For the way to make repayment for that revelation of God through capture and enslavement is to declare and make known His wonders to every race under heaven.

  - Patrick, Confession (British, 5th century)

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.

  - 1 Corinthians 6.19, 20

The idea that we "owe" something to God might not sit well in the minds of some believers. Should we do things because we "owe" obedience to God, because we "ought" to do them?

For some believers, anything we do which is not motivated exclusively by willing, loving obedience is hypocrisy, and ought (oops) to be avoided.

Such an approach to living the Christian life tends to put a good deal of stock in feelings. If I feel like praying or reading the Scriptures or talking with someone about the Lord, then I'll certainly do so. If I do these things because I feel like I owe them to God, then that's merely superficial, and I don't want anything superficial in my life.

But waiting around for our affections to move us to action is not normally the best approach to following Jesus. Obedience is. And obedience is not well served by waiting to feel like we want to obey.

The fact is, we owe everything to Jesus and to our heavenly Father. We exist because it pleased Him to grant us life. We live because He daily sustains us by His steadfast love and faithfulness. We are forgiven because of His grace. We look forward to heaven because of His faithfulness.

We are not our own; we are owned by Him Who gave His life that we might be saved. Thus, we owe to Him everything - our time, treasure, talents, prospects, everything we are and have. We are not our own. We are His, and He owns us because He has purchased us at the high cost of His own blood.

Patrick understood this well. Did he feel like going back to Ireland, to serve among the people who had enslaved him, and from whom he had fled? He was terrified at the prospect. His mission among the Irish was filled with hardship and danger every day - not the sort of thing we sign up for because we feel like this will be, you know, fun.

Patrick was clear about what he needed to do in making repayment for the grace which had been shown to him. His obedience changed the Western world (read about his achievement in my book, The Legacy of Patrick).

And what about us? Would you say that your day is spent consciously, moment-by-moment, seeking to make repayment for the lashes and thorns, the blows and blood which your sins inflicted on our pure and innocent Savior? Are you still holding on to something in your life, as if it were your own, as if you knew better than Jesus how to make best use of your life?

We are fools if we rely on our feelings to move us to action for Jesus' sake. We are called to obey; the feelings may come as we do, but, then again, they may not.

We can never repay the debt we owe to our Lord. But we can make good faith payments every day of our lives.

And our lives will only be truly full and abounding in joy, peace, and meaning as we do.

Let us help you prepare for this journey by showing you how to gain a better perspective and learn a better approach to the life of spiritual maturity. Sign-up today for the course, Spiritual Maturity 1: Revival. In just a few short weeks you will discover how to make better use of your time and energies in making repayment to the Lord for all He has done for you.

And you will know greater joy and purpose in life as you do. The feelings, you see, come after the obedience, not unto it.

T. M. Moore, Principal

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