As we begin a new Sermon Series - Fit2Serve I want to challenge you to be involved in the fitness emphasis that began last Sunday. I am attempting to lose 30-35 pounds over the next 12-15 weeks and perhaps more importantly to raise my fitness level to a place where I can serve Christ most effectively. The emphasis revolves around the acrostic D.I.E.T. coined by Steve Reynolds, pastor of Capitol Baptist Church, just outside Washington, D.C. The first letter is D for Dedication. Here is my take on that.
Dedication—the quality of being devoted or committed to something. We give our time, energy, talents, and money to things that we VALUE. We invest our lives into those things we consider to be important and of worth. But dedication to something, by its very nature, means the neglect of other things. We have to choose what is ultimately important to us and funnel our efforts toward the object of our dedication. Jesus has called us and set us apart for His purposes. We belong to Him!
Consider the following story and give God your best, Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize. He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art. One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities.Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, "Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!" Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence.
