"Commit Your Way to the Lord"

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. (Psalm 37:5-6)

                “Commit your way to the Lord” is the third ingredient to my Take It Easy way of life. David is writing during a time where his enemies were trying to kill him and his name was being slandered. He was writing about his how God will vindicate or set right His justice at some point in the future. David was not sure how this would happen, but he would remain committed to God in his life.

Everyone believes they are right. One daily example is trying to make it safely through a four-way stop near a school. It seems everyone makes up their own thoughts to gain the right of way! Therefore we need to know what it means to commit our way to God.

In Psalm 37:5, “Commit” means to “roll over on.” The picture of commitment is to put a burden on oneself, someone, and / or something.  Today’s vernacular we might say, “I am all in!” When we read through the narratives of the Bible we will find how God blesses people when they are all in. We also see how messed up people get when they replace their commitment to God with a higher commitment to be all in for themselves. Everyone devotes time, energy, and resources that are important for their life satisfaction.

The problem is not lack of commitment but misplacing of commitments.  Our life at church should help us practice well placed commitments in living God’s way. Jesus called his disciples to be all in when He said, “Follow me.” The picture of baptism by immersion has many applications of being “All in” the new life in Christ. Communion is a picture of Christ being all in when it comes to providing the way we live at peace with God. The picture of the “living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1-2) is a daily declaration that we are to be 100% all in the way God wants us to live. He is active in transforming our entire lives to be able to accomplish His mission(s) according to His desire(s).

Why should I commit my way to the Lord?

God knows it is hard to be 100% all in. That is why he emphasizes commitment throughout Scripture. He knows that we have to keep growing in committing our ways to His way to live. But what’s the use? One reason is that we cannot allow injustice keep us from trusting in God. In Proverbs 16:3-4 God tells us that all commitments to Him will work itself out to “its proper end.” We all are guilty in allowing the misdeeds of family, friends and Christians to diminish our trust in God. The more we allow these close relationships skew our image of God, then how much more skewed are we when we encounter personal and social injustices? 

And another reason is that we cannot let injustices steal our ability to have God’s eternal hope. In Proverbs 24:19 we are reminded not to be jealous of people who do evil because their future is destined for God’s judgement. These people have a “life without hope.” How awful is this destiny! We cannot allow ourselves to sink to the same level of hopeless people. After all, we cannot make people be just or righteous. It is only through their surrender to God and His power that gives them the ability to be righteous. Therefore, we must do whatever we can to extend opportunity for all people to have God’s eternal hope.

How can I “Take it Easy” with so many injustices in my world?

                I plan to write future blogs on the following bullets because the question “Where is God in life’s injustices?” seem to be a recurring stumbling block for our times. Therefore, I will end this blog with a simple list that reminds me to commit my efforts to the Lord’s righteousness this unrighteous world.

•   I need God’s mercy just like everyone else (Titus 3:3-8).
•   I need to trust that God is still calling people to His righteousness no matter how unrighteous they might be (2 Peter 3:14-15).
•  I need to make the most of my opportunities to fulfill God mission  (Ephesians 5:15-20; I Peter 5:6-7).

Allow God to help you deepen your commitment to simply trust that He will make all crooked paths straight even if you don’t understand how at our present time.