As a kid at Mahaffey Camp, I remember a speaker saying something that absolutely stunned me. He said words like these:
Now, some of you are going to get right with God at the end of this service. You will come to this altar in this Youth Tabernacle, and you will make promises to God — promises to change your heart. Then you will go home to your family and tell them and your parents will say, “Yeah — right. We’ll see. You’ve made these promises before.”
The speaker went on to encourage us not to let our parent’s cynicism turn us away from the commitment we were making that day.
Here’s what stunned me: Why would loving Christian parents speak with such disbelief concerning the potential for positive change in their children? I still don’t have a good answer to that question.
But I see Christians expressing such cynicism all too often.
On August 12, 2012, a group of men stood before their church family and took The Resolution — from the movie courageous:
- I DO solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.
- I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.
- I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.
- I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.
- I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.
- I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.
- I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.
- I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.
- I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.
- I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.
- I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.
- I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.
- As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. —Joshua 24:15.
The cynic will say, “Yeah — right. We’ll see. You’ve made these promises before.” Do you know who else will whisper that into the ears of these men? The enemy — Satan. Such discouragement is never from God. NEVER.
When you see these men, do two things:
- Pray for these men and their families — that they will carry out this commitment.
- Encourage them, telling them that you believe in the sincerity of their pledge and the power of their God.
~Pastor Steve