"Unconditional Duty"

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9

There are Christian duties that we all must partake of-- primarily the duty of obedience to God's word. There are times that these duties feel monotonous. There are times that it feels as if we are performing them in vain. There are times when we wonder where the good is in them. I am reminded of Joseph in the Old Testament. Here was a young man who was sold into slavery by his brothers. He was alone in a strange land, surrounded by heathens who worshipped false gods. But what do we see Joseph doing? Do we see him living in bitterness? Do we see him acting like those he was around? Do we see him constantly trying to escape from his new master? Do we see him in rebellion against Potiphar? Do we see him forsaking the commandments of God that he was taught all his life? The answer is no to all of the above.

Did Joseph have the opportunity to be weary in well doing? Could he have excused himself from following the commandments of his God? After all, he wasn't in his homeland, he wasn't surrounded by his people, he was a slave and had no freedom, his situation was not a good one, he had been treated unfairly by his brothers, he had not done this to himself it was done to him. Surely, that should have excused him from obedience to God.

Never think that you have a license to disobey God. Never think that your circumstances give you that excuse. Never think that the injustices that have been done to you give you a good reason to cast off obedience. It does not. We tend to think that we are excused from following God's word when bad things happen to us, when we aren't treated right, when others have placed hardships upon us and when injustice has been done to us. Hagar was mistreated by Sarah but God told her to go back and serve her. Philemon was a run away slave, but Paul encouraged him to go back to his master. It is not about our rights or having justice, it is always about obedience to God. We are never excused from that.

While we are never excused from obedience regardless of the situation- even if it was done to us and out of our control- we are promised a reward if we don't neglect or abandon following the Lord in obedience. There will be a reward for those who don't give up, who don't quit, who don't grow faint and who don't rebel against the commandments of God. We may get that reward in this life- Joseph was rewarded for his faithfulness to the commands of God and exalted to a place of authority. But if we don't get it here, it is sure that we will get it in eternity.

Have a great day. You have a duty to obey God's commands, and that duty is not conditional.

For further reading:
1 Peter 2:18
Genesis 16:1-10; 39:1-6
Isaiah 1:19

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact unless permission is granted to do otherwise. Please remember to give credit to About the Master's Business Ministry.