FFF 12:5 (May 1966)
The Believer’s Daily Duty
“A certain nobleman went into a far country…and he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:12-13).
If you are to be a useful and fruitful Christian as you journey onward, upward, and homeward, there are certain daily duties to which you must pay close and careful attention. Let us consider five such duties.
Our Duty to the Scriptures
To make headway in the things of God and to be a blessing to others, and to be usable in God’s hand, we must be like the Bereans of whom we read, “These were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11).
It is good and profitable to listen to ministry whenever possible, to read good books and magazines, and to accept all possible help from other Christians, but the reading and the studying of God’s Word is of paramount importance. There are many inspiring and helpful books today, and it is rewarding to carefully select and use them, but to be really strong and fit for the Master’s use, we must know the Scriptures of truth. A knowledge of the Bible comes only by reading it; to know it well one must read it often.
Our Duty Toward Self
In Luke chapter 9, verse 23, the Lord said to His disciples, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Another version than the King James says, “If any man would come after Me, let him say no to himself and nail it to the cross daily and follow Me.” How hard it is to say no to self! One can say no to his fellows, to his friends, to his family, but to say no to self is very difficult.
There may be some things that we want which would be to us quite helpful, ‘but these very things might stumble a weaker brother. If that be the case, then we must say no to self, and nail it to the cross daily and follow Christ. That is what the crucified life really means. Neither the world, the carnal believer nor the devil like the crucified life. The world asserts, “That is going too far;” the carnal believer says, “That it is not necessary;” and the devil insists that it does not matter how one lives. The devout saint who has counted the cost declares, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 3:20).
Our Duty Toward the World
The early disciples felt their responsibility to their fellowman. They had a burden for those who were dying in their sins. Their concern was so great that they were willing to suffer imprisonment and torture to win them for the Lord.
According to the fifth chapter of the Book of Acts some of those early disciples did endure imprisonment and stripes because of their preaching, and were told by the magistrates not to speak further in the name of Jesus, but of them it is stated: “And they departed from the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ” (Vs. 41-42).
Yes, our attitude should be to present Christ to the world daily. We have been saved by God’s grace alone, and He has left us here to be His witnesses. You may not be called to a platform or pulpit to be a preacher, but there are many other ways of presenting the gospel of Christ and the Christ of the gospel to the world. You can do it by the life that you live as well as by the words that you speak; a godly life is the best presentation of the Lord Jesus to others. A young lady was asked by a friend, “By whose preaching were you brought to know the Saviour?” It was not by anyone’s preaching;” she replied, “It was by my aunt’s living.”
Our Duty to the Saints
Each believer has a responsibility toward every other believer. We read, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:12-13).
Here is a very important work for God. How many need to be helped in this way! Think of the weary and lonely labourers in God’s harvest field: Sunday School teachers, tract distributers, visitors of the sick, missionaries, evangelists, etc. These all need to be encouraged. Perhaps a word of exhortation is long overdue; many may give up for lack of a word of cheer. Instead of the word of exhortation and encouragement some have received criticism; they have been hindered when they should have been helped. We failed them; failed to give the smile of approval, the word of appreciation, and the interest of prayer. Please note what it says here, “But exhort one another daily while it is called today.” This particular day will soon be over, the sun is setting fast, and the opportunities to be a blessing the one to the other will soon be over forever.
How sad it will be at the Judgment Seat of Christ to find out that we have been a stumbling block to our brother, and that we are at fault because of his fall.
Our Duty to the Lord
Let us pay attention to a verse in the Book of Proverbs: “Blessed is the man that heareth Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors” (Prov. 8:34). How important it is for us to be always on the tiptoe of expectation! Our glorious Lord is coming again very soon. “His coming is as certain as the dawn.” Our daily attitude should be that of watching. Our Lord said, “Watch ye therefore; for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight. or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping” (Mark 13:35-36). Are we watching for the Lord from Heaven? His coming is imminent; our labours for Him will soon be over; the opportunities of Christian service ended. May we be found faithful. May we not be ashamed before Him in His presence.