I just headed over to Challies Dot Com and found his blog post today about the Commitment of the Christian life to be very thought provoking. I'll leave you these thoughts to meditate over:
Jerry Bridges addresses this in The Discipline of Grace and
warns of one way that we can completely miss the mark: “When we commit
ourselves to the pursuit of holiness, we need to ensure that our
commitment is actually to God, not simply to a holy lifestyle or a set
of moral values. The people of my parent’s generation were generally
honest, chaste, sober, and thrifty. They were committed to those values,
but they were not necessarily committed to God. Many of them were
outstanding moralists and even church people, but they were not
committed to God.” These people were committed to their values, but not
to God. Could the same be true of us?
“It is the intention to please God in all our actions that is the key to
commitment of a life of holiness. If we do not make such a commitment
to obedience without exception, we will constantly find ourselves making
exceptions. We will have a ‘just one more time’ syndrome in our lives.
But the truth is, the ‘one more time’ manner of thinking undermines our
commitment. Every time we give in to a temptation, even though it may
seem small and insignificant to us, we make it easier to give in the
next time. Sin has a tendency to exert an ever-increasing power on us if
it is not resisted on every occasion.”
And here is one thing Christians too often neglect: When we make a commitment not to sin, we also need to make a positive commitment to do something else—something better. “It is not enough to stop cheating on our income tax returns; we must also learn to share with those in need. It is not enough to avoid being bitter against those who have wronged us; we need to forgive as God has forgiven us. It is not enough to pray that God will enable us to deal with a volatile temper; we must also ask Him to help us put on compassion and kindness.”
"An all-out, unreserved, nothing-held-back commitment to the pursuit of holiness may be exhausting, but it will not be oppressive if it is grounded in grace. But to be grounded in grace, it must be continually referred back to the gospel. So don’t just preach the gospel to yourself every day merely to experience the cleansing of your conscience. You certainly need to do so for that reason. But as you do so, reaffirm, as a response of love and gratitude to God, your commitment to Him. And do so in reliance on His Spirit that by His grace He will enable you to carry out your commitment."
And here is one thing Christians too often neglect: When we make a commitment not to sin, we also need to make a positive commitment to do something else—something better. “It is not enough to stop cheating on our income tax returns; we must also learn to share with those in need. It is not enough to avoid being bitter against those who have wronged us; we need to forgive as God has forgiven us. It is not enough to pray that God will enable us to deal with a volatile temper; we must also ask Him to help us put on compassion and kindness.”
"An all-out, unreserved, nothing-held-back commitment to the pursuit of holiness may be exhausting, but it will not be oppressive if it is grounded in grace. But to be grounded in grace, it must be continually referred back to the gospel. So don’t just preach the gospel to yourself every day merely to experience the cleansing of your conscience. You certainly need to do so for that reason. But as you do so, reaffirm, as a response of love and gratitude to God, your commitment to Him. And do so in reliance on His Spirit that by His grace He will enable you to carry out your commitment."
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