Our Responsibility: Optional Or Essential?
From Romans 5:1-8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
How do we see our responsibility? Do we see our role in helping those who are hopeless? If we don’t see it, we won’t live it, and we certainly won’t own it. But if we see it, own it and live it and watch God work in and through us, then when we get to the end of our journey we can say, “Thanks be to God who led us through life to triumph in Christ.
It’s not so much whether you can go as much as it is you’ve already gone. It’s that you’re willing to go where God is at work and work with us around the world. That we’re committed as a people to invest our lives, committed to pray and seek His face and beseech the Father. We need more messages that speak to the heart of the world.
God planted each of us here intentionally. He has a very clear purpose for each one of us. The only way to miss it is to view our responsibility through the wrong lens.The wrong lens is, “We’ll let someone else do this. We’ll pass this responsibility on to the next generation.”
That’s not the right view. Everyone of us can participate in the mission God has for One Heart. Some are senders, some are goers, some are prayers. It’s the essence of the great commission. Go.
Does that mean everyone has to travel to a foreign country? No. But you can help send those who go. You can be committed to pray for those who go.
We have mission projects right here at home. You can participate in them. You can help support them. or you can pray for the ministries we help and for those who serve there.
We see in Romans 5:5-7 that hope does not disappoint us and we are hopeless without God. Then He starts to demonstrate His love for us in amazing ways. What happens inside of me then is that I understand that Jesus death sets in motion my ability to help the hopeless.
If Jesus died for us, shouldn’t we be willing to help someone in need? Shouldn’t we be able to do whatever it takes?
We have to be willing to look at our relationship with Christ and the real value of our relationship. Paul brings to light all the things we have by way of our relationship with Christ. Paul wants us to know exactly how valuable it is. It is not just a passing moment. It is a sustaining, vibrant, powerful relationship.
If I don’t see Jesus as the answer to everything in life, then I won’t tell anyone about Him. How we view Jesus will determine our motivation.
There’s another principle we see in this passage. Our purpose is anchored in our trials. We’d like to walk through life without trials. That’s not going to happen. Specific issues that we encounter will bring about dramatic challenges because we are His children. But if we know the value of our relationship with Christ, we begin to persevere through our challenges. As we persevere we begin to see God at work in our trials. Perseverance is living beyond yourself to accomplish what God intends. As we persevere we are going to have proven character, which brings about hope and gives us something to hang on to. Then when we go through our trials we can say, “You know what? I don’t have to understand why this is happening because God is going to prove my character. As God proves my character, He is going to give me hope. And He’s going to do something powerful inside us because the love of God has been poured out on us.
We also have to realize the responsibility we bear to help the helpless; because we have the hope of the world in us. We have watched Him sustain us and equip us and motivate us.
Our responsibility is not optional. It is essential.
It’s not something we can put off on someone else. It is not an optional point in our journey of faith.
How essential do you see your responsibility in Kingdom work?
Missions is just one part of Kingdom work. It’s not just the trips we take. It’s being who God made us to be.
It’s far beyond optional.