Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – January 28, 2019
Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and he will. Psalm 37:5, The Living Bible
Recently, I enjoyed lunch with my 30 something friend Matt, who jarred my thinking with his wise words, “Steph (his wife) and I have decided to be under committed“. “What,” I stammered out, “What do you mean under committed?” “We are tired of hearing our friends say they are too busy, and we are exhausted from busyness, so we decluttered our calendars from unnecessary commitments”. Wow, he took my breath away with such unconventional thinking, but Matt and Steph are right. I say yes far more often than I like to admit, and later regret, even resent being so busy. So, by God’s grace a goal for 2019 is being under committed—available for God’s best.
King David, I’m sure, felt the pressure of pleasing everyone—citizens who demanded results. And not only did he govern, but fought wars with foreigners and with his own family. But along the way, in experiencing life, David discovered a life changing idea: if he committed everything he did to the Lord and trusted Him to help—God would direct his path. David was able to finish well by living within the boundaries of God’s will. He grew into a man after God’s heart, as his heart was surrendered to the Lord. Under divine authority David was free to be under committed.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16).
What does it mean to be under committed? It doesn’t mean we are any less productive, in fact many times we accomplish more, because the quality of our work elevates to excellence. To be under committed is to recognize the limitations of our capacity, not allowing comparison or compassion to compromise our commitments. So, we don’t compare our calendar with a friend’s with greater time or resources, but instead ask God to multiply what we have for His glory. We also limit our service to others so we are present and all in with the few we can help. By decluttering our calendars we trust in Christ with our time and are able to watch Him accomplish much more.
The foundation of under commitment is faith. We go to the Lord with opportunities that all seem good, asking in prayer for the Spirit to show us His best options for now. A no today sets up a better yes tomorrow. Questions help us discover under commitment. What is best to grow my trust in God? What circumstance will give me more time to train my children in character development? How will margin in my schedule give me flexibility for spontaneous ministry opportunities? Over commitment is competition to my devotion to Christ, while under commitment positions me to be loved by Jesus, so I can love for Jesus. Under commitment gets under God’s will and quits striving in its own strength, so commit everything you do to the Lord.
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I commit my way to you and I trust you to help me declutter my calendar so I can be available for you and others, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Application
Am I over committed? If so, how can I transition to become under committed?
Related Reading
Psalm 55:22; Proverbs 3:4-5; Matthew 6:25; Ephesians 5:15-17
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Under commitment gets under God’s will and quits striving in its own strength. #wisdomhunters #undercommitted
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4 minute video- Caleb and Kelsey:
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