I Pledge Allegiance To Myself

There is an interesting phenomenon in the world today. Commitment to God is sporadic at best, and usually non-existent. While we must be cognizant of our Creator, most people ignore God unless it becomes convenient for them. Many people do not care one bit about serving God and doing those things which God has commanded us to do. Yet perhaps on special days like Christmas or Easter they seem to get religion for a moment.

The tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is coming up soon. Remember for a brief period after those attacks, people got religion, but soon returned to their former selfish ways?

The Bible teaches us to commit our ways unto Him (Psalm 37:5). The commitment to God is not something that we occasionally offer praise to Him. It is a continual everyday commitment that He deserves. Romans 12:1 teaches us to make ourselves a spiritual sacrifice to Him. Verse 2 tells us that we are not to conform to this world and all it’s ways, but we are to be transformed into doing what God wants us to be. People who follow God’s word.

There also seems to be a dis-connect these days with those who call themselves Christians. Because they do not totally commit themselves to serving God. Perhaps on occasion they go to church. Perhaps on occasion they talk to God in prayer. But these things only seem to occur when it is convenient for them to do so. The rest of the time they are committed to serving themselves, and God takes a lower priority.

The Jews of the Old Testament did the same thing. They practiced idolatry and all sorts of immoral behavior. They would stop to do their yearly sacrifices as they were supposed to, but then they returned to their immoral ways. If God was not pleased with them, why do we think that we are any different if we continue in immoral behavior?

The Christian life should be a lifestyle. It should be a total commitment towards God and doing spiritual things with a spiritual attitude. Most people practice Christianity, but do not commit to it totally.

While we may not appreciate the Muslim community, and we consider them to be infidels because they do not bow down to our God, you must recognize that their belief system covers their whole life and every activity in it. Their religion is as false as any pagan religion because they do not follow Christ. Of course, they consider us infidels, not because we choose God and Christ, but many so called “Christians” live lives that do not conform to God’s standards, and they see us as hypocrites.

Many Christians are adamant about being associated with the “right” God. Yet they do not have the commitment to the “right” God, as others have for their “wrong” gods.

This article is to point out the reality that most people in our country that claim to be Christians have not pledged their allegiance to God, but to themselves. As long as “God” does not get in their way, they will continue to serve themselves. We encourage everyone to study their Bibles to see if partial commitment is taught in the scriptures. To save you some time, I can assure you that it is not. But I encourage you to check it out for yourself.

In order to go to heaven, we must do the things of God, and we must serve God with our whole heart. After all, has not God kept His commitment to us always? Is it too small a thing for us to commit to Him totally?

Obedience to God’s commands is the only way we are going to get to heaven. God showed us His grace by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins. God provided us a way to return to Him because our sins have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). We must believe in the Christ (Luke 13:3). We must be willing to acknowledge Christ before others (Matthew 10:32). And we must be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). That begins our spiritual journey. We are commanded to grow in the grace and knowledge of God (2 Peter 3:18), and live faithful until death (Revelation 2:10).

Please join us at Eastside church of Christ in Ranger to commit yourself to the Lord, and serve Him always. We are making every effort to be found faithful before Him. We also want to help others get on the right pathway and commit to God.

We are located at the corner of Strawn Rd and Young St in Ranger. We meet for worship on Sunday at 10:45am and 5:00pm. We have Bible studies at 9:45 am Sunday and 7:00pm on Wednesdays. We also have a gospel meeting coming up Sept 18-21. Everyone is welcome.

By Carey Scott 9/4/2011

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