One of my favorite Rick Warren quotes is, "We become what we're committed to in life."  The main reason I likr it is it's TRUE.  Every, important matter in life becomes more and more a part of us only as we commit to making it so.  I also like the idea that we are "becoming" our commitments.  For example, all of us who follow Jesus want to be like Jesus.  As long as that's what we "want" it may or may not happen.  But the moment we COMMIT to becoming like Jesus the process is on its way to becoming a reality

When we commit ourselves to something or someone, we start to take the necessary actions for the goal to become a reality.  Those actions will include gaining information and then applying it.  In the case of becoming more like Jesus, we'll need to find out what that means by studying Jesus' life. (which we do by reading the Bible!) Then, we'll need to consider which areas of Jesus' life we need to apply in our lives and start applying them.  The great news here is when it comes to becoming more like Jesus, once we become Jesus' followers we have the Holy Spirit in our lives as the power source for actually fulfilling our commitment!  That's great, because in our own efforts, even with great commitment, we'll never become like Jesus, because that transformation starts from the inside out--with a change of our hearts, rather than from the outside in with a change in our behavior.

Today, I'm focused on a commitment I made 32 years ago, on April 14, 1979.  That's the day I committed to being the husband of Nancy Fairman.  I committed to being married to her for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health as long as we both shall live.  To be honest, neither of us really knew what we were getting into, or how challenging it would be at times to fulfill that commitment.  What we did know is we were committing ourselves to the task BEFORE GOD.  We called Him into the relationship, made our covenant before Him and over the years we have called on Him to strengthen us in times of difficulty, to bless us in times of need, to encourage us in times of discouragement, to correct us in times of error, to provide miracles for us when the dead-ends were beyond us, and to celebrate with us in the times of victory.  Through it all God has been abundantly faithful, and the commitment has become more and more what He intends it to be!

What commitments are you becoming today?  What commitments have you made that seem too much right now?  Remember, God honors our commitments when they are made in Him and for His glory.  Why not take a few moments sometime today, sit down and reflect on the commitments of your life.  You may want to ask some of these questions:  What ARE my important commitments?  Am I becoming what those commitments would shape me to be?  Are there commitments I need to make that are missing from my life right now?  What commitments have I made that I need to abandon?  How do I need to call on God to see the important commitments of my life become a reality? 

We DO become what we're committed to in life.  What are you becoming?