?

2 reasons:

1) They bring reward.
Matt. 25:23 “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.”

2) They prevent pain.
1 Tim. 5:12 They bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge.

We inflict pain on ourselves when we break our commitments.

6 COMMITMENTS THAT REWARD YOU

1. Have a clean reputation.
1 Tim. 5:22 (NLT) Don't appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily. If a person is involved in some serious sins, you don't want to become an unwitting accomplice. In any event, keep a close check on yourself.

As you grow in Christ and become more of an influence, more of a leader who leads people to Christ and to grow in Him – people “watch you.” We live transparent lives.  We are therefore responsible to them to show Christ to them, not our self-centeredness.  Where we go, what we do, what we say, what we type in emails and on FaceBook – all is connected to our reputation. And if we bear the name of Christ, as a follower of His, then we take His name, His reputation with us wherever we go and through whatever we say. Build up Christ-likeness in your life, and He will shine through more than your “self.”

2. Influence others by truth, not bias.
1 Tim. 5:21 (NLT) I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the holy angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing special favor to anyone.

It’s easy to let those close to you persuade you one way or another. But if it goes against the truth of God’s Word, what are you going to do about it? Learn to lead lovingly by God’s truth.

3. Emphasize maturity before ministry.
1 Tim. 5:22 (Mes) Don't appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily.

We have a responsibility to facilitate the maturity of others before we place them in leadership. Otherwise, they become conceited and self-centered and lead others away from Christ instead of to Him.

4. Learn contentment.
1 Tim. 6:6 …godliness with contentment is great gain.

Contentment is something practiced. It is something learned. It’s a skill that pays off with great rewards, peace of mind, satisfaction, and joy.

5. Trust in God not money.
1 Tim. 6:17 (NLT) Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.

Learn to enjoy trusting the Lord. Learn to enjoy what He gives you each day. Have an attitude of delight, joy, and celebration for the things and opportunities He gives you each day.

6. Invest in Heaven.
1 Tim. 6:19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Take in to account which life you’re investing in – the temporary one here on earth on the permanent one in eternity. Commit the remainder of your life to building God’s kingdom, not yours. Prepare for where you’re going to live eternally.

WHY BE CONCERNED ABOUT COMMITMENTS?

In Paul’s first letter to Timothy he addressed a problem they were having at their church. The problem had to do with “commitment.” There was a need for the people to understand the significance of commitment. Commitment to provide for their families was essential. Apparently some were neglecting their families to pursue their own interests at the expense of their families.

Their church had a list of “older widows” who formed a “ministry team.” They had to meet some “qualifications, some commitments” to be on the list. They had to make a commitment to the cause of the team, to their ministry. They were to keep their pledge.

“Younger widows” were not put on the list because they may desert. They may still have children in the home or want to marry again. In either case, Paul says to refuse to sign them up. They most likely had other pressing issues in their lives as well. And there was nothing necessarily wrong with those issues that would prevent them from being totally committed to the team. If you sign them up, you set them up for possible “judgment” from the Lord if they don’t keep their commitment to the responsibilities and guidelines of the group. Paul put it this way in 1 Tim. 5:12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge.

This concern for commitment is almost “foreign” to our society’s way of thinking today. A sense of commitment is not a part of the mindset today. People place little significance on contracts anymore. Many people today think its okay to break contracts, whether it’s their lease, or job related, or a marriage, or any kind of partnership.

But according to verse 12, a “broken contract” brings problems. Apparently God views contracts as something of great value. This doesn’t diminish the fact that He forgives and is merciful to us and He heals us, but it’s also true that when we break contracts and commitments, we will have more problems to deal with.

Take King David for example, a man after God’s own heart, and yet he sinned. After his repentance and renewal of faith in the Lord, he walked with the Lord again. However God said that the sword would never leave his house from then on. He would have trouble in his home. We are forgiven of our sins, but many times we must deal with the consequences after that.

• Commitment is colossal with God.

It holds great and lasting significance with Him. And He wants us to see it the way He does. Why? – Because it is beneficial to us, and it prevents pain, that we otherwise inflict on ourselves when we break our commitments. The truth is when we make a commitment or pledge, God expects us to keep it. When we don’t, He doesn’t flame us on the spot. He instead, disciplines us as disobedient children. That’s His form of “judgment” on His children. It’s just plain wise to make commitments and to keep them.

3 THINGS WILL HELP YOU KEEP YOUR COMMITMENTS

1. Know yourself.
What are your strengths? Your weaknesses? Your personality? What do you know that can trip you up? What do you know that can prevent you from being tripped up? What are your spiritual gifts? What is your gift mix?

Rom. 12:3-6 (NCV) You must decide what you really are by the amount of faith God has given you. Each one of us has a body with many parts, and these parts all have different uses. In the same way, we are many, but in Christ we are all one body. Each one is a part of that body, and each part belongs to all the other parts. We all have different gifts, each of which came because of the grace God gave us.

2. Know your purpose.
Eph. 2:10 (NLT) For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Learn God’s purpose for your life. Listen for His calling. Take the “game plan” He has for you and run with it. That’s the real reason you were created, and that’s where you’ll find fulfillment. If you don’t know your purpose in life, you’ll struggle with commitments. If you don’t have direction for your life, you will struggle with commitments. Or you think you’re going in the direction that’s meant for you, but it isn’t, because it’s not God’s direction for you, and so you’re always second guessing yourself.

3. Visualize what God can do through your life.
Eph. 3:20 (NCV) With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine.

All things are possible with God. God designed you for a commitment to His plans for you. God has shaped you for a purpose; with all your background, your past, your experiences, your strengths and weaknesses.

Therefore serve the Lord. Excel in enjoying life with Christ. Follow through with your commitments in the here and now, and you’ll experience an even fuller life in Heaven.

THINK ABOUT YOUR INFLUENCE

Everyone has some influence. You have people around you, your family, your friends, your co-workers, your ministry team. And you are influencing them in some way.

I’ve just experienced another milestone in life with the birth of our first grandchild this past Saturday. I’ve officially become a granddad to a beautiful little granddaughter. As I held her thoughts crossed my mind of what her life will be like. What will be her personality? What joys will she experience in life? What sorrows will she go through? When will she accept Christ into her life? What events will impact her life? Her life will be full.

The issue that comes to my mind is the opportunity to influence her, to help her navigate through all that her life will bring. Granted, her parents will be the most influential in her life. But I also realize that we grandparents will have an influence too.

None of us go through life without creating some kind of influence. In every relationship you are an influence. The big question is “What kind of influence are we?” What direction are we leading people? Where are you taking others? Where is your influence steering people?

Since God’s purpose for each of us is to make more devoted followers of Christ and to facilitate their maturity so that they become more and more like Christ, and consequently experience a fulfilling life, we must take into account our influence and let God shape it to be useful in His hands.

God lists some qualities in His Word in 1 Timothy chapters 3 and 4 that we can aspire to in order to be a good influence.

The list includes:

• Good reputation.
• Honorable marriage.
• Self-controlled.
• Respectable.
• Live wisely.

• Friendly.

• Able to teach God’s truths.

• Not controlled by substance abuse.

• Not quarrelsome.

• Gentle.

• Promotes peace, not opposition.

• The love of money doesn’t rule your life.

• Manages your family well.

• Growing as a follower of Christ.

• Faithful to point out God’s truth to others.

• Take an objective look at yourself to see what others see.

We’ve got to think about how we are perceived by others. That will then lead us to not do anything that would keep others from coming to Christ or growing in Him, but do those things that would encourage them to follow Christ. The Bible says in 2 Cor. 8:21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

We can take our cue from what Paul tells Timothy:

1 Tim. 4:7 (NLT) Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness.

1 Tim. 4:15 (Mes) Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes!

We can develop an influence that is good and right in the eyes of the Lord that will be good and right in the eyes of others. Or to put it another way – Do what’s right in your own life and you’ll rightly influence others.

WARRING & WINNING

There is war that has been going on before any other war ever began, and it continues today. It’s a war that “propels” all other wars. It’s the “catalyst” for all wars. It’s the war “in the spiritual arena”. And it’s the source of all war and conflict.

HOW TO WAGE WAR AND WIN

1. BE SURE OF GOD’S CALLING.
1 Tim. 1:18 (Amp) This charge and admonition I commit in trust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with prophetic intimations which I formerly received concerning you, so that inspired and aided by them you may wage the good warfare,

Paul reminded Timothy that he had been entrusted with a calling from God. This God-given purpose had been committed Timothy. And in waging war on the spiritual battlefield, Timothy could get inspiration and strength from his life purpose from God.

You have a calling from God. He has called you to a specific purpose in life. He has a mission for you. He has equipped with spiritual and natural gifts. He uses your past, your experiences, and your hurts to shape you for the purpose He created you for.

• When you’re confident of God’s purpose for you, you become more confident in your spiritual battles.

2. FIGHT IN THE “GOOD FIGHT.”
1 Tim. 1:18 … fight the good fight,

The “good fight” is the spiritual fight. It’s the spiritual war. It is the “right” fight. When we find ourselves in conflict, we must remind ourselves that there is a spiritual battle going on too.

• You must also engage the spiritual enemy on the spiritual battlefield.

3. MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH.
1 Tim. 1:19 holding on to faith … Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.

In Ephesians Paul talks about taking up the “shield of faith.” Faith is taking steps to do what you believe God has “called” you to do. Faith is acting in “advance” of feeling like it. Faith is “obedience” to what God says to do in His Word. Faith is choosing to believe that what God promises will happen as we are obedient. It’s the “premise” before the “promise.” We do our part, and then God will do His.

• Exercising faith in God protects you against doubt and discouragement.

4. MAINTAIN A CLEAR CONSCIENCE.
1 Tim. 1:19 holding on to … a good conscience.

A “good conscience” is a conscience that approves of what you doing because you’re doing what is right. It’s directly connected with our behavior, our actions. A “bad conscience” weakens your resolve to be strong in the Lord. It “condemns” you. And you feel judged and condemned. Satan will play up your unconfessed sin. And you can then be easily defeated.

• A good conscience protects against condemnation.

5. GIVE PRAYER FIRST PLACE.
1 Tim. 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone.

In the days of the early church, the Roman Empire was the government. And the Christians prayed for the Emperor and the government. Pray should come first before action. Ministry will not be productive without the ministry of prayer.

• The most important ministry that I have and the most important ministry that you have is “prayer.”

6. SUIT UP WITH THE ARMOR OF GOD.
Eph. 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

• Every morning put on each piece of armor by thanking the Lord for what each means.

7. AVOID THE AMBUSH.
Rom. 13:14 (Amp) Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature] to [gratify its] desires (lusts).

The flesh wants to sin and feed the fleshly ungodly appetites. Don’t give it the chance.  Monitor what you watch, what you listen to, where you go, and who you spend time with.  Don’t do anything that would give the flesh an in.

• Counter the desires of the flesh.

Phil. 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.

Win the battle with God’s truth and power.

GROW IN LOVE

The Apostle Paul says in 1 Tim. 1:5 (NAS) The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

One of the goals in teaching and learning from God’s Word is that we mature in God’s love.

3 Essentials are Necessary to Grow in God’s Love:

• A PURE HEART

“A pure heart” means a heart that is sold out to Christ. Your heart belongs to Him first and foremost. You are true to the Lord. Jesus said in Matt. 5:8 (Mes) “You're blessed when you get your inside world--your mind and heart--put right. Then you can see God in the outside world”.

Our hearts must be right with the Lord first before we can see reality from God’s perspective. Before we can see Him at work and before we can recognize His truth and His wisdom, our hearts must be totally committed to Him, without holding anything back for ourselves. We must be faithful to Him with all our heart, not just part of it.

My son Andrew was having trouble with his car. It wouldn’t take gas from the pump, or it would only take very little and then the gas pump would shut off. When he had it repaired he learned that the problem was the “canister” that filters impurities from the gas deteriorated and came apart, and debris went into the fuel lines. The lines had to be purified and the canister replaced.

If we allow impurities to come into our hearts and remain there, God’s power will not flow through our lives. We may try to apply God’s Word to our lives, try to put it “into” our hearts and minds, but it will be a very “limited” application. Or we simply reject it. We can’t take God’s truth in, except in very small quantities over a very long time, if we have impurities floating around in our hearts.

• A GOOD CONSCIENCE

That means a conscience without sin. It’s a clear conscience toward God and people. As you influence others and impact their lives, make the goal – love. Teach others because you love them. Influence others because you love them. Instruct others because you love them. Paul says in Rom. 12:9-10 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

A good conscience means you don’t try to hide anything from God, as if we could. You’re totally open to the Lord and you confess your sin and you let Him rule in your life. And that means that you “obey” what He says in His Word. You put what the Bible says into practice in your life.

1 Peter 3:15-16 In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

The key to having a clear conscience is to set Christ as The Ruler in your heart. Let Him be the ruler over your heart and tell your heart what to do, instead of you or the culture or your feelings or your tendencies telling your heart what to do. If we’ll let Him rule our hearts, our minds, and our will, then we will live with a good conscience.

• A SINCERE FAITH

That means your faith is real. You live by faith. It’s who you are. You’re a man or woman of faith. You’re real with God. You’re real with people. To live true to God means that we must let His motives override our motives in all we do.

Heb. 11:6 (NLT) It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

God rewards your steps of faith. But you must venture out, against your selfish will, and trust and obey the Lord. And the result is that He will deliver on His promises to you.

DOING WHAT’S FIRST FIRST

God wants us to be steadfast through difficulties, setbacks, and attacks from the enemy. And He will strengthen and fortify us through it all when we put first things first.

Jesus said in Matt. 6:33 “He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern”.

What is your “primary concern” in life?
We can make many things our primary concern, other than the Kingdom of God, and no matter how hard we try and work, it seems we can’t get ahead or we are not inwardly satisfied or content, and we live in a state of frustration and pessimism. Why is that? It’s because we’re not trusting God and what He said.

Isa. 26:3 says, You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you.

TO HELP US DO WHAT'S FIRST FIRST
REMEMBER 3 THINGS:

• We can’t take from God and profit from it.

God says in Psa. 50:12 “All the world is mine and everything in it”.

If our priorities become confused and we start putting money ahead of God, then God doesn’t lose; we do. If we try to make more time for ourselves and give less to God, we will lose time. If we try to make more money for ourselves and give less to God, we will lose money. If we try to get more energy for ourselves for what we want to do and give less energy to serving God, we will lose energy. Nobody can take from God and profit from it.

• Give the first of what we have to the Lord.

Prov. 3:9 Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.

Honor God and He will bless you. We are to give the first part of our income to Him, the first day of the week to Him, the first part of our day to Him. We should use the first day of the week to the glory of God. A lot of Christians have killed their joy, their witness, and their spiritual power by turning Sunday into an ordinary day and not putting Christ first in their week.

• Stay faithful.

When we connect the dots from the following verses we see that we are “managers” of all that God entrusts to us.

Col. 1:16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, - everything got started in him (Christ) and finds its purpose in him.
1 Cor. 4:2 It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
Rom. 14:12 Each of us will give an account of himself to God.

The place to begin is our relationship with God. We must be faithful to Him. That’s what matters. If we’re faithful to Him in our personal lives then we’ll be faithful to His church and His work.

THE CHALLENGE OF HOLY LIVING

General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, said to a new group of leaders, “I want you young men always to bear in mind that it is the nature of a fire to go out; you must keep it stirred and fed and the ashes removed.”

• Faithfulness to God takes a commitment to holy living.

1 Peter 1:14-16 (NLT) Obey God because you are his children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God – who chose you to be his children – is holy. For he himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy."

We may have a tendency to come to church and want to belong to and live with the family of God without trusting Him or submitting to His will and ways. We want the blessings but not the commitments or obligations. We may still feed our appetite for the things of the world. We may live according to a “secular worldview” rather than a “Christian worldview”. Without God’s strength and guidance, it doesn’t take long for us to begin to compromise and live in disobedience.

WHAT HELPS US TO LIVE HOLY LIVES?

1. Take out the garbage.
 2 Tim. 2:20-21 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

Whatever impurities we may have in our lives, need to be cleansed from us. Get rid of the garbage. Get rid of anything that is displeasing to the Lord and dishonors Him.

2. Choose Christianity’s worldview.
 1 John 4:5-6 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

God’s people and the people of the world can be identified by what they talk about. If a Christian talks or acts from a “non-Christian worldview”, then Christ is not ruling in their lives. They’re living in disobedience to God’s Word.

We must always “check” our worldview. The reason is because it’s easy to begin to “absorb” the “secular worldview” and our spiritual eyes are dimmed and we distort God’s truth. We then “filter” what we read in the Bible through the grid of a secular worldview. And then we may misinterpret what the Bible says and even think the Bible can be “contradicted”.

This is why we must stay close to the Lord and keep our lives “cleansed” from all sin.  We must grow in knowing God more, which leads to trusting Him more, and therefore obeying Him more.

3. Pay attention to warnings.
Col. 1:28 (NLT) So we continue to preach Christ to each person, using all wisdom to warn and to teach everyone, in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature person in Christ.

Warnings are good. We should take to heart the warnings God gives us . Being warned is a part of what God says to us.

4. Be trustworthy with what we get from God’s Word.
Col. 1:10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

Live your life worthy of the name of Christ. Live to please Him. See to it that your life produces goodness. And grow to know God more.

Commit to these things and you will see rewarding changes in the way you live as you grow in holy living.