DUTY'S PATH - EMBRACING DUTY, Pt 4, No. 529
DUTY’S PATH
Embracing Duty
Part 4
“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say,
We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”
(Luke 17:10).
Today we look at the last of the Scriptures which specify those things that should not be optional in our lives, but our duty.
- WE SHOULD BE TEACHERS
Hebrews 5:12 (NLT): “You have been believers so long now that you ought (opheilo—it is your duty) to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”
How long are we meant to stay spiritual babies? We would be devastated if we were still spoon feeding our little babies and toddlers when they were four or five years old! And yet many adults are still spoon feeding when they are adults! They still don’t feed from God’s Word each day for themselves. They wait for Sunday for the pastor to spoon feed it into their mouths.
As babies in Christ we soak up the milk as people teach us (1 Peter 2:2). But we can’t stay on milk. We’ve got to get into the meat and learn how to get food daily for ourselves and learn how to chew on it and digest meaty and tough things. This Scripture doesn’t say it’s a good idea. It says it’s our duty to be doing it. It’s time to be teachers instead of babies! And we as mothers certainly need to be teachers.
- IT’S A DAILY THING
Both 2 Chronicles 8:14 and Ezra 3:4 talk about the daily duties of the priests. Ezra 3:4 says they “offered the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the custom, as the duty of every day required.”
We must take notice of this Scripture because we have now been made “kings and priests unto our God” (Revelation 1:6 and 5:10).
Some people may not like the sound of these words: “as the duty of every day required.” But they are Bible words. God ordained the morning and evening daily sacrifice. The priests also had to attend to the fire upon the altar every morning and evening, to light the lamps every morning and evening, and to light the sweet incense every morning and evening. Among other things these were their daily duties.
God ordained the morning and evening principle back in tabernacle days which is good for us to continue each day. We keep the fire burning in our homes as we attend to our family altar morning and evening (not a literal altar, but a gathering together as a family). Anything less is not enough to keep the fire burning. We trim the lamps and pour in the oil (which speaks of the Holy Spirit) morning and evening. Anything less is not enough to keep the light shining.
That’s why we must come before the Lord as a family every morning and evening to read God’s Word and to cry out to Him. It is a duty, but if God is truly No. 1 in our lives, it will be our greatest delight and the “longed for” times of each day.
- IT’S PART OF LIFE
Do you remember the parable Jesus told of the hard-working servant? After ploughing in the field all day and tending to the sheep he comes in ready to sit down and relax. How nice! But no. Instead, without a word of thanks his master tells him to prepare his meal and put on his apron and serve him. “Then you can eat later,” he says. You can read the story in Luke 17:7-10.
With the “demanding our rights” and “entitlement” attitudes many people have today, this parable would make them very upset! Many folks would like to eliminate the word “duty” from their lives. Very few know the meaning of “going the second mile.” Employees clock out the moment time is up. They couldn’t give their employer one minute more of their time!
But Jesus is sharing a very important discipleship truth. If we truly are a disciple of Jesus, He will be our Master. Conversely, if He is our Master, we will truly be an obedient and submissive servant. That’s the relationship of a master and slave. And this is the relationship of a disciple. There are many who confess they are Christians but how many are disciples?
Half the parables Jesus told were about servants, which the people understood, because servants and slaves were part of the culture at that time. Paul and other disciples of Christ confessed that they were slaves of Christ. It’s the Greek word doulos and means “one who is in a permanent relation of servitude to another, his will altogether consumed in the will of the other.”
How does this affect us in the home? Much of what we need to do in our homes each day are duties and obligations. To keep a home running smoothly and efficiently and to keep a family fed and nourished takes time, planning, and work. Often it is the same thing every day.
Life is spiced with adventures and parties, but the foundation is duty. It’s how the world keeps going.
Can we accept our duties with joy? Let’s see them as what they really are—productive, powerful, and impacting lives and generations to come. It’s often the mundane, habitual things of life that add up to being powerful.
Can we say with Luke 17:10: “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.”
Matthew 24:46: “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find SO DOING.” Do you notice this word? It’s doing! Nor vacillating. Not dreaming. Not putting aside the task in front of you, but facing it head on.
Will the Lord find you “doing your duty” when He comes?
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
PRAYER:
“Dear God, please save me from being a spiritual baby. I want to get my teeth into the meat of God’s Word. Please enlighten me as I read Your Word. Amen.”
AFFIRMATION:
I’m embracing all my duties and doing them with joy.