Power of Total Commitment

Leila Naylor Morris wrote 1000 of gospel songs and it is amazing gift for such a lady. One of her hymns gives me inspiration for this New Year, it says, “Sweeter as the years go by, sweeter as the years go by, Richer, fuller, deeper, Jesus’ love is sweeter, Sweeter as the years go by.”

To be a sweeter year, we need total commitment or serious resolutions for New Year. We need to know there is power on total commitment. It will totally change our lives, our attitudes, our minds, and our practices. The Bible says, “If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin.” (Deuteronomy 23:21)

A story of, “A Promise Is A Promise To Lincoln” by Martin M. Hyzer inspired me a lot to magnify the power of total commitment, here is the story: “One day, President Abraham Lincoln was riding in a coach with a colonel from Kentucky. The colonel took a bottle of whiskey out of his pocket. He offered Mr. Lincoln a drink. Mr. Lincoln said, “No thank you, Colonel. I never drink whiskey.” In a little while, the colonel took some cigars out of his pocket and offered one to Mr. Lincoln. Again Mr. Lincoln said, “No, thank you, Colonel.” Then Mr. Lincoln said, “I want to tell you a story.”

“One day, when I was about nine years old, my mother called me to her bed. She was very sick. She said, ’Abe, the doctor tells me that I am not going to get well. I want you to be a good boy. I want you to promise me before I go that you will never use whiskey or tobacco as long as you live. ’ I promised my mother that I never would, and up to this hour, I kept this promise! Would you advise me to break that promise?”

The colonel put his hand on Mr. Lincoln’s shoulder and said, “Mr. Lincoln, I would not have you break that promise for the world! It is one of the best promises you ever made. I would give a thousand dollars today if I had made my mother a promise like that and had kept it like you have done. I would be a much better man than I am!”

I encourage you to make serious New Year resolutions and make total commitment to keep it and practice it throughout the year so that it will be a sweeter year for you and us.I encourage you also to take a listen my sermon of four biblical New Year resolutions which will suggest or inspire you for this new year. Audio file was a little corrupt but the message is fine. Its New Year gift for you.