Commitment

By Reverend J. Loren Russell

Matthew‬ ‭25:21‬ ‭(NKJV) ‬‬
“And you will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
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I like the word commitment. It is more than a casual promise; a commitment is a bond, an obligation, a guarantee that is broken only by circumstances beyond the control of the one who made the commitment. A commitment makes one willing to forsake things that could be personally important to them so that they keep their commitment.

Commitment requires courage. Commitment requires that you stay the course, even through persecution, discrimination, marginalization, even death. One person who personified commitment is Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the man who is memorialized with a national holiday and celebrated for his fearlessness in the face of oppression, violence, personal economic persecution, ridicule, and a lack of support from his own community. Yet he willingly said loud and clear that hate and racism had no place in a society founded on the principle that “all men are created equal.”

In the book, “The Cross and the Lynching Tree” by James H. Cone, Cone tells a story from the autobiography, Born to Rebel by Benjamin E. Mays. Mays is the renowned past president of Morehouse College and a teacher and mentor of Martin Luther King Jr.. Mays recalled an occasion when a white mob confronted him and his father when he was just a child. In his own words, “A crowd of white men rode up on horseback with rifles on their shoulders. I was with my father when they rode up, and I remember starting to cry. They cursed my father, drew their guns, and made him salute, take off his hat and bow down to them several times. Then they rode away. I was five years old, but I’ve never forgotten them.”

Commitment requires courage in the face of adversity, persecution, even the threat of death. The atrocious treatment of Benjamin Mays’ father gave birth to a commitment to humanity in the young Mays’ heart that has had an immeasurable impact on the American and global landscape. Through his leadership, Morehouse College is known as an institution that produces people of commitment who are, and have, impacted the world for good. Mays has also inspired countless others to be change makers. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the epitome of a committed life. The impact of his commitment is still being felt today, 54 years, 9 months, and 12 days after his assassination.

The good news is that commitment is not the exclusive property of any institution or individual. Everyone can, and should, be committed to something that makes life better for people and the world. The highest commitment is a commitment to the word of God. That kind of commitment extends beyond the impact on the lives of people in society, their appreciation, even their praises. The person committed to the will of God will eventually hear the voice of the Lord say to them, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Eternal joy is the ultimate certainty when someone has a committed life to the Lord.

Be Blessed!
Rev. J. Loren Russell is an associate minister at Goodwill Baptist Church and is the spiritual leader of both LaGree Baptist Church and the Evangelical Church of God, all in the Bronx, President/CEO of The JLR Company for Church Financial & Strategic Consulting (718-328-8096), and hosts “Matters of Faith – The Radio Show” on Monday nights from 8:00 – 10:00 PM on Facebook Live. Be sure to Friend “Matters of Faith” on YouTube and email us at mattersoffaith.mof@gmail.com. Order your copy of Matters of Faith: The eBook at www.smash words.com/books/view/993177.