It is my privilege to worship
and serve the Lord my God. It is a privilege to hear the gospel, worship with
the people of God and preach the gospel of the grace of God. It is a privilege
to enjoy the warmth of a loving home. And it is a privilege to live in this
land of liberty, peace, and prosperity. While I do sincerely look upon all
these things as great privileges of God's providential grace, for which I am
sincerely thankful, I also recognize that EVERY GREAT PRIVILEGE PLACES UPON
ME AN EQUALLY GREAT RESPONSIBILITY. There are some responsibilities which I
cannot neglect except to my own eternal destruction.
It is my responsibility to SEEK THE GLORY of God in all things and above all things. The first, primary concern of my heart must be the glory of God.
It is my responsibility to SEEK THE WILL OF GOD. In all matters, in all decisions, in all actions the will of God is paramount.
It is my responsibility to PREACH THE GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD. Having been taught the gospel of Christ, and having been called of God to the work of the gospel ministry, if I fail to faithfully proclaim the gospel of God's grace and glory in Christ, if I fail to do what I can for the furtherance of the gospel, if I fail to point sinners to the Substitute, I will surely perish! "Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel!" (See Ezek. 33:7-9)
It is my responsibility to SERVE THE INTERESTS OF OUR LORD'S CHURCH AND KINGDOM. Whatever the Lord has entrusted to my hands (time, talents, gifts, money, property, etc.), he has entrusted me with to use them for the welfare of his elect. God has not given me anything on this earth to use selfishly. I am only a steward, entrusted with certain treasures from the Lord Jesus Christ to be used for his glory, for the furtherance of the gospel, and for the good of his people.
As a father and a husband, it is my responsibility to
SEEK THE WELFARE OF MY FAMILY. As God's representative, I am prophet,
priest and king in my household. God holds me responsible to love, protect and
provide for my family's physical, emotional and spiritual welfare. For me to
neglect this responsibility would be nothing less than a denial of the faith,
open and decided rebellion against Christ my Lord (I Tim. 5:8).
Every believer, to a greater or lesser degree, must
be overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility before God. Another word for this
sense of responsibility is FAITHFULNESS. This is just one characteristic
of God's elect. This is the one thing God requires of us all. Our efforts in all
these areas are far from perfect. We lack much. We often err in our judgment.
Yet, our Lord does require faithfulness from his people. He requires of us a
sense of commitment, dedication, and responsibility.