The last six weeks our church has been involved in a series of group studies, sermons, and daily readings all focused on how to recognize our commitment to our faith and how to grow that commitment. It was a really motivational and inspiring six weeks. I found that the things discussed that show our commitment in faith and ways we can further our devotion can also apply across the realm to our commitment in any of our passions. For myself, I hope my devotion to God is evident in everything and is the #1 commitment I have, but it is interesting to see how the life lessons from our sermons can be related to many other areas of interest as well. What ways do we know we are committed to something and how do they help continue fostering that commitment? Read on to find out.

1. Regularly Be Involved. We discussed the value of presence – showing up and regularly taking action.

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It makes sense. If you are committed to something, it is part of your life and you will make a point to not go too long without it. In relationships, you thrive when you are committed to spending a lot of time together. In fitness, you reach your goals when you have regularly scheduled workouts and training. While working towards a goal, you should be taking active steps almost daily to continue progress in them. With God, you are fulfilled through worshipping and recognizing his blessings more often than just Easter and Christmas. It is difficult to achieve anything if you aren’t involving yourself in it frequently.

2. Make connections. One way to help ensure we are developing our commitments and to keep our drive going is to have others we know are supporting us.

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If you have someone to share a passion with and that you can depend on, it is harder for the flame to die out. In faith that means building relationships with other Christians, but more importantly strengthening your relationship with God. Prayer is a vital part of this. We have to know God in order to be more like Him and live in the example of Jesus Christ. The only way we can know Him is to be connected to Him. That connection is prayer. While prayer is, in my mind, vital to all things, the necessity for connections reaches beyond faith lessons. Imagine the strength you can get from training for a race with others cheering you on. Or the feeling of success at work when you are in a helpful environment. Or how you don’t feel silly for a particular goal and want to give up when you have friends encouraging you that it is possible.

3. Share the love. When you are passionate about something, you can’t stop the love of the sport, hobby, person, beliefs, etc from pouring out of you. You want so tell others about it. You want to help others achieve the same things. You want to see people grow in new ways. You want to watch others open their eyes to new possibilities and share that excitement with them.

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As bloggers, I believe we can all readily understand this. We have a strong desire about a number of topics and we openly share those on our blogs. I think many of us want to help others and be able to encourage someone the same way someone else may have helped us. The same goes for any passion we have. As a Christian, you are committed to giving back because you are so thankful for the blessings God has poured out on you that you have to share out of pure joy and love. As advocates for healthy living, we can know how much more enjoyable our lives are with the energy and strength we get through our lifestyles that we want everyone to feel the same way. As friends or lovers, we want the significant people in our lives to know just how much they mean to us by showing them love and kindness. You can’t lock a passion for something up in a box. It thrives on being shared openly with others. The cool thing is, when you share with others, it also reaffirms your devotion and starts the cycle all over again. You will want to share more, be more involved, and make more connections. It is a never-ending process that continues to thrive because of these aspects of our commitment.

• What things are you committed to? Do you recognize these 3 areas in them?
• Is there something you would like to be more committed to that you think these actions could help?

Remember in yesterday's post I mentioned that I had a bit of an emotional outpouring? Well, it happened during our Sunday Bible Study class yesterday morning. This week we have been discussing prayer and all it can do for us. After sharing so much interesting and profound discussion, I had to share what has been weighing on me with those that I know love me and support me wholeheartedly. It wasn't anything new that was upsetting me, but sharing what has been on my mind with so many was pretty darn emotional.

Anyways, yesterday I really learned something. I recognized that the BIGGEST need in my life, even over my great relationships, is my relationship with God, aka prayer.

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Hands down. Without a doubt. More important than food, sleep, or money. Prayer is where it is at and is what sustains me. Prayer is so incredibly simple and can provide such amazing blessings, yet many people don't understand it or take advantage of it. I want the chance to share with you in this post all the wonderful rewards of prayer. They are greater rewards than even having every one of your heart's desires granted. And they will fulfill your life.

Consider this: prayer is simply conversation and spending time with God. It would be impossible to spend time connecting with God and not see a positive change in our lives. All prayer is is talking to God, just as you would any other relationship you put time into building. You don't need to follow any rules. You don't need to say the "right" thing. You just need to open up, share your heart, and spend time with Him. It will change everything.

just imagine having a cuppa with God

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1. It will change your ways. You can share your struggles and misguided decisions with God, instead of trying to keep it all in. Talking with God, you release the negative parts of yourself and it helps you become a better person. You recognize the ways you can be stronger or more faithful or a better example of love and you have a desire to carry it out. You confess all your misgivings and He helps you release them and overcome them.

2. It will change your confidence. Giving things up to God and asking for His help is very empowering. He is the creator of this universe, so how could you possibly doubt His abilities to help you out? Knowing that God is a loving God and that He is always on our side and looking out for our best interest provides immense peace. Being able to be confident in what God can do can help enable you to go through life confident as well.

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3. It will foster community.Who doesn't love feeling loved and supported? Prayer can open up opportunities for new relationships and stronger foundations in current ones. I know it can be hard to ask someone to pray for you, but imagine the peace in knowing you have people on your side and that you can turn to if needed. Yesterday, once I opened up, I felt an even stronger bond than I currently do with my friends. It was amazing and felt like such a huge release. Being able to unload the weight from our shoulders by sharing with others is a very important part of prayer.

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4. It will change your perspective. I think this is the most important change that comes through prayer. What may start off as a desperate plea for God to fix your problems and provide your "wish list", can ultimately become you seeking His way in your life and having the utmost fulfillment from trusting in Him.  You understand more and more God's love for you and that He is working in your best interest. You learn patience, perseverance, and strength. I love an analogy given in the book we are reading. It is that God is the pier and you are the boat. You don't bring the pier to the boat; you pull the boat into the pier.

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The pier (God) is the sturdy one and going to the pier is the only way you can make it out of the rocky waters and onto firm ground. So with prayer, you grasp the fact that He is the secure one and the only way to be safe is to come to Him and accept His will. There are things that are out of our control and the only way to find contentment in them is to accept God's plan.

Philippians 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

• Have you ever noticed positive changes in your life through prayer?
• What about prayer brings you peace?
• Or do you find peace in other ways? How are they similar to prayer?