Done Your Duty?

Definition of "duty" (first of seven) in Webster's Dictionary of the English Language, First Edition, 1828

DUTY, n. [from due, Fr. du.] - That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform.  Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and subject; obedience, respect and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties; the government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents which they cannot neglect without guilt.

Definition of "duty" (first of seven) in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, 1992

DUTY, n. - An act or a course of action that is required of one by position, social custom, law, or religion.

A lot of things transpired during the 164 years between the printing of these definitions.  Not all changes have been for the better.  The Webster definition hails from a biblical worldview, while the American Heritage definition is left ambiguous and theoretical.  No doubt many today would bristle at the suggestion that God does exist, created man, and therefore man owes God.

Time does not change truth.  IF God does exist and created all things, man does owe Him.  IF the Bible is truly God-breathed, man has a responsibility to heed and obey it.  IF God has revealed His perfect Law through scripture, then man's duty is to keep it.  IF we have broken a single law of God, the Bible says the wages of sin is death.  IF Jesus Christ came to the world, died on the cross for the sins of the world, and rose again to prove His victory over sin and death, we have a duty to give Christ the reward of His suffering through repentance and trust in Him.  The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD.  If God has given a gift, it is our duty to receive.

John 3:14-16 reads, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  It is man's duty to trust in Christ and fully live to please Him.  We fulfill this duty best when we do it for God's sake, not for our own.  We are the benefactors of God's love, forgiveness, compassion, mercy, and grace.  Gratitude and love for God compel us to see this duty done!

Leisure or Rest?

While reading a book yesterday on the importance of ordering the inner life, I began to reflect upon the differences between leisure and rest.  From a worldly perspective, they could almost appear to be synonyms.  As I compared and contrasted the two, I was amazed at the vast differences between them.  Jesus promises in Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  Rest is not the absence of work, even as peace is not the absence of war.  Jesus bids us to take His yoke upon ourselves.  A yoke is attached to a plow and allows the ox to do work he could not naturally perform.  The strength of an ox when yoked to a plow can aid a farmer to sow and reap much grain.

When we are fatigued physically or spiritually we often seek rest through the ceasing of effort or activities.  Yet if we do not seek rest in the person of Jesus, it will not satisfy the need we have for rest.  Rest is simply the inner man seeking to enter the presence of the Living God and abiding there.  Leisure, while perfectly fine in itself, is no substitute for the rest Christ has given.  If we seek rest through the leisure of long weekends, holidays, the neglect of chores or spiritual duties, we find ourselves duped by a cruel substitute:  we remain weary and things remain undone.

Leisure activities can be very costly in terms of money, time, and mental activity.  Yet even the most expensive and exciting hobbies and pastimes become boring and dull.  The most appealing diversions don't satisfy us the way we thought or hoped they would.  Leisure is focused on the external realm, the relaxation of the body or the checking-out of the mind.  You can try to escape in movies or fiction novels, therapeutic massages and spa treatments and still be completely wound inside - because you know at some point the game will be over, the weekend will end, and Monday morning starts early.  The excitement of the senses is a big part of leisure.  But the senses are never satisfied:  eyes never grow tired of seeing, ears never grow weary of hearing, and stomachs are always looking to be filled.

Contrast leisure with rest found in Christ.  It is not without cost, but those who have experienced the presence of God know it is priceless.  Instead of being discovered though external means, true rest is found when we intentionally focus on seeking God and listening for Him.  We find in Christ a satisfaction and refreshment for the soul not found in worldly pursuits or endeavors.  It is exciting to seek God's will and to receive direction from Him.  God never ceases to amaze!  Rest is not found through the emptying of our minds, but in purposely cultivating a relationship with God with heart, mind, and soul.  Whether we work long hours or are unemployed, we can be at rest.  When the storms of life hit with full-force, we can rest in Christ and the comfort He provides.  We know He will never leave or forsake us.  Making Christ our chief pursuit allows us to rest in His rest.

There is great value in a Sabbath rest.  When we are willing to put down our hammers and saws, God will built us up.  If we are only about advancing our careers, following the dictates of our hearts, or substituting leisure for rest, burnout is not far away.  The Pharisees made keeping the Sabbath all about externals, but God had another plan altogether:  He desires that our souls will purposefully enter into His rest through Jesus Christ.  Jesus promises in Matthew 11:29, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  It is this labour of love which brings rest to our souls.

We enter into this rest not through working to do so, but through belief.  Consider Hebrews 3:18-4:2:  "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? ¹⁹ So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. ¹ Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. ² For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it."  Jesus has given us rest, and we are called to enter in by faith.  Leisure and ease provides rest for our bodies, but not for our souls.  Let us enter into the rest God provides by coming to Christ and abiding in Him through faith.  In Him we find rest for our souls.

No Pleasure in Death

"Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'"

Ezekiel 33:11

Before I finally went to bed last night I flipped back and forth between a couple of movies.  I wanted to see the end of both "The World's Fastest Indian" and "The Count of Monte Cristo," movies I had seen previously.  I wanted to see Burt Munro finally open up the throttle on the salt flats.  Then I couldn't remember the exact ending of Monte Cristo, as Dantes took his revenge upon the wretched traitor Mondego.  He is a most unlikable villain who even makes Nurse Ratched seem genuine and caring.

As I saw the final battle scene of the movie that ends with Dantes' sword skewering Mondego's heart, I sensed a difference in myself.  The satisfaction I expected from seeing the fitting end of the snake Mondego never came.  Instead, all I heard were the words repeated over and over in my mind:  "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked."  It was a revelation to me, though I was already familiar with the passage in Ezekiel.  But it made me think about God and the misconceptions I have had concerning Him over the years.

There is a tendency for us to think God must think like us. Movies with the theme of revenge are common in both the theater and on the screen.  A happy ending is the right people live and die:  a bad ending is when the "wrong" people live.  Therefore we have this idea that God is pleased when "bad people" die because we are.  In the cases of the ends of the movies I caught last night, both were happy endings:  Munro finally fulfilled his dream of racing in Bonneville, and Dantes killed Mondego, was wealthy, and had a bright future with the woman who loved him.  Mondego acts the part of villain so well I'm sure most viewers really want to see him dead!  After scheming, murdering, lying, and deceiving all the way through the movie, it wouldn't feel like a good ending if Mondego lived, right?  In God's eyes, a good ending would have Mondego repent and live.  And if justice demanded the death of Mondego, God would take no pleasure even in that.

God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked!  Ezekiel 18:20 states, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."  Death has come into the world because of sin.  The wages of a single sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.  Even when people commit sin and deserve death and eternal condemnation under the law, God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.  Why will people die when Jesus has died so they might live?  There is no divine satisfaction when serial rapists and murderers are executed for their crimes.  God has no satisfaction to see people die and their souls perish in hell. 

Contrast this with Psalm 116:15: "Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints."  The wicked depart into eternal torment, while those righteous through faith in Christ will spend eternity with Him.  What gives God pleasure is for people to turn from their sins and be forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus.  He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but in the salvation and redemption of lost souls.  John 11:25-26 contains a wonderful promise to those who trust in Christ.  "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"  Even a man being strapped into the electric chair is not beyond salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus.

Do you take pleasure in the death of the wicked?  God doesn't.

The Authority of Christ

How important it is for Christians to comprehend their identity concerning their authority in Christ!  Jesus has all authority in heaven and in earth and has granted that same authority to all who repent, trust in Him, and are regenerated through the Holy Spirit.  We have been fully equipped and enabled by God to operate according to the power which raised Jesus from the dead for God's glory.  I think it would be safe to say that this power has not been realized in the day-to-day living of many Christians.  But we must be convinced that it is God's will that our lives be a demonstration of the Holy Spirit in power before we can ever do it.  I do not need to convince you:  I trust the Bible and the Holy Spirit to do that!

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."  This passage reeks of spiritual authority granted by God to the believer to be used for the glory of God.  The source of the authority of a Christian comes from Christ and is to exercised in humility and meekness.  The problem is many associate meekness with timidity and weakness.  Paul was not a timid man, but was bold as a lion.  He shook a viper which latched on his hand into the fire without injury, cast out demons, pronounced blindness on a government official, healed the sick, spoke with boldness when faced with torture, imprisonment, and death, wrote strongly worded letters, and even rebuked Peter to the face when necessary.  Paul exercised authority both within and outside the church while remaining under the authority of Jesus Christ.

Now consider for a moment examples of Christ's power and authority.  Even the wind and the waves obeyed Him!  No condition, disease, demon, or Satan himself could withstand His commands.  With a word demons were cast out even over great distances, and when tempted by the devil Jesus said as He stood upon the authority of scripture in Matthew 4:10:  "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve."  Before His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension Jesus said in John 14:12:  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."  Even though Jesus emphatically (the verse begins "verily, verily" in the KJV) stresses the truth of this statement, I confess for a long time I didn't live like I thought this was true.  Even now it can be a struggle.  Then He continues in John 14:13-14:  "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."  Whoa.  Do we believe these words of Jesus?  Really?

There is a verse I was discussing with a friend the other day which some have used as a stumbling block in exercising the biblical spiritual authority of a child of God as revealed in scripture.  Jude 1:9 states, "Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"  I have heard people say things like, "If the powerful archangel Michael when contending with the devil refused to speak harshly against him, what right do we have to do so?"  In this letter, Jude is dealing with apostasy.  It was not written with the intention of restricting us from exercising the authority we see manifested in Jesus Christ.  I will break it down like this:  the devil is a contentious, accuser of the brethren.  Christians are never called to revile or accuse anyone, much less Satan.  That would be returning evil for evil and answering a fool according to his folly.  Michael the archangel knew his role, knowing full well the authority and power of God to deliver.  There is no need to argue or resort to accusations when God can end it instantly through divine power.

Here is a point that may blow your mind:  as a child of God in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, you have more authority and spiritual power at your disposal than Michael the archangel!  Surprise you?  Angels have not been purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ, but every Christian has.  Jesus has made a New Covenant with men by shedding His own blood.  There is no scripture which states that Michael has the Holy Spirit dwelling in or coming upon him in fullness.  But this is true for the believer who has been filled with the Spirit!  Believers have been adopted into the kingdom of God as His children and are co-heirs with Christ.  We read nowhere in scripture that Michael has received a commission from God accompanied with all the power of Jesus Christ:  Matthew 28:18-20 reads, "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen."

Satan would love for us to fall short of appropriating the authority God has given His people through prayer, walking in the Spirit, and obedience.  Isaiah 54:17 says, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD."  I share this not so Christians will start strutting around like peacocks, looking for the devil so they can try to beat him up or bully him around.  Not at all!  Such a one would fare no better than the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-17)!  There is nothing more humbling than recognizing that all our identity and all we possess is by the grace of God, and all our righteousness, power, and strength comes from God alone.  It is not our ability but God's.  Jesus did not speak on His own authority, and neither should we (John 12:49).  The Spirit is the One who leads and guides us in what we should say (Luke 12:11-12).  Jesus never backed down from satanic confrontation, and neither should I when the Holy Spirit resides within me.

Believer, flee from temptation.  But you walk in sin if you flee from the devil!  You need not fear, for God has empowered you through the Holy Spirit for such conflict.  Ephesians 6:10-18 reads, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints..."  I gladly run the risk of being called a fanatic to the end that people will embrace the authority and heritage Christ has granted them through His shed blood.  I am no fanatic to believe the words of Jesus Christ.  I am a Christian, and Jesus is my LORD and Saviour.  What He says I believe, and as the Spirit leads so I will say.

Have you walked in the authority of Jesus Christ and the empowerment of the Spirit today?  That is what abiding in the Vine and walking in the Spirit is all about.  God, grant me the strength, wisdom, and discernment to keep putting one foot in front of the other, trusting in you to supply my every need.  Thank you for saving my soul and protecting me from evil.  May you be glorified in my life as I seek your face and trust you to guide my every step.  "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, ²⁵ to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1:24-25)