Pastor Granillo: Difference Between Ham And Eggs

By Pastor Raul Granillo
Los Alamos

The Difference Between Ham and Eggs.

The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.” Martina Navratilova

I wonder how many Christians today are involved rather than committed to obedience to God’s commands. How many Christians get involved with loving God and loving their neighbor instead of being committed to loving God and loving their neighbor? I wonder how many people have really considered the difference.

Asa, the great-great-grandson of king David, was also a king of Judah. The writer of Chronicles recorded that, “Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God” (2 Chronicles 14:2 NIV). King Asa thought, like many people who follow God, that it was important to get rid of the things that take our focus off of God, and thus hinder our love for others. When king Asa did this, God gave him peace and he was able to help develop the land to benefit the people. Being involved in doing good makes a difference in your life and in the lives of others.

In the next chapter, the prophet Azariah gave king Asa a message from God. Azariah said:

Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress. (15:2-6).

He reminded him that the people once lived in distress, fear, and unrest in a world where the nations were constantly destroying each other. This was the result of being “without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law” (15:3). God had reminded Asa of how much was really at stake. The love of God and love of neighbor should not allow us to settle for getting involved. They should drive us to being fully committed to making a difference.

King Asa, a king who by all religious standards was already good, realized that he needed to go back to do more than just the status quo. Chronicles says that, “When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Azariah son of Oded the prophet, he took courage. He removed the detestable idols from the whole land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns he had captured in the hills of Ephraim. He repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the portico of the LORD’s temple” (15:8).

Being committed to obeying God for the sake of others is an intimidating concept. While there is little chance of being physically harmed for seeking holiness in America today, you will be met with ridicule and contempt. King Asa desired to seek a new level of holiness for Judah; a new level of holiness that would better protect the people, bring them peace, and provide for their general welfare. This attempt to be committed to God for the sake of others was intimidating. The scriptures remind us that before he could do this, king Asa had to take courage.

Throughout every page of the Bible, you will find the God, Yahweh, is not a god who is just involved with the people of the world, He is the God who is committed to them—even to death. Whether you are a Christian or not, you were created by this God who is committed to you; to bringing you purpose and value to your existence. I pray that we would do likewise, and no longer settle for being involved, but instead be fully committed to carrying each other’s burdens and, in this way, fulfilling the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).

To find out more about La Vista Church, or to hear this and other messages, visit our website at www.lavistanaz.org or email me at raul@lavistanaz.org. Follow Pastor Raul on Twitter @RaulGranillo007

Please come join us as we fix our eyes on Jesus. We meet Sundays at 9 a.m. for Sunday school and 10 a.m. for worship. Everyone is welcome!

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