Commitment Beyond Distractions

Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

2 Corinthians 11: 22-28

The Apostle Paul was an amazing man. He would bristle at such a pronouncement. If he were reading this statement, he would instantly rebuke me and turn all of the attention away from himself and over to the one who made him so amazing. The man Jesus Christ! In this passage of scripture, Paul was not lifting himself up in anyway. He, in fact, called this proclamation foolish (2 Corinthians 11: 17, 21 and 23). Yet, his point was to lift up Christ through all that he suffered. He was making a comparison between what the Corinthians were facing by contrasting what true suffering was all about. What is amazing is that Paul continued to lift up Jesus Christ, even through all that he suffered. Paul was deeply committed to the service of his Lord … even unto possible death. It is interesting that he lists the care of all the churches with all of the extraordinary outward afflictions that he suffered. He was committed not only to Jesus Christ but also to those that the Lord had put into his care. Again, even to the point of possibly losing his own life.

This type of commitment seems to be extraordinary almost supernatural. I mean, who could be beat that many times, be stoned and live to tell about it, be shipwrecked, robbed, accused, slandered, etc. and still be able to say,

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Philippians 4:13

This man Paul had to be superhuman. Who could withstand all of these things and still proclaim the gospel and still live a victorious life? What did he have that we, in this day and age, seem to be lacking?

The common definition of the word commitment is “the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc. (Oxford Dictionary).” That definition does not seem to do justice to the commitment that Paul exhibited in the scriptures. His type of commitment went beyond mere “dedication to a cause.” His type of commitment was much deeper and much stronger. His type of commitment was motivated by something that kept his eyes fixed on his goal. The type of commitment that Paul possessed, or better yet, possessed him did not give place to any distractions. Paul was not finished until God said that he was finished. Historians tell us that Paul’s commitment lead him to Caesar and then to a horrible execution. The fruit of his commitment lies in the New Testament letters that he wrote and that we still benefit from today.

When we think of commitment today, one example is the institution of marriage. In western cultures, a man and woman take vows in a ceremony to show their dedication and commitment to one another. Those vows are also an expression of the love that the couple has for one another. In fact, it is this “love” that is supposed to be the basis of their commitment and it is witnessed in the sight of many as being true commitment.

However, today, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median duration of first marriages in the U.S. is approximately 8.2 years. The median duration for all marriages (including first and subsequent marriages) is around 8 to 9 years. This includes divorces and separations​​. Since statistics have been compiled on the issue of marriage, the divorce rate has steadily rose since the 1940’s. In recent years, there has been a slight downturn in the divorce rate since its high in 1981. The divorce rate peaked in that year, with about 5.3 divorces per 1,000 people. In 2023, the percentage of marriages in the United States that lasted longer than 20 years was approximately 56%​​​​. This reflects a broader trend in declining divorce rates over the past few decades, with a noticeable decrease in divorces from the peak periods in the late 20th century​​​​.

While the decrease in divorce rate is an encouraging sign, it’s like saying that Paul was only successful in his commitment during his suffering less than 60% of the time. There have been many factors that have contributed to the decline of marriages and the traditional family home. All of those factors can be summed up in one word … distractions! Whether it was the shift in cultural norms and the movements that arose from them, such as the feminist movement, the sexual revolution or the gay rights agenda, or economic pressures that forced both parents into the workforce or even legislative actions that permitted no-fault divorce, these all act as distractions that are meant to diminish commitments and destroy homes.

I do not use the word ‘distraction’ lightly. What Paul possessed was a commitment that was free of distractions. It was not necessarily extraordinary. It definitely was not supernatural. Paul, on more than one occasion, admonished believers to keep their “eye on the prize.” That prize was not necessarily heaven. That prize is Jesus Christ. Paul was able to accomplish all that he was able to accomplish by keeping his eyes fixed on Jesus. What motivated Paul was his love and adoration from the One who had delivered him. Through all of his suffering, he worshipped Jesus Christ until his race had been won.

Our commitment needs to be the same as Paul’s commitment. It does not have to be extraordinary. It does not have to be supernatural. It does, however, have to be without distractions.