Hot or Cold????

Happy Monday, blogland!  I'm baaaack!!!  I had a (brief) hiatus last week due in part to trying to get settled in with the move and the kids in new schools (and everything else that goes along with moving) as well as the fact that my phone/cable/internet move order was cancelled.  Three times.  So yeah, I had no internet!  And no, I'm not done unpacking (or moving for that matter - this has to be the longest move in the history of mankind!).  But, everything is coming along...

I have so much to share!  But, all in due time.  Today we're going to talk about being hot or cold (speaking of which, it is uber cold in Chicago; I'm not overjoyed that we have catapulted into late October/early November temperatures so soon).  I'm just saying...

Anyway, onto today's topic:  Hot or Cold?  

It's a question I have been asked many times as I order coffee, and my answer is always hot (I just really don't understand cold/iced coffee although clearly there's a market for it or it wouldn't exist...).  But we're not talking about coffee today.  Today we're talking about commitment, which was the subject of yesterday's sermon and also indirectly the subject of the movie "War Room," which I finally got to see yesterday (excellent movie, by the way). So let's go!

Commitment.  Betcha weren't expecting that!  What is commitment?  Commitment is defined as:  "the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc. 'the company's commitment to quality;' synonyms:  dedication, devotion, allegiance, loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity 'her commitment to her students' 2 an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action. 'business commitments' synonyms:  responsibility, obligation, duty, tie, liability, task, engagement, arrangement 'the pressure of his commitments'

Most of us think of commitment in terms of personal relationships, the ultimate of course being marriage.  But there is also a commitment required of your relationship with God if you are indeed to have a personal one...

On to the sermon.  It was titled, "Making a Total Commitment," and delivered by my pastor, Elder Andrew Singleton of Victory Apostolic Church in Matteson, Illinois (I promise that if you visit you'll have a great time!).  His scripture text was found in Luke 5:1-11, and it focused on when Simon Peter and Andrew finally gave their total commitment to Christ (go ahead and read it for yourselves).  Apparently it was the third time they had been asked to totally commit, and the third time was the charm (along with a miracle that took away all doubt).  Pastor Singleton noted that we live in the age of entitlement without commitment, and when something isn't right, people want to get out.  He made a very important point about your faith walk - when you don't commit to God, He won't commit to you.  Also, he noted that there is a difference between involvement and making a commitment. Whoa! Deep, right??? But, still relevant and makes sense.

After church I went to see the movie "War Room" with a friend (I truly recommend it, by the way).  And though the main theme of the movie was the power of fervent and effectual prayer, the underlying theme of the movie (as I saw it) commitment.  Commitment to God, commitment to a consistent prayer life, commitment to marriage, commitment to family. One scene in the movie questioned whether one of the character's spiritual life was hot or cold. Turns out she was lukewarm, much like the apostles in the sermon text.  She had yet to make a total commitment.  Once she did, she saw things change.

I believe that holds true for most things in life.  We have to make decisions, we have to make commitments.  All in or all out - not straddling the fence.  When you go to vote, you have to make a commitment to a party of your choosing before you can get a ballot.  When you go shopping, you have to make a commitment to specific purchases within your budget. When you go to buy a car, you have many options, but eventually you have to make a commitment to a particular one.  See where I'm going here?  Most decisions in life (big and small) require you to make a decision, right or wrong, hot or cold, and see the decision through to the end.  Unequivocal decisions take away confusion and mixed messages. There's no room for confusion once a decision is made.

So what does this have to do with anything??? I'm glad you asked!  At the beginning of 2015, I made a decision to stop being lukewarm in certain areas of my life, including my spiritual life.  I decided I wanted to be "hot."  To that end, I created a faith journal, committed to attending church regularly, began to research and study devotionals I found on Pinterest, took the one-on-one discipleship class - all things designed to reinforce my unequivocal decision to set things right.  That was one of the best decisions I've made all year!  I have seen prayers answered (that I have prayed for myself and others), I have clearly and unequivocally been able to use discernment on some things and most importantly, I've been able to hear.  That is probably the most important thing to come out of this decision to run hot.  I have some more things to work on, but that's just a little slice of what 2015 has meant for me.

So I'll leave you with the question - are you hot or cold?  Hot or cold in your spiritual life, in your marriage, in pursuing your education, in pursuing your career and financial goals, in your relationship with your children and other family members???  Something to think about, isn't it?  Holla @ Darvi and let's talk about it!  Be blessed and have a wonderfully awesome week!!!