10 Sermon Illustrations on Commitment

For thousands of years the eagle has been respected for its grandeur. When you observe its flight, its great wing span, and the power of its claws, it is inspiring, to say the least. In Proverbs 30:18-19, Solomon says, "There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not. The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the mist of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid." The eagle does not travel in flocks nor do they conduct themselves irresponsibly. Strong of heart and solitary, they represent qualities we admire. The eagle mates for life and returns each year to the same nest, making necessary repairs and additions. He takes his role to provide for his family and protect them from danger, and teaches the little eaglets to fly. With all this: responsibility, liberty, beauty, stability, and a lot more admirable traits of the eagle's makeup and such qualities, we agree with Solomon's view that it is nothing short of wonderful. The eagle is committed to that which he is destined to do, without concern for what is below him. I would that we all were committed to our obligation of teaching and preaching the gospel as the eagle is committed to soaring in the heavens of God. If we could soar as the eagle without regards to the little petty issues of this life and do those things Jesus would have us to, we could have so much rest and contentment in doing those things that are required. We only have a few years to spend on this little planet, few are the ones who decide to ignore the average and fight against the pull of the mediocre magnet. Let's face it. It's tough! As the motto goes, "It's hard to soar like an eagle when I'm surrounded by so many turkeys." "Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spread them as we should" (Psalms 90:12).

Can a young Marine, body shattered by the weaponry of modern warfare, rebound and turn personal defeat into personal victory? Lt. Clebe McClary recounts his courageous story of rebuilding his devastated life. During his tour of duty in Vietnam he suffered the loss of one eye, his left arm, and subsequently underwent 33 operations to retain usage of the remainder of his body. Today Clebe McClary is in the service of the Lord's Army, traveling the world over, attesting to personal faith in Jesus Christ. His life shows that he genuinely embodies a personal vow which he took upon entering the Marines: "Any mission assigned will be accomplished in a superior manner, no matter what the obstacles."

"He surnamed ...he surnamed" (Mark 3:16-17). This is a very suggestive story. To three of His twelve Apostles He gave surnames. Perhaps He did the same for all. We do not know. The action in regard to these three is illustrative. Perhaps He even does the same for His own. If so, one wonders how He is surnaming us. The idea is purely speculative, but it is speculation on a profitable level, especially in the light of these revelations. "Simon He surnamed Rock." This Simon was impulsive, restless, inconsistent, lacking cohesion. Yet He surnamed him Rock. The name was an indication of his unrealized natural capacities; and of the Lord's ability to realize them. The sons of Zebedee, James and John, He surnamed Sons of Thunder. They were men of gentle, filial nature, quiet men, content to abide at home in the service of their father. Yet He surnamed them Sons of Thunder; men of authority and power. The principle was the same. In James was the capacity to be so loyal to a Master and a cause as to die for them. In John was the mystic power which would make him a seer, and an interpreter of the great things of life. The Lord was able to bring these things to realization, and to employ them for His own glory in cooperation with His service. And so again we wonder: what is He naming us? The consideration is for the hour of lonely communion with Him. In such an hour we shall discover that His surnaming is ever based upon two things; first, our capacities as the result of our first birth; and secondly, His power to realize those capacities. We shall find, moreover, that His power becomes operative when we are wholly yielded to Him. A Hymn of Marriage The question is asked, "Is there anything more beautiful in life than a boy and girl clasping clean hands and pure hearts in the path of marriage?" And the answer is given, "Yes-there is a more beautiful thing; it is the spectacle of an old man and an old woman finishing their journey together on that path. Their hands are gnarled but still clasped; their faces are seamed but still radiant; their hearts are tired and bowed down but still strong. They have proved the happiness of marriage and have vindicated it from the jeers of cynics." Is This You? Late one December, an elementary school principal said to his teachers: "Let's all write our New Year's Resolutions about how we can be better teachers, and I'll put them on the staff bulletin board. In that way, we can be mutually supportive in our efforts to keep those resolutions." The teachers agreed, and when the resolutions were posted, they all crowded around the bulletin board to read them. One of the young teachers in the group suddenly went into a fit of anger. She said, "He didn't put up my resolution. It was one of the first ones in. He doesn't care about me. That just shows what it's like around here." On and on she ranted and raved. The principal, who overheard this from his office was mortified. He hadn't meant to exclude her resolution. Quickly rummaging through the papers on his desk, he found it and immediately went to the bulletin board and tacked it up. The resolution read: "I resolve not to let little things upset me anymore." Resolution, but no commitment!

When I was in grade school, my family visited some friends who owned a farm in Kentucky. After we were there several days, I jumped at the chance to ride their horse, Prince. However, having never ridden a horse before, and realizing the horse was much larger than he looked from a distance, I proceeded cautiously. Being an intelligent fourth grader, I decided to play it safe by climbing a wooden fence next to where the horse was standing and mount him from there. With one foot on the left side of the top fence rail, I threw the other leg over the horse who was on the right side. Immediately the horse began to sidle slowly away from the fence. Now I hadn't planned on that, and I needed to make a hasty decision. You see, I wanted both to ride the horse and to hold on to the security of the fence. Needless to say, after my legs had stretched as far as they would go, I fell face down on the ground. You would think such an experience would teach one a lesson. Yet in the years that followed, I would still find myself trying to "straddle the fence." And the results would always be the same as that first experience. Only the fence wasn't on the farm in Kentucky-it was the fence between commitment to Christ and the world. And believe me, the falls from this fence hurt a lot more. Save yourself a lot of pain-don't try to straddle the fence. The Greatest Ability There are great abilities that people acquire, cultivate and demonstrate. In the service of God there is one ability that is the greatest ability of all. What is it? Is it sociability, compatibility, accountability, adaptability, or reliability? The greatest ability is availability. If we are not available to God, no matter what other kind of ability we have, it is no good. Ability without availability is a liability. What does availability mean? It means to place one's self totally, absolutely, completely at God's disposal for Him to do anything and everything He wants to do in us, through us, with us, for us, when He chooses. Anything less than that is putting restrictions on God and writing fine print in your commitment contract to Jesus Christ.

When Admiral Farragut's son was about ten years old, the father said in his hearing, that when he was old enough to make a compact, and keep it, he had a bargain to offer him. The son rose up, and asked his father what the compact was. The admiral said, "The proposal I intend to make is this: If you will not smoke nor chew tobacco, drink intoxicating drinks nor strong wines, till you are twenty-one years of age, I will then give you one thousand dollars."—"I am old enough to make that bargain now," said young Farragut: "I will accept the offer." The bargain was closed; and, when young Farragut was twenty-one, the cash was handed over.