"I promised my God I would do it!" Abraham Lincoln penned these words into his personal diary in September, 1862, as he wrote the preliminary draft of the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation is still renowned as a great document. But think about it – what a powerful resolution! What commitment and determination! Neither ridicule nor caricature – neither dread of enemies nor desertion of friends could shake his indomitable determination! Abraham Lincoln kept his commitment and the promise he had made to Almighty God. Some 150 plus years later, you and I live in a world that is seemingly becoming quite lacking in commitment! Millions of people say “I do!” to one another as they get married – but some years later far too many of them say “I don’t any longer!” Actually, the lack of commitment is not something new to humanity today. Jesus Christ reflexed on it during His ministry thousands of years ago. Luke 9:57 – 62 – notice the amazing cost of discipleship emphasized in this passage. Read verses 57 through 60. “And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” What part does commitment play in your life?

John Cafourek

(1945-2017)

John Cafourek (1945-2017) served in the ministry of Jesus Christ with his wife, Sandy, for 46 years.

John was born in South Dakota. He attended Ambassador College in Pasadena, California, from 1965 to 1969, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He received a Master’s Degree in psychological counseling from Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in 1978. John pastored churches in Nebraska, North Dakota, Missouri, Mississippi, Washington, and Oregon.