By Ron Price … A friend of mine likes to use the term “simplex” to de- scribe various life-enhancing concepts. By that he means the concepts are simple to understand and implement, but complex in scope and depth of impact. To me, loyalty is a simplex term. You and I would likely agree somewhat on its meaning, but we might differ significantly on its application.

When I hear the term “loyalty,” whether it be in reference to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, my Seventh-day Adventist Church, my spouse, my clients, etc., I correlate the term with “commitment.” While there are varied components of loyalty, commitment is one that should be considered essential, for without commitment, you cannot have loyalty. Commitment is, to many among us, a scary word.

Numerous stories abound about one gender, in particular, being unwilling to commit to marriage. Since I happen to be numbered among that gender, we will, for the moment, let it remain unidentified.

On a more serious note, commitment should be a bit intimidating. It puts you in a position of making choices that, at times, will go against your preferences or desires. As author and psychology professor Scott Stanley says, “Commitment is making a choice to give up other choices.” For example, once I committed to my wife, I chose to give up my right to be physically or emotionally intimate with any other female on the planet. Once I committed to membership in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, I chose to support that church with my contributions of time, finances, defense, etc., first and foremost above any other denomination.

Commitment does not mean I abandon my ability to think for myself and voice concerns when I see behaviors or attitudes with which I cannot entirely agree. It does, however, mean that I must address those differences civilly and biblically. It means I do not just “cut and run” when decisions go against my preferences.

While the act of committing imposes certain limitations, it also brings in its train a degree of empowerment, freedom, and peace. When confronted by a situation that might threaten my marital vow, I don’t need to give it another thought. I don’t have to get entangled in a mental debate of “should I or shouldn’t I?” God said, and I’m confident my wife would agree, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” My commitment to God and to my wife, help me easily avoid entering into a debate on the topic and making a decision I would indeed live to regret. (Please see Hebrews 13:4 for further convincing.)

I believe that between Gethsemane and Calvary, the former was more difficult for Jesus to endure. Please stay with me as I explain how commitment made the difference. On that awful night, our Lord spent in the Garden of Gethsemane, He clearly saw the path marked out before Him, and it caused Him to wonder if perhaps there might be another route for Him to take other than to the Cross. He pleaded with His Father, “Take this cup from me.” He was not fully committed to His mission at that point. His humanity led Him to seek a more comfortable alternative.

This is by no means meant to imply that the Cross was in any way a “piece of cake.” But I am convinced that due to the finality of the commitment He made to His Father the night before, Christ entertained no thoughts of doing other than what He was called to do. He won the battle at Gethsemane, and commitment gave Him the strength He needed to face agony the likes of which we can never fully appreciate.

None of us will ever be called upon to give our lives for the salvation of people, many of whom resent our intrusion into their lives. We will not be asked to choose to die that others may live. But God does call us to live our lives with Him firmly in the driver’s seat. He has laid out a path for us to walk, and He warned us that our way would be filled with danger and disappointment (see John 16:33). But He also gave us His assurance that as we live our lives fully committed to Him, we can expect a great reward to follow.

No one ever said life is, or should be, easy. I’m convinced, however, that the more committed one is to live his or her life by established principles, the easier their life will be. I base this view in part on the wisdom found in Psalm 37:5 (NLT), where David wrote, “Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him, and He will help you.” I also appreciate what Solomon wrote, as found in Proverbs 16:3: “Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.”

So, I hope you will choose to look at the concept of commitment in a positive sense. Please be very careful to whom or to what you determine to commit yourself, but once committed, please let no thing or no one prevent you from carrying out your commitment. By doing so, you can expect to enjoy healthier relationships with yourself and others. Honoring your commitment to Christ will also enable you to one day hear those beautiful words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

–Ron Price is a member of the RMC Executive Committee and lives in Farmington, New Mexico. Email him at: [email protected]