Daily Devotion

April 10, 2015

Commit to It!


“I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.”       Jdg 11:35

After arriving in the New World, the Spanish explorer Cortez took his crew off their ships and set the ships on fire as the sailors watched in confusion and horror. By that one act, Cortez sealed their commitment to explore new territory and ensured they’d never give in or go back. Guess what? Having no alternative clears your perception, does away with procrastination, and helps you make up your mind. When you’re in a corner, you learn to reach deeper inside yourself, and in so doing you discover God-given strengths you never knew existed. When you’re up against a deadline, it releases a creative flow within you. For example, nothing increases your commitment like the threat of failure or the risk of embarrassment. In The Tyranny of E-mail, John Freeman says, “Attention is one of the most valuable modern resources. If we waste it on frivolous communication we will have nothing left when we really need it.” Distractions drain your energy, blur your focus, and disrupt your momentum. Projects fail, companies collapse, and marriages are damaged because of the way distractions deplete our resources and destroy our relationships. Don’t get to the end of your life only to look back and discover you forfeited things which were truly significant, to make way for things that added nothing of value. Jephthah made a vow to God that resulted in great victory for Israel, and led to his promotion as their leader. And it’s a commitment you need to make today: “I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.”

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