Doing What Is Required

            Do you find yourself sometimes wondering if you are doing what YaHVaH requires of you? I do. Now I’m not talking about the really important things. What I am referring to is the things you do for your assembly, church, brethren, sisters, work and society.

Let’s take the assembly/church first. Are you going to the services all the time just because you feel it is expected of you? After all, don’t the real dedicated ones go every time the doors open? Not really. You can be the most dedicated and faith-filled believer and not show up at assembly all of the time. You have to be in the Will of YaHVaH. If His Will is for you to be there, then by all means be there. What if He requires you to miss assembly sometimes to support your family, to visit the sick, or maybe just to talk to a neighbor who is feeling lonely? You never know unless you are seeking His Will, and not just making sure you attend because it is “expected.” Another area is the works in the assembly. Are you volunteering to do the work for YaHVaH’s glory and by His direction, or is it for your own glory just to be seen? Make sure you are sincerely doing what He desires in this area. Remember, as an example, you want to only do what He desires for you and the assembly. This will keep you from exaggerated expectations and from looking stupid later. He does not want us to be shamed or to bring shame upon His assembly.

Brethren and sisters are very necessary in a working assembly. Quite often though, many brethren and sisters put burdens on us not required by YaHVaH. For instance, YaHVaH does require you to help your brethren or sisters as you are able; however, He does not require us to sacrifice to them in the amount that causes us to not provide for ourselves or our family. Too many times, someone says to a fellow believer or myself: “I thought you were a believer/Christian/religious person? How can you not give me some food or drink?” If the person asking is poor or destitute, that is one thing, but usually they are not. A lot of times, the person asking from you does so to make his/her own food last longer, regardless if you starve or thirst. YaHVaH says He will not burden us beyond what we can bear. Too many times though, our fellow brethren or sisters ask for what they want or believe they need, ignoring your own needs. Those in true NEED are to be taken care of, but you do not have to give every time someone asks of you. YaHVaH expects us to look out for our welfare and that of our families, yet also asks for us to keep that in perspective with His Will and the NEEDS He wishes us to meet for others. Another burden, a brother or sister may put on someone, is the burden of extra works that are not required. If I tell a brethren to open the assembly doors at 6 a.m. and stay by the doors until service starts, when I know no one will arrive until after 8 a.m. and the brother or sister should be home with his/her family; then I have unnecessarily placed a burden on him/her that is not required. What I am getting at is to evaluate what you are asking someone else to do or asking from them. If an unfair burden is put on them, then it is not in YaHVaH’s Will.

Work is one of the most burdensome things we have to deal with. Too many of us work beyond what is required of us. Do your competent best at your job AND make sure you allow time for YaHVaH’s other desires in your life, to fulfill His Will. Be careful you do not get so caught up in work, you miss the rest of LIFE!

The last thing is society. This too can place requirements on us or make us think things are required to be a part of society. Getting caught up in society can place us out of YaHVaH’s Will real easily. How? By becoming more concerned with the world than we are with His requirements. For example, is it necessary to buy that Porsche to live in that neighborhood? YaHVaH might require you to only buy a Yugo, so that you can help others. Don’t get caught up in things that are prideful and ignore the things of YaHVaH.

YaHVaH requires us all to walk humbly before Him and to seek His way instead of the way of the world. He requires us to be in His Will and allow Him to guide our tasks, not our own vain glory or the unfair wants of others. Shalom!!!

First published 3-2008, © 2008, 2018 Min. Dr. Donald H. Garrett and Odon Obadyah Ministries, Inc.

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