“I delight to do Thy will, O my God.” Psalm 40:8
Recently I was reading a blog where the subject was controversial. I was really struck by a comment that went something like this: “Well, the verse says ‘ought,’ not ‘must,’ so that leaves it open to your own discretion.”
At first, I thought Hmmm! A loophole! (This was a subject that in certain circumstances does not come easily for me, so I was glad to think that.) I kept thinking about it; I think that because the loop-hole conclusion wasn’t the one He wanted me to reach, the Lord kept it on my mind. I realized that there was more to it than technicalities. In my relationship with my Lord, perhaps ought should mean must. I thought of the relationship between a husband and wife. We’ve all heard the expression, “Your wish is my command,” a romantic way of saying that whatever my loved one desires, I will do it for him. Is my relationship with my Lord and Savior one of such love and devotion that my response to His desires is complete, happy obedience? I pray that it would be so!
Walking this way is actually liberty, not bondage. James 1:25 says, “Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” It has been said that liberty is not the license to do what we want, but the assistance to do what we ought. Furthermore, God promises us blessing if we obey Him! It’s possible that in our day-to-day life, while serving and fulfilling the wishes of our loved ones, we may not get the appreciation that we would like. However, we can count on our Lord to always notice, appreciate, and bless us for any act of service we do for Him in obedience.