Opportunity or Obligation?

Posted by Christian St John in Faithblogs | 0 comments

Opportunity: An appropriate or favorable time or occasion. A good position, chance, or prospect, as for advancement or success.
Obligation: The state, fact, or feeling of being indebted to another for a special service or favor received; as in a debt of gratitude. Something by which a person is bound or obliged to do certain things, and which arises out of a binding promise, contract, or sense of duty.Dictionary.com

Last evening I watched the movie Saving God. The movie was well worth watching (review coming shortly) and left me thinking long after the credits finished rolling. The one part that really got me thinking was when the main character of the movie, Pastor Armstrong Cain, was talking to a man who was considering taking the position of youth pastor at a large church. After a brief discourse the man tells Cain, “It’s a good opportunity.” To which Cain replies something along the lines of, “Why is it that Christian’s think it’s all about opportunity, when in fact it’s about obligation?”

I have to tell you, this excited me. For some time now I have been thinking along these lines. It seems to me that so many Christians sit around waiting for opportunities to serve when in fact we are faced with opportunities to serve every day. For example, how many times in any given day are we faced with the opportunity to share our faith? How many times do we pass up opportunities to serve in our local church because we feel that cleaning floors and toilets is beneath us? What about the opportunities to visit with those who would more than likely welcome a visitor – the sick, the elderly, the grieving, the hopeless, those who just need to talk?

I have spoken to many people who have declared that they are not serving because they are waiting for that one BIG opportunity to come their way. They reason that if they are tied up with something “small” they may not be able to take on that BIG opportunity when it comes their way. But that’s wrong thinking, because any opportunity to serve Jesus is a BIG opportunity!

Take the example of the toilet. Sure, cleaning toilets may not seem that big of a deal but I believe you can tell a lot about a church from the cleanliness of its toilet. Let’s face it, if a churches toilet is dirty and smelly and backed up with mire (an extreme example, but I have unfortunately seen this unpleasant sight) what does that say about the servant attitude of your congregation? Because if you’re not willing to get your hands dirty by cleaning toilets then the question must be asked, “will you be really willing to help someone clean up the crap in their lives?”

If the truth be told, we should be actively working out and sharing our faith because we are obligated to Jesus for all that he has done for us. We should be learning from his perfect example of what it means to be a servant. You see, we fail to realize in this day and age that when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples he was taking the place of a slave. In those days, it was customary for a slave to wash the feet of visitors. To not provide this kindness would be considered uncivilized and inhospitable. It could be that there were no servants available to do this menial and humbling job, so Jesus Himself gets up from the table, removes His outer garment, pours Himself a basin of water and begins to wash the feet of the Disciples. I can only imagine the amazement that must have filled their minds and faces as their Lord washed their dirty feet one by one.

Maybe the reason we fail to grab each and every opportunity with both hands and run with it is because we don’t really feel obligated to do so. For me I serve God because I feel obligated to do so, because of what he has done for me. Don’t get me wrong, I want to serve my God and savior and I don’t do so because I have to – I serve him because I want to try to please him, to thank him.

There’s an old saying that goes something like this, “He died for me – I’ll live for Him.” You see, it all comes down to how grateful we are. If someone rescued you from a burning building you would probably feel indebted to that person. Likewise, if someone saved your child from drowning, again you would feel indebted to them. Then why is it that more often than not we don’t feel a sense of indebtedness to Jesus, the one who has saved us from deaths cold grip and the fiery lake. Why do we not feel obliged to serve Jesus as an act of worship for what he has done for us?

The Bible tells all believers, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” 1 Cor. 6:19-20 Our salvation cost us nothing and maybe that’s the problem. Maybe we need to take the time to re-evaluate what God has done for us, what he has given us in Christ Jesus. Maybe we need to wake up and see that serving God is not just an opportunity, but an obligation.

There’s a song by the band Tree63 called “Look What You’ve Done” that brilliantly sums up why we should feel obligated to Jesus for what he has done. I want to leave you today with the lyrics of that song.

“Look what You’ve done for me,
Your blood has set me free,
Jesus my Lord look what You’ve done for me.

I haven’t been the same,
Ever since that day I called Your name,
Yahweh, Yahweh, Look What You’ve done for me.

What can I do for You my Lord?
I want You to know my heart is Yours.
It’s not a question of what You can do for me,
But what can I do for You my Lord?

Up to Your cross I crawled,
Now I am standing teen feet tall,
Jesus my saviour look what You’ve done for me.

Free at last I’m free,
I owe You my life completely*,
Yahweh, Yahweh, look what You’ve done for me.”

Tree63 – Look What You’ve Done
* emphasis mine

Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
May, 2009

Picture by Anonymous