Morning Devotional

August  18, 2005
"Must Do's, Got To's and Have To's"      
    by Don Emmitte

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And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. (Romans 12:1-2 NLT).

Not long ago in a manager’s meeting we were challenged with a list of “must do’s, got to’s, and have to’s.” I’m sure you get the idea of the basic import of these things. They simply were some of the basics that are required for success in our business. There are always going to be those things in our lives. Some things are simply indispensable.

I have enjoyed being able to watch my grandchildren, Faith and Logan, do so many little things as they develop. While they are similar in many ways, their personalities are certainly different. Logan’s eating habits are very different that Faith’s. He will eat almost anything set before him with gusto. Faith on the other hand has some very particular tastes in her food. Now that she is entering the stage where her communication skills are developing, she can refuse those foods she doesn’t like with an upturned nose and sharp “no.” It is almost as if she believes that she simply can’t eat these foods. And, the curious thing is that they are things that you would think anyone would love. Not long ago she declined to eat her macaroni and cheese! I thought how odd that was, but never the less, she wouldn’t have anything to do with it. It was almost cute, though I refrained from smiling too much.  That certainly doesn’t help the cause of discipline!

As I went to our reading this morning I began to think about how many times we adults do the same thing, particularly when it comes to being obedient to God. We refuse by thinking “I can’t do it,” when, in fact, we really mean, “I won’t do it”? We tell God we can’t change, that we can’t handle a situation, that we can’t give up a habit, that we can’t learn to love our neighbors, when, if we are brutally honest with ourselves, we really mean we won’t control our anger, we won’t stay within our budget, we won’t stop overeating, we won’t love our wives as Christ loved the church (and don’t even start up about the neighbors!).

The Book of Romans teaches us that we are free NOT to sin, free to walk in godly obedience, free to live the life God intended us to live. If you drill down into Romans 12, you’ll discover that the Spirit of God within you is constantly at work, changing you for God’s glory and pleasure. Although an enemy is working against you, he that is within you is greater than he that is in the world. So really YOU and one little word – can’t – are the only things stopping you from maturing in your walk with Christ. You are a new creation in Christ – and free to walk in obedience! Changing to be more Christ-like is one of the must do’s, got to’s, and have to’s. Ask God to turn your “I can'ts” and “I won'ts” into “I will’s.” He is there to make it happen!