28. My Daily Commitment
It is my prayer that you have connected with Jesus as you have read these daily messages, and allowed the Holy Spirit to search your heart. If so, you have experienced the power of God in your life, as your heart has been drawn to Him. Your connection with Jesus is precious and needs to be guarded. Now, it is very important to make a life-long commitment to stay connected to Jesus.
Jesus calls this connected experience abiding. Listen to what He says about abiding in John chapter 15:
4 Abide in me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no
more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me,
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do
nothing.
6 If a man abide not in
me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and
cast them into the fire, and they are
burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and
my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto
you.
Notice that we can only
bring forth fruit if we are abiding in Christ. And if we are not abiding in
Christ, we are of no value to God. This is a serious reality. We must stay
connected to Him! Only by remaining connected to Him can we communicate
effectively with Him.
Therefore, it is vital
and urgent that we learn how to maintain this connection with Him. This is only
done by nurturing a daily relationship with Jesus through a devotional
experience of prayer and Bible study.
It would be an excellent idea for each one of us to make a commitment that we will seek God as our top priority every day for the rest of our lives. We must let nothing interfere with our commitment.
Each one should make a determination to have a specific time with God every day. For me personally, with 2 toddlers in the house that wake up early, I am not able to follow the plan I did in prior years. For the time being, I have adjusted my schedule so that I have a prayer of commitment first thing in the morning when I wake up, and then spend an hour with God during their mid-morning nap time. The early morning hours are ideal for quiet devotional time. But you have to make it work for you. The important thing is that you put God as your top priority, all day long!
So here is a sample commitment. Adjust it for your circumstances:
I make a commitment before God, that I will seek Him with ALL my heart the FIRST thing every morning;
(Before phone calls, TV, other
reading, computer, or any other activities)
For 1 hour
(God deserves our focused attention for a significant amount of time. We need to set aside that time to connect with Him. If necessary, we should get up earlier so we don’t feel rushed.)
To experience a joyful, intimate relationship with Him through Bible Study and Prayer.
(As we meditate on His Word, He will speak to us, and He invites us to pour out our hearts to Him. It’s a two way communication that is real and personal.)
Here is a suggested format for a meaningful prayer experience.
This is an acrostic using the initials PRAISE
Praise – Praise God through adoration and admiration. (Use the Psalms to help you praise God.)
Repentance – Experience
sorrow for sinful manifestations & self-will, through thoughts, feelings,
attitudes, motives, idle words, wrong behavior, and lack of love. Be willing to
turn away from them through God’s power.
Affirmations – Accepting
and believing God’s truth about what Christ has done for me in His Word, who I
am in Christ. Using scripture to affirm my position in Christ.
Intercession – Pray for people around the world that God puts on my heart. Pray especially for my family.
Supplication – All
my needs, wants, plans laid before Him, for His guidance and direction, so that
I may be conformed to His will.
Exalting God
through listening to His Word – Be still and let Him speak to me through His
Word. Meditate on the life of Jesus, and His intercession for me.
For more spiritual encouragement, and help in Bible study, feel free to sign up for the 21 Days to Spiritual Renewal, the 5-a-Day Spiritual Nutrition, and the Weekly Word of Life programs on the Wordkeeping website.
May God bless your efforts to stay connected to Jesus!