Should I or Must I?

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:16-17 This morning I was reading a book about manhood. In it, the author made the point that Jesus is the best example for manhood. He, of course, was right. Jesus is our best example in all things, especially manhood. He exemplified strength, love, compassion, sacrifice, nobility, and courage (among so many other things). In my three decades of following Christ I have heard all kinds of teaching. Some very elementary, some very sophisticated and some just outlandish. I very seldom read or hear something that I have never heard before. This morning was different. As I was reading, the author made a valid point. He explained that Jesus never saw his earthly ministry as something He should do but something he had to do. To him it wasn’t a choice, it was a mandate. In Luke 4:43 Jesus said, ““I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God”. He said “I must”…not “I should”. Jesus often said that he did what the Father told him. He didn’t see this obedience as optional. That got me to thinking. Do I? Do I see my service to Christ as optional? Do I see it as something I should do or something I must do? When Paul was writing to the church at Colosse he said that we should do “everything” in the name of the Lord Jesus. The Amplified Bible goes as far as to say “…no matter what it is….”. That doesn’t seem to me to be a recommendation or a suggestion, instead, it is a command, a prescription, a mandate. It is a mandate for all who call Jesus Lord. Jesus didn’t have an option when it came to his work on the earth. From His birth it was established that He would live a sinless life, minister to, heal and deliver the poor and afflicted and sacrifice Himself on the cross for the sins of mankind. He did so willingly and without complaint. Again, our greatest example. In my notes, I wrote down the question that I asked earlier in this post. Do I see my calling as something I should do or something I must do? I had to admit that I had never given it much thought. I certainly don’t act like its something I “must do”. All Christians are called to share the Gospel and to use their gifts to glorify God and edify the body of Christ. I have to admit, I understand this fact in theory but not in practice. I have not been overly expedient about exercising my biblical mandate to evangelize, teach and lead believers in communal worship. I have been derelict in my service to the LORD and to the Body of Christ. I have no choice but to repent and resume my pursuit of God’s call on my life. There is no greater privilege than serving Jesus. I have taken this for granted. If this is true for you, I encourage you to repent as well. Get off the sideline and jump back in the game. The Church needs you, the world needs you. We need your gifts, your message and your voice. Don’t sell God out by ignoring His call on your life and don’t sell yourself out by not experiencing the blessing of pouring yourself out on His behalf.