I believe the pursuit of joy and happiness is a major quest of humanity. And a query that has been on my mind lately is ‘Am I doing things out of JOY or DUTY?’.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Consider the analogy of a wedding anniversary – mine is on April 1. Suppose on this day I bring home a dozen long-stemmed roses for Rhiannon. When she meets me at the door, I hold out the roses, and she says, “O Greg, they’re beautiful; thank you” and gives me a big hug.
Then suppose I hold up my hand and say “Don’t mention it; it’s my duty.” What happens? Is not the exercise of duty a noble thing? Do not we honour those we dutifully serve? Not much I believe. Not if there’s no heart in it.
The roses are a contradiction in terms. If I am not moved by a spontaneous affection for her as a person, the roses do not honour her. They are a covering the fact she does not have worth in my eyes to kindle true affection. I believe this is the same when it comes to our Worship of God. The real duty of worship is not the outward duty to say or do the ritual. It is the inward duty, the command: “Delight yourself in the Lord”! (Psalm 37:4).
The reason this is the real duty of worship is that it honours God, while the empty performance of ritual does not. If I take my wife out for the evening on our anniversary and she asks me, “Why do you do this?” the answer that honours her most is “Because nothing make me happier than to be with you.”
“It’s my DUTY” is a dishonour to her. “It’s my JOY” is an honour. How shall we honour loved ones and honour God? By saying “It’s my DUTY” or “It’s my JOY”?
