I Must

Mar 5, 2021

"This letter is from Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach His Good News."

- St. Paul, Romans 1:1

"If you provide a dog with food and water, shelter and affection, they will think you are God. If you provide a cat with food and water, shelter and affection, they will think they are God."

- Christopher Hitchens

In the very first verse of Paul's letter to God's people in Rome he is declaring his "I MUST!" He is saying that because of who God is and because of what God has done for him in Jesus… therefore, he MUST serve Him by declaring the Good News story of Jesus. It is an "I MUST" that is compelled by gratitude.

I AM a child of God… therefore "I MUST"...

I AM forgiven… therefore "I MUST"...

I AM saved by grace through faith… therefore "I MUST"...

I AM a new creation… therefore "I MUST"...

I AM strong in the Lord and in the power of His might… therefore "I MUST"...

I AM blessed with all spiritual blessings… therefore "I MUST"...

I AM the righteousness of God in Christ… therefore "I MUST"...

I AM led by the Spirit of God… therefore "I MUST"...

I AM more than a conqueror… therefore "I MUST"...

I AM comes with a divine assignment, a purpose over my life. I MUST moves me from being to doing. It means I am under the grip of Someone bigger than me who wants to make a wonderful difference in the world through me.

I MUST means I've eliminated some things from my life...

I MUST means there's something I must do with my life...

I MUST means there's something I was put on this earth to do...

I MUST means I'm living my life not out of Convenience but out of Conviction…

At the age of twelve, Jesus understood His "I MUST." In a Jerusalem packed with Passover visitors, Mary and Joseph lost their son. After frantically searching for him for three days (I'm already weak in the knees) they finally found him… in the Temple… teaching. When they confronted him he said, "Did you not know I MUST be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49).

Several years ago, a young mom sent me this email. "My daughter, age nine, had an assignment at school to make a speech about a very important person in history and she would have to perform in front of the class dressed like that person. (Oh, the good old days of in-person learning, right?!) So, of course, she picks what she said was the VERY MOST important person of all to her, Jesus. She was astonished nobody else picked Him, because, she said, as God, He is obviously the most important person of all. So, after checking to see if the teacher was ok with her choice, she dressed up like Jesus with a long white robe and a long black wig and she made her speech. I asked her if she was afraid of being teased about her choice and she said No… because her younger brother, who is very protective of her… told everyone they better be nice to her or they would be struck by lightning. Needless to say, her speech was a hit!"

Pastor Jared said last week… When you know who you are, You know what to do! I AM a follower of Jesus, therefore I MUST...

Gently talk with my family about who Jesus is for me...

Creatively evidence the difference Jesus makes in my life with friends who are far from God...

Engage and enthusiastically participate in making God's church a fun, supportive and loving place to be...

Be an employer who creates a business that reveals the heart of Jesus for integrity, for service and for people...

Be an employee who serves my company in a way that honors Jesus with excellence and honesty...

Be a coach… Be a dentist… Be a doctor… Be a realtor… Be a businessman/woman… Be a Dad… Be a Mom… Be a student…

Who brings honor to Jesus because of everything He has done for us!