Obligation

Quite honestly….. I don’t think ‘obligation’ is a good motivator. The ‘hafta’ foundation rarely produces the desired a and e ffect . Obligation carries with it the feeling you should wanna, regardless. And the status of obligation comes from...?

Take a look at some of the spiritual haftas - love, for example. But are there other haftas... most of them that sound like a hafta are really our choices, our decisions. Totally different. But, when it is love... for me, love is more of a wanna. What does scripture say?

   “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you

Except to be just, and to love [and to diligently practice] kindness (compassion),

And to walk humbly with your God [setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness]?" [Micha 6:8] AMP

Listen to how the Message Bible states the Lord's desire:

   "But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, 

be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously—

take God seriously."

However it is phrased... is this really beyond us to do, be? Are these requirements of just, kind, walk humbly more than man can do? Or is this a mindset... a matter of our choices on our own frame of reference? You need to know: 1. the definition of obligation and 2. who's the originator of the obligation.

Bibletools.org says:

   "We come under obligation when we are rendered a service, producing indebtedness to the one who performed it. We feel required to respond by repaying the indebtedness, and in many cases, a heartfelt "thank you" is in order, at the very least. True obligation, closely related to accountability and responsibility, is a deep conviction that we owe someone something.  ...

   Notice this in I Peter 1:15-16: ". . . but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'" Because God, our spiritual Father whom we represent, is holy, we are under obligation to be holy ourselves. Peter draws on our sense of obligation to the Father to exhort us to obedient conduct. He then intensifies our sense of obligation by reminding us that we owe our lives to Christ because He redeemed us:"

 

Does 'obligation' stop us from doing 'something' we want to? Probably... because let's face it some of our 'wantings' really aren't good for us. When we have a check in our spirits that causes us (or should) to stop and reconsider - we need to listen to our checks. Is this a 'bad'? Of course not. I would argue that the spiritual obligations are those that are designed to help us become and do our best. And these are not burdensome, they are foundational, and keep us grounded. 

Bottom line is... what do YOU feel obligated about? Are you doing anything about the feeling? How do you handle what you believe are obligations? And... are they truly obligations?