Commitment

As I reflect to write this article, I am deeply moved by you.
Each Sunday at 8 am our Host Team huddles together to pray and cast vision. And then they survey and clean the church to make certain that the worship room is clean  and everything is set to receive everyone.  The coffee set up by our host team and the pastries baked by one of our own Jr. High girls are ready to welcome you by 8.30 am.   And as the praise team is getting ready for worship, the sound of music from the sanctuary envelops me in the presence of God before the “official” 9 am worship starts! I often find myself drowning in the worship songs as they practice. Thank God!
After worship, I walk through the halls to see how our growth groups are doing. I let out a short prayer here and there that everyone may share with honesty and transparency because only in genuine sharing can there is be genuine transformation. Last week I saw people tearing up while sharing that brought joy to my heart because I know that there is transparency, which gives God room to shape and mold the group.
Wednesday and Friday nights are joy to me because of our discipleship classes. Physical tiredness drowns in the joy of being with my brothers and sisters in the Lord! Last week, I heard their testimonies about Jesus. Oh my! Blessings galore! As each member shared his or her encounter with Jesus, my heart was jumping with joy... I thought I was going to explode!!! Thank you all for sharing! What joy!
How can we forget about the BBQ last month. Homemade hamburgers, soup, lettuce, tomatoes [Ben’s favorite],...etc. And David Kim, our new youth pastor, was there as well! What blessings.
Why do we do this? Why wake up so early to prepare on Sunday? Why come to Discipleship after a long work day? Commitment!  Committed to awaken the laity by training devoted disciples of Jesus to impact the world!
Nothing happens until a commitment is made. No one has ever become a success by giving half effort! 
I read a story a while ago about the Alps in Europe. Half way up the mountain is a nice "half way" house. Climbers are encouraged to stop and rest there before they continue to the top. It is meant to be a resting place before the climbers continue. But many people come to the halfway house and remain there. The enticement of the warmth of the fire place, a cup of hot coffee and the view is to die for! This midpoint is such a warm cozy and enticing place that many people come to the half way house and relinquish their original goal of reaching  the top... they are half way committed. 
I imagine, people are laughing and singing and sharing stories for the first hour in the half way house. But then the whole place is silenced as they look to the top and wonder what it would have been like to reach the top. Soon they may start to see the first group that made it to the top coming down with laughter and stories of what they saw and the whole half way house with warmth of the fire, hot coffee and the view become quiet, uneasy, and dissatisfied! Why? Because people who once had a vision for the top settled for the half way house!
Commitment is an indispensable character that keeps us keeping on when the going gets tough. Commitment keeps us studying while our friends play ball. Commitment wakes us up in the wee hours of the morning when others are sleeping. Commitment makes a junior higher bake cakes for the church. Commitment makes us set up to welcome the new comers to the church. Commitment keeps us up all night to prepare for the worship set! Commitment is a quality we cannot do without. Commitment helps us to find satisfaction and love in life when others are wondering what it would have been like!
Someone once said, “The way to success is built on a hill, no place is provided for a stop, it requires less effort to remain at the bottom but you will see so much more at the top!”
People say, “I am too busy for this or that.” I see lots of people busy doing nothing. Or if they are doing something, it’s not worth anything, which is basically nothing! 
Martin Luther King Jr. once stated "if a man has been called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep the street even as Beethoven played music and Michelangelo painted, he should sweep the street until all the host of heaven and earth will stand and say 'here lived a street sweeper.'"
Are you committed to give your best for the glory of the One who is the best? Today we celebrate communion. Let us remember Jesus, who was committed to each one of you. 
“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

What was Jesus’ joy? To glorify the Father first and foremost and to see you and I enter the fullness of joy in Him! May our commitments in life bring the greatest glory to Him and blessings to those around us!