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The six parables of the Olivet Prophecy can be summarized in the following six principles:
Jesus understood what the end time would be like, and thus He gave commensurate instruction on how to overcome it and how not to be drawn into this world's distractions. A Christian cannot afford to succumb to these pressure-packed, enervating, and distracting times that we live in. These God-given principles apply to a multitude of specific circumstances: how we conduct our marriages and careers, how we rear our children, how we run our homes, how we drive a car, how we dress, how we talk, how we entertain ourselves. In every case—always—the Kingdom of God covers all parts of our lives. It covers everything all the time for those who are called in this age. We look to the future, but we live in the present. Are we living by what we believe? Are we truly living by faith? We look for a city whose builder is God, and as His representatives we witness for Him in the way we live our lives. The Laodicean is distracted—he is living by what he sees—and is useless to Christ because he is not a faithful and true witness. The righteous live by faith not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). And so we must live and grow as the return of Christ nears day by day. John W. Ritenbaugh
Related Topics: Duty
| End Times
| Jesus Christ's Return
| Laodiceanism
| Parable of the Faithful and True Servants
| Parable of the Fig Tree
| Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
| Parable of the Talents
| Parable of the Ten Virgins
| Parable of the Thief
| Preparedness
| Prophecy, Olivet
| Relationship with God
| Relationships
| Watching
| Witness
| Worldliness
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What the Bible Says about Duty
Duty has no limit except the Master's will. We are servants, not our own, because Christ bought us with His blood, so God owns us and all we have, even our time. We can never go "above and beyond" or put God in our debt, since Scripture commands every good thing within our power. The servant is always a debtor of service, while the Master is never a debtor of reward. We serve because we belong to Him and love Him, though He does reward the faithful. Duty also extends to others, as the Greek dikaios means giving everyone his due through civility, consideration, and respect. Because God is faithful, we must imitate Him by faithfully obeying.
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Obligation's closest synonym is "duty." It is produced by a strong and compelling sense of indebtedness for a benefit or service received, or by being bound by contract, promise, or law. Obligation is what one owes in return for a favor or because a law or promise demands one must give it. Adherence to duty or obligation produces loyalty or faithfulness. John W. Ritenbaugh
The word picture in Philippians 3:12-14 is of men straining to win a foot race. The Christian life is especially like the longer races where the runner must sustain a winning frame of mind over a longer period of time. We cannot run our race like the hare of the "Tortoise and the Hare" fable, in which the hare took a nap during the race. Paul illustrates that after having received God's grace, our responsibility is to return full effort to God in striving to perfection in moral, ethical, and spiritual areas. He did not see the struggle against sin, fear, and doubt as being accomplished by God alone. The apostle is here urging his erring brothers to follow his example in persistently concentrating on our common goal. Life for us now consists of discarding wrong attitudes and habits accumulated in the past. In modern, psychological terms, we must lose our baggage. For us, the past is dead, buried in the waters of baptism. With that behind us, we must diligently make unwavering progress in putting out the leaven of sin, growing in God's love, producing the fruit of God's Spirit, moving toward the Kingdom of God, and putting on Christ's perfection, His image in us. John W. Ritenbaugh
The Elements of Motivation (Part Four): Obligation
Philippians 3:12-14
Five Teachings of Grace
Find more Bible verses about Duty:
Duty {Nave's}