Duty to Keep On

Luke 17:7-10, “When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, does his master say, ‘Come in and eat with me’? No, he says, ‘Prepare my meal, put on your apron, and serve me while I eat. Then you can eat later.’ And does the master thank the servant for doing what he was told to do? Of course not. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

What is our duty? What is required of us whether we want to do it or not...I think that there are an abundance of things that are our duty, whether we decide to do them or not is another matter.

I believe that it is my duty to seek God with all that I have. I have a passion and a unending desire to learn more of the Word. I spend as much time as I can reading the Bible, reading study guides, anything that will open the Word up to me in a real way. I believe that is what God would want for all of us. To be so hungry for his Word that we can walk away from anything else that might distract us.

Romans 10:17, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

How then can you have faith if you aren't in the Word. If your study is touch and go will not your faith be the same? Do you have a deep well of word upon to draw your faith, or are you a seeker for the answer for today only. Do you only seek God when you are in crisis or are you reaching for the hem of his garment even when you aren't bleeding.

Colossians 3:16-17, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Whatever you do. Whatever you do, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. So that on the days when you don't "want" to seek the Word, it is in there in an overflow and it can sustain you. Much like our bodies store fat. Don't go to the extreme of not doing anything else, but take time, make time to have study with the Lord.

I have read a lot about the Cross and the experience from Jesus' point of view, and I know that the one thing that I can do is worship Him for his actions, and God for his creation. So many times I stand in church around people who have a deer in the headlights look when it comes to worship. There are times that we worship out of duty and not out of our hearts.

Hebrews 13:15, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name."

It's not a sacrifice if it doesn't hurt. It's not a sacrifice if it isn't something that belongs to you.

2 Samuel 24:24, "But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

There are many times that I walk into the church and I am physically tired. There are times that I walk in to that church that my emotions are all out of whack, there are times that I walk into that church full of anger and pride. The only thing that can and will change that for me is to worship. Not for how I am feeling, or how I am doing. But for the things he has already done for me. The times that He has met me before, in anticipation of the times that He is going to meet me again. It is a sacrifice because my exhaustion belongs to me, my preferences belong to me, my style of music, the length of worship. That all belongs to me. Would I do it like they do it? Probably not, that's why I am on the floor and they are on the platform.

I have a life of duty. The To-Do list sometimes are overwhelming, the time constraints, the friends that I need to call, the nap I really need to take. The errands, the groceries, the meals, dishes, laundry...the list goes on. At this point I am crossing things off my list at an alarming rate. Things that I used to think I "had" to do, now don't seem so important. Things that were stealing my time from me, they have to go. Things that I was doing just to impress someone else or just to qualify myself...they have to go as well.

2008 is the year that I keep God first. That I spend time in his Word everyday and not just when I have time. I am no longer going to be a people pleaser but a God pleaser. I don't do it to hurt feelings but so that I can walk in the correct duties that God has given me. This is a year for me to Shut Up and Show Up. This is the year that I don't give people my opinion but lead them to the Word and let them find the nugget of truth for themselves. This is the year that I bring people to Christ and not to myself. This is the year that I lay my desires at the Cross and ask God to burn any of them that are not His. This is the year.

Lord, I thank you for the clear vision that you have given me this morning. I know for the last few weeks I have done a lot of murmuring about the desert, I have let my mouth dictate my future and Lord today I shut up. I just want to seek after you. I know that you are there, I just miss our intimacy. Lord, I do it out of duty even when I can't do it out of my heart. My heart is broken in so many areas. So many things have brought me to my knees recently. I know that you have a role in that and I thank you for breaking off some of that old stuff that has kept me held back for so long. Lord, I give you me. All of me. The broken, crying, tired, lonely me. The one that needs you. I cry out to you again this morning and say Daddy Pick Me UP! Praise you Lord, I will praise you in this storm. I will step out of the boat, I will walk towards you despite the winds and the rain. Lord, I am coming after you, I am reaching for you. I know that you hear my voice and I thank you for your recognition of me. Thank you Lord, thank you for knowing my name. Thank you for loving me, for finding me and for planting such a huge desire for you in my heart. I love you. I am in love with you. You are the lover of my soul. In Jesus name. Amen.