There is a must in the life of faith that is not fraught with guilt, not stuffed with ought and should. Instead, it is born out of affection and delight. It is get to rather than have to. It is pull rather than push. It is not begrudging and coercive and forced, but a genuine expression of a heart that has been captured by love, the fruit of intimate union. Thus, it cannot be quashed, contained, or subdued, but flows from our inner being like a river toward the sea. It propels us into life with energy and vitality that mere duty cannot provide. It does not beat us down or wear us out, but, by its very nature, reorders, renews, and transforms.
Somehow we must learn how to move from one must to the other. The state of our lives, and our ministries, depend on it. For our must will incarnate itself in one form or another. It can take the shape of joy and peace and gratitude, or it can take the form of gloom and sadness and despair. Which do you think Jesus would prefer?
O Lord Jesus, help us live our lives like you did, by the must of love.
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