Committed for His Purpose

Thank you for taking the time to read our Messenger magazine! I hope and pray the stories shared are as much of an inspiration to you as they are to me. What a blessing it is to be a part of the team that is able to witness God working in the lives of those we are fortunate enough to serve! 

Over the past couple of months, part of my personal Bible study has centered around Romans 12. We know that Paul wrote this important book of the Bible to, you guessed it, the community of believers in Rome. The book of Romans is arguably the New Testament’s most structured and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the simple gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications. Paul really outdid himself when writing this chapter! As I ponder the meaning of this chapter and how I should apply it to my life, I keep coming back to the ideas of commitment, sacrifice and transformation. In practical terms, to be a success at any endeavor, there must be a commitment. 

One of the most interesting secular studies was conducted over many years by Dr. Lewis M. Terman. Initiated in 1921, the Genetic Studies of Genius was a long-term study of gifted children. He selected approximately 1,500 children (called Termites) with the highest IQs he could find. Terman’s study and interest in genius and gifted children was a lifelong pursuit. He wanted to debunk stereotypes concerning genius children, and he also wanted to design educational systems to make sure they were challenged. It is the longest-running psychological study ever conducted. As of 2020, there were two of the children still alive at the age of 104! 

There are many who point out various issues with Terman’s research and even the data that he reported. When you look at what was discovered, the results are varied. The success of the group as a whole was undeniable. However, two of the children who were left out of the study for not having high enough IQs both won Nobel Prizes in physics. So, what do we make of this study? To answer this question, I refer to the book: Outliers (Gladwell, 2008). What Gladwell found was that there are a series of “advantages” that some are privy to and others are not. But one common theme of success, no matter the IQ, field of study or profession of choice, is commitment. An ability to understand what needs to be done and a willingness to commit to doing it (others have described this attribute as tenacity or “grit”). 

When we think about our faith, commitment is vital. Paul implores us to be dedicated and pleasing to our Heavenly Father. There is something glorious about the kind of commitment that says, “I am turning it all over to you Lord.” If we will go all in, then there’s no limit to what can happen. Here at STCH Ministries, we are looking for those committed to their calling! Without dedicated and tenacious laborers, there would be no stories of success in this Messenger. 

Dedicate Your Lives to God 

Romans 12: 1-3 “Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God’s compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you. Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect. Because of the kindness that God has shown me, I ask you not to think of yourselves more highly than you should. Instead, your thoughts should lead you to use good judgment based on what God has given each of you as believers.”