BW 2023 Pulpit Theme
SYNOPSIS: “I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.” The words of that song are powerful. They exemplify the attitude and commitment Jesus called us to in Luke 9:23: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (ESV). Of course, Jesus is not calling us to a level of commitment that he has not already fulfilled. Calvary showed us the lengths to which God was willing to go to demonstrate his love and commitment to us. Paul said everything else to him meant nothing in the face of gaining Christ: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8)(ESV). A person who exercises on occasion will never develop the healthy figure they want. A person who practices their skills at music on occasion will never play the way they dream they could. The same is true of our Christian walk. While the idea of wholehearted commitment means sacrifice, it’s also the only way we will ever develop deeper faith and change the world for Christ. Martyr Jim Elliott wrote in his journal: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” In 2023 and beyond, let’s commit. Let’s pick up our crosses in every area of life and say together at Bartlett Woods, “We have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.”
COMMITTED IN THE EVERYDAY
Thinking about being committed to God in all things can bring to mind moments like Daniel in the lions’ den, David in front of Goliath, or Jesus in Gethsemane about to face the cross. But the call to commitment to God will more often be faced in the everyday monotony of life. Each of these moments is significant. Columbus’ diary is said to have contained many pages that simply said, “this day, we sailed on”. But each of those seemingly ordinary days added up to a full journey leading to their destination. The same is true for each of the seemingly smaller moments when we choose commitment to Christ in the everyday.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
-Committed Online – 5.21
-Committed in Marriage – 5.28
-Committed to Parenting – 6.4
-Committed at Work – 6.11