There are so many in the Church who are always complaining that God does not REQUIRE them to spend hours in prayer, or that they do not feel LED to do this or that. They are content with doing only those things that they are certain God requires of them. Only the very least that they can do without feeling guilty.

But is this the proper attitude of one who loves the Lord with ALL their heart, soul, mind and strength?

Would a truly loving wife want to do only those things that she was certain her husband has asked her to do? Or would a husband who loves his wife as he should, want to do the least he could for his wife without feeling guilty?

Is it not those soldiers who do more than they are required to do who receive the metal for bravery and heroism?

Those who risk their own lives to save others will receive the highest honor.

In Luke 17, Jesus uses the example of a servant who does only what he was commanded to do. He ends by saying, “When you have done ALL that you are commanded to do, say, ‘we are unprofitable servants. We have done that which was our duty to do”.

What kind of crown will you have on coronation day to cast down before the feet of King Jesus?

Will it be a “card-board”, Burger King crown? Or will it be something worthy of the King?

Those who get promoted and honored are those who go above and beyond the call of duty. We have the example of Paul, of Peter, of the hero’s of the faith in Hebrews 11 and of our Lord Jesus Christ!

We must never allow ourselves to be motivated by guilt or fear in our service of the King of kings. “Neither circumsision nor uncircumsision avails anything: but FAITH which WORKS by LOVE”.

When we spend much time alone with Jesus, we see His heart. We understand how intensely He desires that sinners should be saved from sin and damnation, and that backsliders should return to their first love. We become zealous and bold to bring them back to Him.

When David’s mighty-men were close enough to him to overhear him thinking out loud that he greatly desired a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem, they risked their lives to get it for him without having to be told. They did it not out of a sense of duty, but out of love for their king.

We know how great His love for us is.

How great is our love for Him?

What are we prepared to do?

How perfectly chilling and horrible for persons to oppose the idea of expecting deliverance from sin and yet talk calmly of going on in sin all the rest of their earthly days! As an elder whom I knew rose in meeting and told the Lord he had been living in sin thus far and expected to go on in sin as long as he lived; he had sinned to-day and should doubtless sin to-morrow and so on–and yet he talked as calmly about it all as if it were foolish to make any ado, as well as impossible to attempt any change for the better. Talk of all this calmly–think of that! Quite calmly of living along in sin all the rest of his days! How horrible!! Suppose a wife should say to her husband, “I love you some, but you know I love many other men too, and that I find. it pleasant to indulge myself with them. You certainly must be aware that all women are frail creatures and liable to fall continually, and indeed you know that I expect to fall more or less as it may happen every day I live, so that you certainly will not expect from me anything so impracticable and fanatical as unblemished virtue! You know we have none of us any idea of being perfect in the present life–we don’t believe in any such thing!”

Now let me ask you to look at this woman and hear what she has to say. Can you hear her talk so, without having your soul filled with horror? What! is this woman a wife, and does she think and talk in this way about conjugal fidelity?

And yet this is not to be compared in shocking guilt and treason with the case of the Christian who says, “I expect to sin every day I live,” and who says this with unmoved carelessness. You expect to be a traitor to Jesus each day of your life; to crucify him afresh each day; to put him each day to an open shame; each day to dishonour his name, and grieve his heart, and to bring sorrow and shame upon all who love Christ’s cause; and yet you talk about having a good hope through grace! But tell me, does not every true Christian say, “Do not let me live at all if I cannot live without sin; for how can I bear to go on day by day sinning against him whom I so much love!”