RELIGION: Keep Your Commitment

We want to say Happy Mother's Day to all those special ladies today. How wonderful to dedicate a day to those who care for our every earthly need to the very best of their ability. Being a mother is tough but, oh, so rewarding!

Pastor brought us to 1 Samuel 1:1-28. This is a very familiar story of a woman named Hannah. She was a woman so desirous of being a mother to a son but was unable to have a child. She wept and was so bitter in her soul that she would not eat. Her husband, Elkanah, questioned her and asked, "Am I not better to thee than 10 sons?" She was so grieved that she could not even speak.

In verse 11, she vowed a vow to the Lord and said, "O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt look on the affliction of thine handmaid and remember me, and not forget me. If thou wilt give me a man-child, then I will give him back to thee all the days of his life and there shall no razor touch his head."

So often in our time of grief, we will say, "Lord, just help me and I will vow unto thee whatever is good and satisfying to thee."

What happens in the time ahead is all too common, we forget our commitment. Hannah went to the priest Eli who was upon the seat of the temple of the Lord. While she was weeping and praying, Eli thought she was drunk from too much wine. She spoke in her heart but no words would come out of her mouth.

Now Eli said unto her, "How long wilt thou be drunken?"

She being able to speak answered, "No, my Lord, I have neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul to the Lord."

Eli answered and said, "Go in peace and the God of Israel will grant thy petition that thou has asked of him."

She said, "Let me find grace in the sight of the Lord."

She went her way and did eat, and her countenance was no longer sad.

In the next several verses, we find that Hannah gave birth to a son and his name was Samuel. When the time came, Samuel was brought before Eli and Hannah told the man of God that she had been granted what they had spoken of and she now had a son. She did not forget her vow to the Lord and dedicated Samuel's life to God to use him as he saw fit.

In Psalms 1:1-3, the word tells us that when we keep the vows we have presented to the Lord, and bless his holy name with all that is within us, He will forgive us all our iniquities and heal all our diseases.

Chapters 9 and 10 of Exodus speak of all sorts of plagues that came upon the people because they left God out of their lives. In 10:3-7, God sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and they asked him, "How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before God? Let my people go that they may serve me. If you refuse, behold tomorrow the locusts will come into thy coasts and they shall cover the face of the earth."

Let's stop for a minute and look at what happens when we turn away from God. We lean on our own way and forsake the road that we have been taught to travel. Due to the fact that we have forgotten our vows and strayed, we will find that things such as we face today will befall our land.

This virus is an example of a time when only God can heal our situation. Has He gotten your attention since the virus has been introduced to us? I do not want to say God is allowing us to face this horrible time alone, but he definitely has turned the attention of many to the Bible and a new way of life. I feel we should look up and choose this day whom we shall serve. Our only hope is to seek the will of God and pray as never before for those who fear death from the coronavirus.

Commitment is again shown in Matthew 26:31-35, where Peter vowed that he would never be persuaded by the people who sought to crucify Jesus.

When he proclaimed he would never betray the Lord, Jesus said, "Peter, before the cock crows you will deny me three times."

Oh! Peter was so sure that this would not happen, he said, "Should I die with thee still I will never deny thee." Likewise, all the disciples spoke the same vow.

In verse 75 of this book, we find that, sure enough, Peter remembered the word of Jesus, where he told him that he would deny him three times. It happened and just at that time the cock crowed and Peter wept bitterly.

See what happens when we forget our commitment to God. Walk softly and examine the world around you. We are in perilous times and how we respond in our daily life will determine how we come through these trials.

We invite you to come worship with us as we abide by the guidelines given by the state and government concerning the virus. We are sure you will be blessed at The Cove Mission of Hope in Lanagan. As I always say, you can find the church on top of the hill with the steeple pointing souls to Calvary.

Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Religion on 05/14/2020