It is written that “the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). Is it good to be a servant? I think many would say no. But is it good to be a servant of God? Here one must pause and think before answering. Some of the apostles called themselves servants of God, and in the light of their ministry to people, it becomes clear that this is a special title not given to everyone.
A sense of duty is a state of mind in which I understand that I have unfulfilled obligations to someone, and this awareness prompts me to do everything possible to settle my debts and become free.
A sense of duty can be a good motivation to organize my actions systematically in order to gain freedom and independence.
In a positive sense, a sense of duty may be called gratitude, which changes the motive behind the relationship. For example, if I see matters in this way—“I am so grateful that you lent me money and helped solve my problems, and I will do everything possible to repay you more quickly”—then such a motive and state of mind does not spoil the debtor’s life. On the contrary, it contains a positive element.
Are we indebted to God? The more I come to know the Creator and the more I discover the beauty of His character, the more I realize that I owe Him a debt I can never repay. At the same time, the Lord does not demand repayment of this debt. He is ready to give me everything necessary for my sustenance and happiness. It turns out that He created me in order to serve me with His riches and bestow His blessings upon me because He loves me. It is His love for me, together with my awareness of this pure relationship, that produces responsive feelings in my heart, frees me from the sense of indebtedness, and fills my being with love and gratitude. Therefore, I desire to do so much in return.
But the enemy of souls attempts to pervert God’s love and present it in a different light. If he succeeds in convincing people that God gives on loan in order to receive something in return, the soul falls into the harshest slavery and spends a lifetime trying unsuccessfully to escape it. How many teachings are built upon the idea that a person must do something to appease his god and earn what that god offers! Many rituals, traditions, holidays, and services directed toward God have no meaning whatsoever, yet they are scrupulously observed because this is customary and because people believe they please God. We await such events and congratulate one another without considering whether anyone needs them. Unfortunately, all of this distorts God’s character, making it impossible to understand what He is truly like.
I am very often compelled to help some of my friends emerge from a state of deep disappointment and resentment toward everyone around them—a condition into which they have fallen because they became emotionally burned out while serving in some missionary project. At first, I thought this was merely the problem of workaholism, when a person desires to do more than he is able. But when the number of such friends increases and their problems are the same, one begins to understand that the philosophy of communism has penetrated Christianity and is attempting to embody itself in missionary service. If I build my ministry upon the motto that any means are acceptable for achieving the goal, how will Heaven regard it, and how right will it be?
While working with people, I noticed that only two very powerful motivators give them tremendous momentum and the energy necessary to accomplish assigned tasks: money and love. Every other slogan and incentive eventually collapses, damaging people’s minds as well. But someone must pay the money; it must be available, and if it is available, it must be used to develop the work rather than pay wages. Love, meanwhile, must be obtained from somewhere, and a person must know how to use it and must learn it. When neither one nor the other is available, the most reliable remaining means is to convince a person that he is obligated. Unfortunately, this works.
But the debtor’s soul longs for freedom and searches for it.
Let us consider the following illustration.
A man and a woman met, fell in love, realized that they could not live without each other, and decided to start a family. After the wedding, the husband made a list every morning of the tasks his wife had to complete while he was at work. In the evening, he checked whether everything had been done correctly. This continued year after year. The wife performed her duties without complaint, and the husband performed his. Their lives became a routine of tasks and obligations toward one another.
Then tragedy struck, and the husband died. Afterward, someone appeared who loved the poor widow and offered her his hand and heart. She accepted. They had a wedding and a honeymoon. Then the time came for ordinary daily life, and the new husband handed his wife a folded sheet of paper. She groaned in horror, “Oh, not this again!” Her husband looked at her in surprise and said, “I wrote you a poem. Read it.” He went to work, while she attended to the household. Every morning, a new surprise from her beloved husband’s imagination awaited her.
One day, while sorting through her belongings, the wife found among them a list of tasks from her first husband. The memories made her feel ill. She decided to destroy the paper immediately, but then she picked it up and read it. All the pain and suffering of the unbearable slavery of her former family life swept over her in the form of bitter tears. She read the list of tasks and grieved over the lost years of her life. How she rejoiced that everything was different now, that she was free and happy, and that she could do whatever she desired without fear of punishment or accusation! Suddenly, an understanding dawned upon her. She read the entire list again in bewilderment. She was now doing the very same tasks and even more than had been required—and she found joy in doing them. She wanted to do even more, but her husband asked her to leave some time for him as well, to which she gladly agreed.
It is not difficult for me to do something good for those whom I love. This gives me special joy. At times, I even become very sad when all my good deeds and words remain unclaimed and unwanted. Then I must rejoice simply because I am a friend who is ready to love at all times. But if I am given to understand that I must do something because it is my obligation, my sense of responsibility helps me complete the task. Yet without love, it becomes such a burden that I want to cast it off as quickly as possible and find something more interesting that brings joy to my soul. Sometimes, however, life and circumstances compel me to be what I must be and do what must be done, and I have to prepare myself for it. I have noticed that as soon as I begin investing all my love in such duties, the work becomes more interesting and easier than it is without love.
Freedom is good, but if it makes me lazy, there is nothing good about such freedom. Satan will always find something to occupy an idle person.
The Bible calls us to “owe no man any thing, but to love one another.”
Based on this verse, I enjoy asking my friends, “When are you going to repay your debt?” Some repay it immediately, while others have nothing to give. But I share what I myself possess.
Homework 104
Did you learn anything new from this lesson? What kinds of debts do you know? Is it good to have debts? How can a sense of duty be distinguished from ordinary responsibilities? What is the difference? Can people’s minds be manipulated through a sense of duty? Have you experienced anything similar in your life? Is it right to have a sense of indebtedness toward God? After all, an enormous Price was paid for us! Please read Proverbs 22:7; Deuteronomy 15:2; Nehemiah 5:8–11; Matthew 18:23–35; and Romans 13:8 in the light of our lesson.