Your Level Of Commitment…

Opening Scripture:

Ruth 1:16–17 NIV

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”

Ruth had just lost her husband Mahlon

Ruth was making this vow to her mother-in-law Naomi which is significant because:

Naomi had lost her husband and both her sons. In that culture, she was "empty."

Naomi urged Ruth and her other daughter-in-law, Orpah, to stay in Moab. Why? Because in Moab, they were young enough to remarry. If they followed Naomi to Israel, they would be penniless foreign widows with zero social standing.

Orpah (OR-puh) does the logical thing—she stays. Ruth does the "irrational" thing—she commits to a life of poverty and potential hostility to stay with Naomi.

By committing to Naomi, Ruth is intentionally entering a land where she will be the "other"—an ethnic outsider from a despised nation. Her commitment is deep because it involves a total loss of her former identity to take on a new, lower-status one for the sake of love.

Ruth upholds her promise to Naomi and later finds another husband Boaz.

Ruth stayed even when it wasn’t going to benefit her anything

Orpah (OR-puh) did what was best or beneficial for her.

In our current relationships… From the Romantic ones (Husband & Wife), Dating (Boyfriend and girlfriend), to even our friendships are we only committed until a situation arises that will not benefit us?

Will we be like Ruth and stay committed or be like Orpah (OR-puh) and run for the hills?

What is your level of commitment in your relationships?

The Character of Commitment

1 Corinthians 13:6–7 NIV

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

LOVE will ALWAYS win in every season, through every situation, in every circumstance.

God’s Love in which case never fails (Agape) carries us through the toughest battles and soothes all wounds.

LOVE requires a level of commitment…. God loved us so much that He was willing to GIVE a piece of Himself in the form of His only begotten Son to take our place in punishment and be slaughtered like a lamb. (John 3:16)

Relationships require commitment…. Either you are committed or you are not. You can’t be half way in and half way out.

There is a reserved type of love for each person who is apart of our life…

Love for Family

Love for Friends

Love for serious long term dating relationships

Love for your spouse.

Love for your children.

If we neglect the true Character of Commitment in any of our relationships at some point in time or another our relationships could become broken.

As we neglect the true character of commitment often times we can see the breaks beginning to form

Consistent arguments that bring more hurt than not.

Big Gaps in communication —- Communication becomes less and less consistent

spending less and less time together —- always busy, always have a reason why now isn’t the right time to connect or spend time together.

Often times the lack of commitment equates into fear to make a commitment

This is why:

Some couples don’t make it out of the dating stage…

Some people never get into a serious relationship

Have no genuine friendships formed.

Marriages don’t make it beyond the 10 year mark.

The Character of Commitment is rooted within the likeness of who God is…

Every Time God makes a promise He carries it out

Every time God makes a covenant with us He keeps His end of the deal.

Where Have You Placed God?

Matthew 10:37 NIV

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Jesus challenges us to LOVE Him more than anyone else.

This seems to many a little radical of Jesus to say… BUT we MUST look at it from His perspective.

Jesus willingly laid His life down so that we could reign with Him for all eternity

Jesus took our place in judgement so that we could be made right in the eyes of the Father

Jesus has committed to never leaving us nor forsaking us — Being with us ALWAYS!

As mentioned earlier —- with every Level of LOVE there is a commitment attached to it

Jesus is simply instructing us to be more committed to Him than anyone or anything else!

When we refuse to put others before Jesus —- Not keeping Him first then that person or even thing becomes our god.

Whatever we place Jesus in the center of will have a clear path for growth and health

When we commit first to God we protect ourselves from becoming unequally yoked in any capacity.

Commitment Does NOT Break Commitment

Genesis 2:24 NIV

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

From the first marriage in humanity (Adam & Eve) God intended for man to leave their father and mother to carry out the commitment to their spouse and start their own family.

When scripture says “leave” so many have taken this as a sign to treat their other commitments, especially to their parents, unfairly.

Scripture teaches us that we are to honor our parents —- this never changes rather if you are married or not.

We don’t use commitment to break another commitment — commitments evolve

Similarly we use our commitment to serving God through ministry or the church as away of escape from our other commitments to our spouses, our children, and even our parents.

Yes, we are to keep God at the center of all things BUT God should never be used as an excuse to go back on your other commitments.

Jesus even states for us to let our “Yes” be “Yes” and our “No” be “No”.

With every commitment you make — you should have a time slot for

BUDGET your time wisely!!

Your Next Steps:

Conduct a "Commitment Audit": Spend 15 minutes in prayer asking: "Is there any person I have placed on the throne of my heart above God?"

Practice "The Ruth Choice" in Small Moments: Identify one relationship where you feel "weary in doing good" (Galatians 6:9). Commit to one act of service this week for that person that offers you no personal benefit.

Repair the "Breaks" in Communication: Look at your text messages or call logs. Is there a "gap" you’ve allowed to form out of laziness or fear? Send the text or make the call today to reconnect.

Create a "Commitment Budget": Look at your calendar for the next 7 days. Physically block out non-negotiable "time slots" for your primary commitments: God, Spouse/Family, and Work.

Define Your "Covenant Integrity": Write down a personal "Covenant Statement" for your most important relationship. Use the language of 1 Corinthians 13:7: "In this relationship, I choose to always protect, always trust, always hope, and always persevere, even when [Insert your greatest struggle/fear]."