Dedicated Christians

Memorise: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Read: 2 Corinthians 11:26-27

Of all kinds of Christians, dedicated Christians are the most difficult to find. It is my prayer that when the Lord takes the roll call of His dedicated children, your name will not be missing in Jesus’ name. To be dedicated is to be committed or wholly given to something; it is to spend the necessary time required to complete God’s work. One dedicated believer is worth more than 50 uncommitted ones. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says: “Pray without ceasing”. When there is nothing more to pray about uncommitted believers go to sleep while dedicated ones continue to pray in obedience to this scripture. Whatever they do for the Lord is done early. Their obedience to God is prompt. Their service to the Master is not restricted to Sundays. According to 2 Corinthians 11:26-27 Apostle Paul watched and fasted often. Dedicated people observe vigils and fasting often.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). The dedicated one continues to run the race he started. This calls for a lot of discipline and patience. The dedicated believer is a champion. A champion is the one who remains on his feet when the fight is over. When we newly began the minister’s conference, only a few of us arrived early to tidy up and make ready for the programme. We were also the last to leave at the end of the programme. Dedication entails sacrificing personal pleasure at the altar of commitment.

Some years ago, after eating one day during a ministers’ conference, I asked the deacons and assistant pastors to go and members of council to wait to gather the plates we used. Those days, we were very few so we ate together. After gathering the plates on that particular occasion, I asked them to go while I washed them. One of them refused to leave and insisted on joining me. There are certain ‘menial’ tasks you must continue to do because of the reward. Are you feeling too big to wash plates? Remember Jesus came not to be served but to serve. How dedicated are you to the Lord?

To grow in importance to God, grow in dedication to Him and His work.