THE NINE PRINCIPLES
COMMITMENT
LESSON #6 – COMMITMENT – A RIGHT to some INPUT but NO QUESTION about the FINAL RESULT. (As a RESULT of practicing FELLOWSHIP, developing a BOND, expressing LOVE, relating in TRUTH and creating a level of TRUST – We HAVE A RIGHT to some INPUT in EACH OTHERS lives but NO QUESTION about the FINAL RESULT . However, after I MAKE that INPUT you DO NOT HAVE TO ACCEPT that INPUT and you WILL NOT be THROUGH with ME because I MAKE AN INPUT and NEITHER WILL I be THROUGH with YOU for NOT ACCEPTING the input. There is NO QUESTION about the FINAL RESULT . We will STILL be BROTHER and SISTER.
SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATIONS: ACTS 17:28 MATTHEW 5:6 II CORINTHIANS 5:17-19 JOHN 21:15-17 MATTHEW 4:4 MATTHEW 18:15-17 PSALMS 119:105 ROMANS 8:37-38
THE MEANING OF COMMITMENT
The experience of REAL COMMITMENT INVOLVES GOING BEYOND the extension of ONE’S LIMITS to a SOURCE OUTSIDE of ourselves that GIVES LIFE . A simple dramatic ILLUSTRATION is found IN NATURE that I have often cited. It ILLUSTRATES the DOGGED DETERMINATION and IRREPRESSIBLE URGE and DRIVE of COMMITMENT characteristic of ALL LIFE . When UNION TEMPLE owned APARTMENTS called WAYNE TERRACE we had a persistent PLUMBING PROBLEM in all 51 units where SEWAGE/WATER would BACK UP in apartments. To NO AVAIL many “CERTIFIED” professional PLUMBERS were CALLED IN at great expense to SOLVE the problem, but COULD NOT . Finally a “JACKLEG” PLUMBER came out and DIAGNOSED the problem in a very SHORT TIME . There were HUGE OAK TREES about 400 YARDS away in OXON RUN PARK that had a PURPOSEFUL DETERMINATION to LIVE . They had NO CONCERN about
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UNION TEMPLE’S DESIRE to provide good, affordable HOUSING for our TENANTS . The ROOTS of the OAK TREES TRAVELLED under MISSISSIPPI AVENUE and PENETRATED the JOINTS of the OLD POTTERY PIPES as they went on a HUNT FOR LIFE . In COMMITMENT the IDEA is that NOTHING will be BIG ENOUGH to DESTROY the FELLOWSHIP and BOND OF LOVE that has been ESTABLISHED. The COMMITMENT TO GOD first, is the CENTERPIECE of such a DOGGED DETERMINATION: For I AM CONVINCED that NEITHER DEATH nor LIFE, NEITHER ANGELS nor DEMONS, NEITHER the PRESENT nor the FUTURE, NOR ANY POWERS, NEITHER HEIGHT , nor DEPTH, NOR ANYTHING ELSE (NOTHING), will be ABLE to SEPARATE us from the LOVE OF GOD. To be COMMITTED is to CONTINUALLY REACH OUT to the SOURCE OF LIFE. GOD is our SOURCE of life and LIKE the OAK TREES we MUST CONTINUALLY SEEK GOD, “FOR IN HIM WE LIVE, AND MOVE, AND HAVE OUR BEING”. ACTS 17:28 Thus, TRUE COMMITMENT STARTS with a RELATIONSHIP with GOD. MOST RELATIONSHIPS, EVEN our relationship WITH GOD are BASED on the PERFORMANCE of the one to WHOM we PROFESS to be COMMITTED. AS LONG as you PERFORM the WAY I WANT or EXPECT you to, I AM COMMITTED to you. But AS SOON as one PERFORMS in a MANNER OTHER than what you WANT or EXPECT , the RELATIONSHIP COMES to an ABRUPT HALT. This is even TRUE for MANY of us in our RELATIONSHIP with GOD. IF GOD does NOT DO immediately what HE SAID he would DO; or what we EXPECT or WANT HIM to do, OUR SERVICE and DEDICATION to GOD DROPS OFF and MAY EVEN END.
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In ALL OTHER FORMS of life, COMMITMENT is INVOLUNTARY, AUTOMATIC and SELF-PROPELLED. FOR HUMANS PHYSICALLY, we SEARCH for NOURISHMENT because we KNOW that our entire EXISTENCE DEPENDS on our QUEST for FOOD. It is FROM that FOOD that GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT and MAJORITY takes place. But MAN is MORE than just a PHYSICAL BEING, MAN is also a SPIRITUAL BEING. And WHAT IS TRUE for our BODIES is ALSO TRUE for our MINDS and SPIRITS. However, this QUEST for SPIRITUAL FOOD is NOT AUTOMATIC, INVOLUNTARY or SELF-PROPELLED. We are quite OFTEN UNAWARE of WHAT we are MENTALLY and SPIRITUALLY HUNGERING FOR!! But MAN does SPIRITUALLY NEED that which will NOURISH him SPIRITUALLY and CAUSE HIM to SPIRITUALLY GROW, MATURE and DEVELOP. JESUS DECLARES in MATTHEW 4:4 : MAN shall NOT LIVE by (physical) BREAD ALONE, but by every WORD that proceedeth FROM the MOUTH OF GOD. PSALMS 119:105 tells us that: GOD’S WORD (is what) LEADS and GUIDES US into a (RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD) When we HUNGER and THIRST SPIRITUALLY it is GOD’S WORD that NOURISHES us and CAUSES us to SPIRITUALLY GROW, DEVELOP and MATURE . We BECOME FILLED with the CAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (MATTHEW 5:6). But IN ORDER to COMMIT to GOD , or for that matter ANYONE ELSE , we MUST FIRST OF ALL SURRENDER our lives TO GOD . We say “YES” to GOD’S WILL and God’s WAY for OUR LIVES. The INITIAL COMMITMENT – the INITIAL MOMENT of SURRENDER is CRUCIAL because as my mentor DR. HOWARD THURMAN states in his book DISCIPLINES OF THE SPIRIT; “SURRENDER provides a
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RALLYING POINT as well as a SOURCE OF REFERRAL”. He states that when he was a boy they used to sing a song: “IF SATAN says I DON’T HAVE GRACE, I’LL TAKE HIM BACK TO THE STARTING PLACE”. WE REFER to that INITIAL COMMITMENT as the DAY we “GOT SAVED”. It is the TIME OF ENCOUNTER and SURRENDER and is A MARKER indicating the EXPERIENCE when at the DEPTHS of OUR BEING we said “YES” to the WILL and the RULE of GOD in OURLIVES. THAT IS, as we recall, THE MOMENT when our LIVES were REDEEMED from our OLD WAYS and OUR FEET SET on a NEW PATH. AFTER such an EXPERIENCE, TO US, the WHOLE WORLD has a DIFFERENT SMELL. Such a MOMENT MARKS the MOMENT OF COMMITMENT and PROVIDES not only a POINT OF REFERRAL for LIFE in the FUTURE, but also the ESTABLISHMENT of a POWER OUTSIDE the SELF, INDEPENDENT SET on a NEW PATH. AFTER such an EXPERIENCE, TO US, the WHOLE WORLD has a DIFFERENT SMELL. Such a MOMENT MARKS the MOMENT OF COMMITMENT and PROVIDES not only a POINT OF REFERRAL for LIFE in the FUTURE , but also the ESTABLISHMENT of a POWER OUTSIDE the SELF, INDEPENDENT of SELF to which WE CAN NOW REFER WHEN our way is LOST . This is THE ESSENCE of COMMITMENT to GOD. WHAT/WHEN WAS YOUR DAY?? A GOOD EXAMPLE of WHAT HAPPENS when we become COMMITTED to GOD is the EXAMPLE of a MAN who GARDENS for a hobby. It becomes a CONSUMING HOBBY . He GROWS to “LOVE” gardening. He finds his GARDEN ATTRACTIVE , he is COMMITTED to it, and has INVESTED HIMSELF in it. In the PROCESS OF CARING for his GARDEN and ATTENDING IT, he LEARNS a lot ABOUT GARDENING. He LEARNS WHAT TO DO ; about SOILS and FERTILIZERS, ROOTING, PLANTING, PRUNING and MUCH MORE . And HE KNOWS HIS particular GARDEN – its HISTORY , the TYPES of FLOWERS and
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PLANTS in it, its LAYOUT , its PROBLEMS , its NEEDS and even ITS FUTURE . Though the garden EXISTS OUTSIDE of HIM , it also COMES TO EXIST WITHIN HIM. His KNOWLEDGE of it and the MEANING it has FOR HIM are PART of HIM , it also comes to EXIST WITHIN him. His KNOWLEDGE of it and the MEANING it has FOR HIM are PART OF HIM, PART of his IDENTITY, PART of his HISTORY and PART of his WISDOM. IF YOU are COMMITTED to God and HIS MINISTRY to mankind, this is a PICTURE of what YOUR COMMITMENT should LOOK LIKE. IF we are COMMITTED to the TEACHINGS of JESUS CHRIST – his mission, message and method it MUST EXIST WITHIN us. When JESUS ASKED PETER whether he LOVED HIM (WAS COMMITED TO HIM) Jesus TOLD PETER on THREE separate OCCASIONS to “FEED MY SHEEP (lambs) (JOHN 21:15-17): WHEN THEY HAD FINISHED EATING, JESUS SAID TO SIMON PETER, “SIMON SON OF JOHN, DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME MORE THAN THESE? YES LORD, HE SAID, YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU. JESUS SAID, “Feed my LAMBS. AGAIN JESUS SAID…. Here JESUS is ASKING PETER to COMMIT HIS LIFE to Him. JESUS CONFRONTS PETER with his TRUE FEELINGS and MOTIVES for BEING A PART of THE FELLOWSHIP. THESE are the QUESTIONS we MUST ASK OURSELVES!! DO I REALLY, TRULY LOVE the MINISTRY of UNION TEMPLE is a PART of MY IDENTITY; PART of MY KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM? HAVE YOU , yourself, BEEN EMPOWERED with the MESSAGE of JESUS? ARE YOU GEARED UP and QUALIFIED to SHARE with OTHERS who are NOT EMPOWERED WHO they ARE BIBLICALLY, CULTURALLY and HISTORICALLY?
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COMMITMENT TO EACH OTHER It is LOGICAL that WHEN we are ENLIGHTENED and EMPOWERED by the TEACHINGS OF JESUS , that COMMITMENT ENABLES and EQUIPS us to MAKE A COMMITMENT to EACH OTHER . When a BREACH in COMMITMENT OCCURS among us, IF we have BEEN RECONCILED TO GOD , we CAN BE RECONCILED to ONE ANOTHER . We CAN NEVER TOTALLY WRITE ANYONE OFF but WE MAY HAVE to NOT CONTINUALLY EXPOSE OURSELVES to PERSONS who SHOWS US they DO NOT HAVE OUR INTEREST at heart. IF PERSONS REFUSE to LIVE by these NINE PRINCIPLES it is VERY DIFFICULT to MAINTAIN the FELLOWSHIP that the LORD REQUIRES us to have. In II CORINTHIANS 5:17-19 we are REMINDED that WHEN we COMMIT OURSELVES to JESUS’ TEACHINGS we are NEW CREATURES and therefore NO LONGER do we OPERATE in REJECTION, RETALIATION or REVENGE. We OPERATE out of RECONCILIATION. We BECOME “COMMITTED TO THE MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION” because we have become “BRAND NEW” people on the INSIDE . We ARE NOT REFORMED, REHABILITATED or RE-EDUCATED – but WE ARE RECREATED (NEW CREATURES ALTOGETHER) living in a vital union of COMMITMENT to JESUS CHRIST. The RECONCILIATION , however, REQUIRES a level of JUDICIOUS COMMON SENSE. This COMMON SENSE is BEST DESCRIBED in the STORY of a MAN who PICKED UP a SNAKE OFF THE ROAD as he WALKED HOME on a COLD DAY. He PUT the SNAKE in a BAG and SET it in the WARMTH of his HOME to ‘THAW OUT.” LATER he PUT HIS HAND in the BAG and much to his CHAGRIN the SNAKE BIT HIM. WHEN HE ASKED the snake WHY he bit him AFTER he HAD BROUGHT HIM IN from the COLD , the SNAKE REPLIED – “YOU KNEW I was A SNAKE WHEN YOU BROUGHT ME HOME. SOMETIMES we MUST ESTABLISH DISTANCE from SNAKES,
Nine Principles of Spiritual Self-Development – Lesson #6 – COMMITMENT INSTRUCTOR: Rev. Dr. Willie F. Wilson Page 6 continuing to BELIEVE that PERHAPS ONE DAY RECONCILIATION could TAKE PLACE . But MAYA ANGELOU once said, “IF PEOPLE SHOW YOU WHO THEY ARE, BELIEVE THEM”. The EFFORT and MANNER of RECONCILIATION PRESCRIBED by JESUS for HIS FOLLOWERS is LAID OUT in MATTHEW 18:15-17. 1. IF there is GRIEVANCE BASED on your brother or sister MISTREATING you or ACTING UNGODLY you FIRST GO TO HIM (HER) and ADDRESS the FAULT, JUST BETWEEN the TWO OF YOU. IF THIS WORKS , you are RECONCILED. 2. If they DO NOT RESPOND favorably, you TAKE ONE OR TWO OTHERS along as WITNESSES as you AGAIN TRY to RESOLVE the MATTER and BECOME RECONCILED. 3. If THAT DOESN’T WORK you TAKE IT to the ENTIRE (MINISTRY, CHOIR, TRIBE, CHURCH and IF THAT DOES NOT WORK you HAVE EXHAUSTED all EFFORT and you “TREAT THEM AS A PAGAN OR TAX COLLECTOR”. IF WE PRACTICE the NINE PRINCIPLES we CAN GROW in, DEVELOP and MATURE in COMMITMENT to GOD and to EACH OTHER.
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STUDY REVIEW QUESTIONS PRINCIPLE #6 – “COMMITMENT”
1. In commitment we have a ______to some
______but no question about the ______
______.
2. We must practice the principles of ______,
______, ______, ______, and trust
before we can have commitment.
3. We cannot be through with each other because we ______
our input or not accept our ______.
4. Commitment involves going to a ______
of ourselves that gives ______.
5. The oak trees at Wayne Terrace had a purposeful ______
to ______.
6. In Commitment the idea is that ______will be
______to ______the
fellowship and bond of love that has been established. Acts 17:28 tells
us that ______shall (should) separate us from the love
of God. So true commitment starts with a relationship with
______.
7. Most relationships are based on ______whether a person
performs the way we ______or ______them
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to and when they don’t ______the way we want or expect
them to, often the relationship comes to an abrupt ______.
8. Physically and spiritually our entire life depends on our quest for
______. Food provides for ______,
______and maturity to take place.
9. The quest for ______food for humans is not automatic,
involuntary or self-propelled.
10. Jesus declares in Matthew 4:4 that man shall not live by physical
______alone but by every ______that comes
from the ______of God.
11. God’s Word ______us and causes us to
______grow, develop and mature. If we ______
and ______we shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6)
12. But in order to COMMIT to God we must ______our lives
to a single end, goal and purpose. We must say ______to
God’s will and God’s way for our lives.
13. The initial ______provides a rallying point as well as a
source of ______. We refer to this initial commitment as
the day we ______, ______. This is the day our
lives were ______from our old ways.
14. the moment of commitment provides not only a point of referral for life in
the future, but also the establishment of power ______the
self, ______of self that we can refer to when we get lost.
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15. When Jesus asked Peter did he love him and commanded him to “feed”
his sheep, Jesus was really asking Peter to ______his life to
him. Jesus confronts Peter with his true ______and motives
for being in the ______.
16. It is commitment to God that equips us to make a commitment to
______.
17. When we commit ourselves to Jesus’ teachings we are ______
______committed to the “______of
______”. The reconciliation, however, requires
______. The man who brought
a ______home that ______him is an example
of this.
18. Maya Angelou says when people ______you who they are,
______them.
19. When there is a breach in a relationship we first go to the person
______just you and that person. If
that does not work, you take two or three in the fellowship to
______them attempt at dialogue. Thirdly, if that does
not work, you take it to the entire ______.
20. If we practice the ______we can
grow, develop and mature in ______to God and to each
other.
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