THE FREEDOM OF COMMITMENT
Greetings church family!
Imagine a powerful locomotive—a train built with steel strength, roaring with energy, ready to go places. It was made to run, to move, to carry life and purpose forward. But suppose one day the train looks at its tracks and thinks, “These rails are limiting me. I want to be free to go wherever I want!” So it jumps off the tracks in search of freedom.
What happens?
The train doesn’t soar—it crashes. It’s stuck. Immobile. What it thought would bring freedom actually brings destruction and paralysis. Why? Because the train was never meant to run wild. It was designed to run on the tracks. Within those boundaries, it is free to fly at full speed, to fulfill its purpose, to go far and fast.
In a world obsessed with freedom, it’s easy to mistake commitment for captivity. Some believe that true happiness lies in keeping our options open, never settling, and always being ready to move on if things get hard. But the paradox of the Christian life is this: true freedom is not found in avoiding commitment, but in embracing it. Commitment to Christ, to His people, and to His purposes doesn’t chain us down—it sets us free.
Jesus Himself taught this beautiful paradox. In John 8:31-32, He says, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Notice the order: abide, then freedom. The path to freedom begins with commitment—abiding in His word, sticking close to Jesus, even when it’s uncomfortable or costly. The promise of freedom comes not from wandering, but from staying rooted in Him.
This is because God designed us for covenant, not convenience. The world defines freedom as doing whatever we want. But that kind of freedom quickly becomes a trap. A fish might feel “free” outside of water—for a moment. But that kind of freedom leads to death, not life. Likewise, when we step outside the boundaries of God’s design, we don’t find freedom; we find frustration and emptiness.
Real commitment, especially to Christ, reshapes our desires. Instead of being tossed around by every whim or worry, we find stability. As Psalm 37:5 encourages, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” Commitment is not passivity—it’s an active placing of your life in God’s hands, trusting that He knows better than you do. And when we do that, something miraculous happens: our hearts begin to rest. We no longer need to strive, perform, or prove. We are free to become who God created us to be.
Think of marriage—a picture of deep, lifelong commitment. The world often views marriage as a prison of lost potential, but in truth, the covenant of marriage can be one of the most freeing human experiences. Why? Because within the safety of that commitment, love can deepen, vulnerability can grow, and intimacy can flourish. The same is true in our walk with Christ. When we commit ourselves to Him fully—not just emotionally, but with our time, decisions, and priorities—we begin to walk in a new kind of freedom.
Paul understood this when he wrote in Romans 6:22, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” The language is striking: we are freed from sin by becoming slaves to God. It’s a deliberate contrast meant to upend our cultural ideas of liberty. Serving God wholeheartedly doesn’t diminish our lives—it enlarges them. We’re no longer bound by selfishness, fear, or shame. Instead, we are empowered to live lives of purpose, peace, and joy.
Freedom through commitment also transforms how we relate to others. A church community, for example, only becomes life-giving when people commit to one another through the messiness of real relationships. Forgiveness, encouragement, bearing one another’s burdens—these are only possible when we choose to stay, even when it’s hard. Commitment to community creates space for the Holy Spirit to work deeply in our lives.
So today, ask yourself: Where is God calling you to commit more deeply? Is it to His Word? To a church ministry? To prayer? To a difficult relationship that needs love and perseverance? Don’t be afraid of the cost. The beauty of the gospel is that Jesus committed Himself fully to us—unto death—so that we could live in the freedom of His love.
Let’s follow Him into that same kind of freedom. Through surrender, we find life. Through commitment, we find release. And in Christ, we find a freedom the world could never offer. Praise God for the freedom found in a commitment to Christ! He truly is for us and with us and loves us!
Pastor Chris
