YOU HAVE NO CHOICE I Meditate on John 9:4NLT « We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work » Read John 15:15-16GWT 15 I don’t call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. But I’ve called you friends because I’ve made known to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father. 16 You didn’t choose me, but I chose you. I have appointed you to go, to produce fruit that will last, and to ask the Father in my name to give you whatever you ask for. Understand In our memory verse for today, the Bible says, “ *I must do the work,” not “I may do the work.”* It is neither an option nor a piece of advice. Doing God’s work is compulsory for all His children; this simply means that you have no choice in the matter. In 1 Corinthians 9:16CJB, Apostle Paul said « For I can’t boast merely because I proclaim the Good News — this I do from inner compulsion: woe is me if I don’t proclaim the Good News! » When it comes to doing the work of God, you must not see yourself as a volunteer. Apostle Paul said doing God’s work was a necessity, and he even went ahead to pronounce a curse on himself if he did not preach the gospel of Jesus. Apostle Paul clearly did not see himself as a volunteer. God does not use people who see themselves as volunteers. Once God chooses someone, the individual has no choice but to do the work. In John 15:16, God said you have not chosen Him, but He has chosen you. The moment He chooses you, the moment you find yourself as a minister of God, you must do what He wants. In Philippians 1:20NLT, Paul said « For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die » Workers are not volunteers but soldiers that must do the bidding of the One who has called them. 2 Timothy 2:4NRSVA says « No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting officer » Whether we like it or not, this world is a war front. We are at war and so, we should not distract ourselves with mundane things. We must be focused on obeying the commands of our Commandant promptly and completely. We must do the work required of us by Him so that we will be victorious. In Matthew 28:19, our Commandant gave a command that directs those of us who call ourselves His workers and ministers to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The assignment is very clear, and it is a direct order. There is no room for deliberation; act now! Application – You MUST preach the gospel. It is not a piece of advice but a command.
