Commitment is over billed

Commitment is over billed in the evangelical community, just as joy is misunderstood in the world. Commitment is important. Commitment is the basis of our relationship with God, but it is not the goal. Much of the preaching on commitment assumes that the goal is to be committed. It is not. Commitment is the means. The goal is enjoying God. Commitment is also the basis of our relationships in our family. But the goal is to have a family that enjoys being together. We do not live on feelings; we live on commitment.

Commitment is the foundation, but it is not the goal. The goal is not to live a committed life; the goal is to live a joyous life of enjoying God because of our commitment. We must have commitment. We must start with commitment, but we must not end there. The world will admit they are after joy. They think they can get there without commitment. They cannot. Nor should we be content with commitment without joy. We must go beyond commitment to enjoying God. We will never win the world with commitment. It is joy they are looking for. We will only win them if we become so happy in God they think we are drunk.

It took me a long time to realize this in my marriage. I was committed. I would be loyal to my wife and true to my wife. I had resolved to meet her needs. I had resolved to spend time with her, be kind to her, and remember our anniversary. I was committed to that.

But commitment never met her needs. She did not want to know I was with her because I was committed. She wanted to know that I wanted to be with her, that I enjoyed being with her. There is a world of difference.

Josh Hunt. People Who Enjoy Their God.