Commitment without sacrifice is vain

A story was told about a house church in the former Soviet Union received a copy of the gospel of Luke. Since in was illegal to possess this Scripture they tore it up into little pieces and distributed it among the body of believers. Their plan was to memorize the portion they had been given, then on the next Lord's Day they would meet and redistribute the sections.

On Sunday these believers arrived inconspicuously in small groups throughout the day so as not to arouse the suspicion of the secret police informers. By dusk they were all safely inside, windows closed and doors locked. They began by singing a hymn quietly but with deep emotion. Suddenly, the door was pushed open and in walked two soldiers with loaded automatic weapons at the ready. One shouted, "All right - everybody line up against the wall. If you wish to renounce you commitment to Jesus Christ, leave now!"

Two or three quickly left, then another. After a few more seconds, two more.

"This is you last chance. Either turn against your faith in Christ," he ordered, "or stay and suffer the consequences."

Another left. Finally two more in embarrassed silence, their faces covered, slipped out into the night. No one else moved. Parents with small children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly. They fully expected to be gunned down or, at best, to be imprisoned.

After a few moments of complete silence, the other soldier closed the door, looked back at those who stood against the wall and said, "Keep you hands up - but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters. We, too, are Christians. We were sent to another house church several weeks ago to a group of believers - "

The other soldier interrupted, " . . . but, instead we were converted! We have learned by experience, however, that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot by fully trusted.

The bible talk about a man called Demas. One of Paul's team member in his missionary journey. Demas is mentioned along with Luke. He was an important person in the efforts to spread Christianity. But in 2 Timothy 9-11, Paul has to write to Timothy to say "Demas has forsaken me". As we read Paul's letter to Timothy, we may think Demas has a poor grade for his commitment, but is Demas any worse than us?

Today, it is good that we reflect on our commitment to God especially in our ministry for Him. Are we committed in our walk with the Lord and in our service? Are we merely doing it for the sake of doing or are we really committed to serve Him – meaning sacrificing our all for HIS glory? There is a price to pay for commitment – that is sacrifice. Commitment without sacrifice is vain.

So many Christians just sit and rust when they could be serving sacrificially. Yes it is costly. Yes, you risk your life. But we need those who will really serve Christ. Paul says hold such as these in high esteem. We need to thank God for those who really serve Christ in our midst. We have so many faithful. We need to call others to be faithful.

Commitment means God can count on me.

Be Blessed