BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY - ROMANS 13:10

A little boy was running around the house, and his mom told him to sit down for breakfast. He did so, and upon sitting he screamed, "What about my treat?" "What treat? Where did you get that idea?" his mother asked. "From you," he said. "When I do good you give me something." His father chuckled and said, "You have the wrong idea about mom." With a very loving, patient, and instructive look, the mother said, "He's right. Can't you just be good, for nothing, like your father? He does not ask for a treat."

Isn't that the idea we have about God sometimes? We think He only acts in reaction to us. Do you know the story of Job? Job was a god-fearing, upright, and innocent man. Everybody knew it, for even God testified to Job's excellence (Job 1:8). In one week Job lost everything; everything, except faith. Faith IS NOT the ability or capacity to change things into the way we want them. Rather faith is the courage to face things as they are. We have this concept of God that MUST change, for faith IS NOT just receiving from God the things we want, but accepting from God the things He gives. Through Job's trials, he learned that God was ALL he had, ALL he needed, and at the end, ALL he wanted (Job 42:1-5). The striking conclusions we arrive at when suffering, seemingly for no reason, are: 1) God is NOT who we think He is. 2) Faith/Trust/Confidence coupled with communication is key to ANY relationship. 3) We find out the TRUE nature of LOVE.

Why did Job serve God? Was it because of the blessings? No. Health and wealth? Doubt it. Prosperity? Not likely. Rewards? Uh-uh. Understanding? Definitely not. Job served God for nothing. He loved God for God, not because of what God could do. That's what you and I want. Isn’t it? We want someone to love us for free, without strings attached, for nothing. God wants that too (John 4:23-24). When you encounter the fiery trial of suffering and evil, you see what kind of faith you have. Will you be faithful to God right now, even though it may seem like He is not faithful to you? Are you helplessly in love with Jesus? I've learned that love is that passionate commitment that's left after ALL has been stripped away or given away (Job 1:20-23). If we love the Lord, we will keep His commands (John 14:15). If we center our lives on keeping His commandments rather than love, we will never come to know the delight in the duty.

Each day, each of us can express the depth of Christ's love to the world and to our Father. Christ's love requires unconditional obedience to the Lord and unconditional openness to the Lost, for Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners because of His great love (Matthew 20:28; Luke 19:10; John 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:1-10; I Timothy 1:15). 

“Only when we give joyfully, without hesitation or thought of gain, can we truly know what love means.”

- Leo Buscaglia -