Luke 9:57-62 — And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

Myra and I went to a meeting this evening with a good friend who has committed his life to work in a Christian ministry, and a few of his other helpers. Coincidentally our conversation turned to commitment, and as we were coming home my mind turned to the idea.

There’s a saying, popular among some preachers: “Show me your wallet and your diary, and I’ll tell you what you care about.” I’ve usually accepted it without too much thought — it sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Surely how I spend my money and time shows my priorities? Perhaps not … after all, writing a check can be the work of the moment and going to the meeting doesn’t mean much if there’s nothing going on outside the meeting!

This slightly depressing thought process started me thinking about what I’m committed to, and how anybody looking at me could see it.

Here’s what I would like to think that people see when they look at me. I’d like to think they see somebody committed to being a Christ-follower, a disciple.

Discipleship has many aspects to me, but at it’s heart is the idea of loving God and never wanting to do anything except what pleases Him. It’s a total lifestyle … That means that all my time and all my resources, financial and otherwise, are His to dispose of. A lot of it is invisible — quiet time, Bible study, prayer — it happens out of the public eye. When it is out in the open, what I don’t do might be as important as what I do do. Nothing I do should ever reflect poorly on my Lord.

I didn’t really enjoy thinking about all of this, because it made me aware — once again — of how far I fall short. How does it make you feel to think about your Christian commitment?