Men Of Commitment (Father's Day)

Men of Commitment

Father’s Day

Minster Cedric A. Portis

cedque8@cs.com

6/15/03

Luke 14:25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

Luke 14:29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

Luke 14:30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Luke 14:31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

On a day that should be marked with celebration and honor for the head of families, father’s day in our community has become one of the most confusing days of the year, from questions of who is my father to where is my daddy, to step daddy vs. biological daddy, to women trying to be fathers and mothers, to no man present at all.

In the relationship counseling that I have done thus far the underlining theme in the situations that just spoke about is the fact that there is no real commitment. The type of commitment that is prevalent today is what I would title sunshine commitment, I am committed as long as everything is going well but the minute hard time arise, the minute a gray cloud in on the horizon, I am out the door.

We need to realize this morning that there is power in true commitment not only for yourself but for your family. True commitment is the answer for a happier marriage and not just a relationship of drudgery, where your lifetime partnership with you wife is your greatest human source of delight.

And you have healthier more well adjusted mature children who love God and respect their parents and work hard and bring joy not grief into their homes. True commitment will yield healthier patterns of communication where issues are not avoided and swept under the carpet. Where conflict is resolved. Where you and your family know the Lord and live His Word and we rejoice in His love and faithfulness.

Well you might say well, I want changes in my family, how do I get to this seemingly unattainable place? Well one word commitment, while sounding simple, and is at times difficult but the power of this word in your life will transform you into the man of commitment that God calls and your family needs you to be.

And many times you look at a family and you think you understand what is going on with that family but you really don’t understand at all. Perceptions are not reality. Every person here has some perception about what makes a successful, prayerful, God honoring family.

And you say to yourself look at that couple they have great…. If we had… like them we would have the kind of marriage they have. You look at some and say look at their environments and you say look and their parents and grandparents and you look at this and that and you look at all of these factors and you come up with what in your mind constitutes a happy good God honoring family.

Let me tell you this morning that perception and not reality. Underneath, and behind and at the core of every family you respect and admire, is not the things you perceive, they have problems too, but at the center of that family is the word commitment. A total unalterable, unswerving, lifelong commitment to do life together under God. And you may say again I want commitment in myself and for my family I believe that is important.

Well here are four things that will help men be transformed in to men of commitment for God and for their families

1. The commitment must be total.

Luke 14:25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

What Jesus is saying here is anything less that 100% total commitment to Me is not good enough. What the Lord requires is not 99 ½ but total 100% commitment.