A duty is a responsibility or obligation to discharge from God. We perform the duty to glorify God in obedience and in reverence through Christ Jesus our Lord. The duty is one in two categories, towards God, and towards man. Everybody has a divine duty from God otherwise we would not be here. While we may have a common duty as a people of God, we also have individual duties towards one another for which we will account for our stewardship. Jesus made this reference in Matthew 25: 14-30.
Upon our failure to perform our duties, we will cease to be relevant for God and he will discharge with our relationship. Jesus emphasized this fact in Matthew 25: 31- 46. Jesus also illustrated this with the relevance of salt in Matthew 5: 13, you are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste… it is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. Jesus was apt as usual in explaining to us what our duties entail broadly.
God has also given us what we need to perform our duties. He has given us Christ Jesus as our Saviour. We have God’s sufficient grace, 2Corinthians 12: 9. We have his company till the end of the age, Matthew 28: 20. God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our strength, 1 Corinthians 10: 13. God wants us to call on him on the day of trouble, Psalms 50: 15. God has given us his Holy Spirit to teach us, and to remind us of what Jesus has taught us, what we need to know and to prepare in John 14: 26.
What are the broad duties we are required to perform collectively and individually?
A duty to keep true worship
God demands honest worship. John 4: 24 says God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. To worship in spirit is to yield our minds, souls and spirit to his control and pleasure. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. We must be truthful to our Master.
God sees through all our vain worship. Jesus said in Matthew 15: 8 this people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines. Human precept is a perversion of the truth. 1 Samuel 16: 7 says they (men) look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. True worship is keeping the integrity of the heart for 1 Kings 9: 4 says… David… walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my ordinances. Are we truthful in worship?
A duty to keep righteousness
God wants us to change from our old ways and to embrace his ways, which is repentance. Ezekiel 14: 6 says thus says the LORD; Repent and turn away from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. The bible also says in Ezekiel 18: 30, Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. This is why Christ Jesus came to show us the way and to help us to succeed in fulfilling our duties. Simply, we must avoid what Jesus will not do, or do what he will do.
John the Baptist said of repentance in Matthew 3: 8 bear fruit worthy of repentance. In effect repentance does not lie in mere statements but the fruit we bear, the good we do and the evil we avoid because of Christ Jesus. Jesus said in Revelation 2: 16 repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and make war against them with a sword of my mouth. The true form of righteousness is leading the life of Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 11: 29 take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
A duty to love God and man
The greatest of our duties is to love just as God is love and showed it through Christ Jesus, John 3: 16. If we love God, we must be one with Jesus. Jesus summarized the entire commandments and laws of God to Israel in Mark 12: 29-31… the Lord is one ; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. If we love God, we must love Jesus and our fellow men unconditionally.
Jesus commended the Good Samaritan and said to the people in Luke 10 37, “Go and do likewise”. Our duty is to love. Jesus said in John 13: 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. (Read also John 15: 17). Paul also said in Romans 12: 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Love allows reverence, support, absence of acrimony and avoids evil against God or one another. Those who love God obey his commandments.
The bible says in 1 John 4: 8, whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. (Read 1 John 4: 12) Our duty is that we should be like Jesus in righteousness that is why he created us in his own image, Genesis 9: 6. It is written in 1 John 4: 20, those who say, “I love God”, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. So 1 John 2: 22 says who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ.
our meditations as Christians
Are we true in our worship? Are we thirsty for righteousness? Do we love God and love our neighbour? We do not have the option to pick and choose from God’s commandments. James 2: 10-11 said for whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. How are we performing our duties as God wants of us? We cannot deceive God.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, we have fallen short of performing our duties in accordance with your will. We are very sorry and ask for your unfailing forgiveness. We surrender our will to your Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in true worship, pure righteousness and holy love for God and our neighbours in your holy name. Thank you blessed Jesus for your saving blood on the cross, Amen!!
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