Good Morning Friends,
Well, if you do not believe in God that is one thing, but if you do you really have to wrestle with today’s question. What Is Our Responsibility To God?
Scripture: You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.
1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 (NRSV)
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors.
Matthew 23:27-32 (NRSV)
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20 (NRSV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NRSV)
Message: It is truly amazing that we have life at all and get to experience all the amazing and joyous things of creation. My two-year-old grandson saw a turtle in the wild in the water at Freedom Park, in Naples this week and was so excited he was jumping up and down. It was a first. He, what appeared to be spontaneously, clearly said the word “turtle.” Which is kind of amazing because he typically does not talk that much yet. He even generalized the name of the animal to plastic turtles we have at home for his mother later in the day. It is a great memory. But part of our church’s heritage and memory is not so wonderful even as we have rewritten it. And I do not want you to beat yourself up about this because it is hard to undo. But there is something each of us can do. The thing is that addressing the hypocrisy of our institutions comes with violence if we force it. Therefore, we must accept personal responsibility for doing what we can quietly as well as publicly, to move the needle by demonstrating our love of God, love of others and sharing the Gospel. It starts with our own transformation. We must fully understand that until the Lord returns there are souls to reach and ministries of every sort to be performed. And we are responsible for our money, time, energy, talents, gifts, bodies, minds, and spirits, and we should invest in nothing that does not in some way contribute to the work of the Lord. And we need to do it individually and collectively as well so we can accomplish much more than we can do on our own. Sometimes it will be small acts of grace to buy culture more time to heal but knowing that justice is also required.The Bible teaches us that our responsibility as believers is to work uncompromisingly as the Lord has gifted us and share what we have learned about God. But not everyone is made to be an evangelist and fewer still evangelists in foreign countries. The harsh reality is that in countries like North Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen, Christians suffer persecution. The same is true in parts of India and South America. Indeed, knowing where to go and what to do is not so easy. It must be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Perhaps your ministry might be closer to home with family and friends and acquaintances. Still there is a test and whether it is a call to Wall Street or Main Street or the back alleys of slums around the world or even rural villages needing water or flooded cities needing evacuation, I cannot say. But wherever you go, if you go, know that as with Paul there will be times of testing. Some will persevere and others will pack it in. And woe to those not prepared for the task even closer to home. One must figure out how. Oh, we can mind our own business, living in our comfort zone but how then can we demonstrate Christ in our life? Not everyone is willing to suffer the shame and sacrifice for Christ, and not all are called to do this. It cannot be forced upon a person… it must be an act of free will… a choice led by the Spirit. So, do we live lives pleasing to God or lives pleasing to ourselves and others? Are we gentle, genuine, and generous to others? Well, maybe we are and maybe we need some help to keep open to the calling of the Holy Spirit. Simply put, our responsibility lies in working for the Lord. And our motivation is that we have God’s own promise that our work is not in vain. Friends, when one door is shut another will open. Paul was given the responsibility to blaze a gospel trail to the Gentiles. Your journey, our journey, will be different but know this, God does expect us to take personal responsibility in all areas of life with what we have been entrusted. But we are to live our lives in the will of God. And that is something we must rediscover each day anew whether it is with family and little children or an act of kindness to someone in distress, know that God knows what is required and we will too when the time comes.
And So, our responsibility is to abide in the Word but in addition, the Word is to abide in us each and every moment. To be continually filled with God’s presence is in part our responsibility. But we cannot do this alone. We must ask God for the grace to experience love. Grace is an amazing thing, and I must admit that I have a hard time getting my arms around it. And that is both from the perspective of receiving grace and extending that grace to others. But as usual, God knows our difficulty and provides us with the presence of His Spirit. It is a gift but there are some things we need to consider related to our responsibility and our relationship with God here. For our responsibility to God encompasses our moral obligations, spiritual duties, and the expectations noted in scripture. For sure our responsibility must primarily focus on love, obedience, and stewardship. We have a responsibility to understand as best we can and to know God’s Word and the Word made Flesh in Jesus. We are called to love God with all our heart, soul and mind…basically everything we are and have got at our disposal. And we are to trust God aligning our lives with God’s will and purpose. We are to trust and obey for Loving God is according to John 14:15 keeping His commandments. This includes managing our time, talent and treasures to honor God and serve others individually and collectively. This includes acts of kindness to those we know but also to those in distress we do not know. The final responsibility Jesus taught is to share the Gospel as best we can by being a Christians that responds to Jesus’ command. Everything stems from setting our priorities in order God First, Others Second, Ourselves last. But in so doing we gain everything…when we love God, love others and make disciples.
Pray we are filled with God’s presence. Pray we be open to new callings. Pray we share what we have been entrusted as we are able. Pray the hole in our hearts are filled with the truth of God. Pray we have a purposeful boldness that assures we are heard but not so bold as to get us killed. Pray we find a way to address God’s expectations, plans, purposes, and priorities despite encountering hostility and hate. Pray that we put away childish ways. Pray we make a commitment to both sow love and reap grace in the balance of a relationship with God. Pray that we realize that we will be held personally responsible for our actions and lack of actions. Pray that we realize that our faith without action is dead. Pray we are moved to do all the good we can where we can. Pray the word of Christ dwell in us filling us in all wisdom, with grace in our hearts to the Lord guiding us. Pray we are obedient to God’s leading. Pray we believe and love. Pray we love mercy and walk humbly with our God. Pray that we find resilience in a balance of active engagement, assertiveness, reflection and a sense of belonging that brings all of us to take greater responsibility for the work we have been assigned.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 