Now, when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.     John 2:23-25 NKJV

During Jesus’ ministry, people got excited when they saw Him perform signs or miracles. In John’s gospel, he used the word signs to speak of the miracles Jesus performed. But our Scripture passage tells us that Jesus did not commit Himself to them because He knew what was in their heart.

The prophet Samuel said in 1 Samuel 16:7 that God sees what is in a man’s heart. Jesus knew that many of the Jews were impressed by the miracles he was performing, but these people were not surrendering to Him as their Savior. They weren’t trusting in Him as their Lord. They were following Him to see what other miracles He would perform. Sadly, for this reason, Jesus did not commit Himself to them.

You know I write a lot about total surrender and total commitment to Jesus. We must understand this is a two-way street. When we surrender and commit our lives to Christ, He commits to us. What does it mean for Christ to commit to us? It means we become a part of His family. We are adopted into the family of God.

I can tell you that when you mess with one of God’s children, you are messing with God, and this is not good.

The Jews believed in Jesus. However, in James 2:19, James tells us that this is a good first step. But after we believe, we must also receive Him. He said you believe in God, and this is good, but even the demons believe in Him and tremble. John 1:17 says that all who receive Him are given the right to be called children of God. We must believe and then receive Him into our hearts and our lives.

When we commit to Him and receive Him, He commits to us. God makes many promises to His children, but we know that not everyone is a child of God. We must choose to be adopted into His family. Many people think that because they simply believe in God, they are covered. This is not true. Believing in God is just the first step. God wants us to receive Him into our hearts. He wants us to surrender to Him and trust in Him.

If we do this, He commits to us. He commits to working the bad things out in our lives for our good in Romans 8:28. He commits to protecting us in Psalm 91. Paul spoke of how God gives us strength to do what He has called us to do in Philippians 4:13. And one of my personal favorites is found in Isaiah 43:2. God says here, “When you walk through the waters, I will be with you. When you walk through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched. The flames will not set you ablaze.”

If you have been committed to yourself, how is that working out for you? Maybe it’s time you commit to God. Surrender to Him and feel the peace and joy of knowing God is committed to you. Experience the peace of knowing your Lord and Savior walks with you through the fire and the flood. Know that He is your refuge and your fortress in times of trouble.

God wants more than anything to be committed to you; He’s just waiting for you to go first. Trust in Him today. He will never force salvation upon you, but He will welcome you with open arms when you come to Him.

Have a great day!