In keeping with the Passover theme for this year, "The Table of Commitment,"
April's message will emphasis the need for our renewing our commitment to
service and love. Honoring your commitments is part of your character. It's a
quality that attracts people to you and enhances your relationships and
opportunities. Failing to honor your commitments will tarnish your image and
have a negative effect on your reputation. It can create a barrier to personal
achievement and erect a roadblock against success. By honoring your
commitments, you create a strong foundation that will support you and your
endeavors. As a result, you will be recognized as a person of integrity and
character - someone others can trust.

We have a responsibility to respond to God with obedience, which means
following through with the commitments we have made or should make. These
responsibilities include; revering God, receiving the truth and acting on it,
practicing righteous living, and representing God to others, to name but a few.

When a person honors their commitments, they reach out into an unpredictable
future and make one thing predictable: they will be there, they will follow
through, and they will be true to their word. With one simple commitment, a
person creates an island of certainty in a sea of uncertainty. When you honor your
commitments, you take a hand in creating your own future. And that is a good
thing, a healthy thing.

Here are a few boundaries to consider erecting to protect the commitments you
make:

I alone am responsible for my life. I will stop blaming, rationalizing, and excusing
my failure to honor my commitment.

• I can't do everything, so it's okay to say no.
• I will speak with purpose.
• I will only make commitments I intend to keep.
• I will write down all the agreements I make.
• I will clear up any broken agreement at the first opportunity.
• I will follow through on the commitments I have made even though it may
require sacrifice, work, and cost.

We have a God who honors His commitments. He keeps His promises. He fulfills
His word. When you choose not to quit when the going gets rough, stick to lost
causes because you said you would, hold on to a love grown cold, stay with
people who have become pains in the neck, then you are most like God.

When we honor our commitments, we on our way to becoming the person God
want us to be. Let us commit to a revival of our love for our fellow man, the
Word, and our Savior. Commit to be the best disciple you can be to become a
light to a very dark world.