#055

DUTY  AND  DESTINY

          Dear Xaverim (friends) I hope you remember the purpose of these Xala Breads.  They are to encourage us to think for ourselves and to seek out God’s answers to us individually to questions that may arise from what I bake.  It may be like baking in the same kitchen but producing a different delightful dish….one that meets with our individual taste buds.

          My son called yesterday and had a very provocative question.  Of course it sent me to the kitchen to sort out which ingredients might be required to produce this Xala bread to made sense for me.  So, if you like the way it turned out…please feel free to use this recipe.

MY SON ASKED

          “If a person thinks there is no destiny, how can they think there is no duty?”  This took a lot of inspection on my part because of course I was considering it from my point of view and environment, whereas he may have been seeing it from another perspective.  So, I await his explanation.
          While I wait…I bake:

Xala Bread

DUTY  AND  DESTINY

          What is duty anyway?  It sounds like work to me; an obligation to fulfill a task.
          Do we work with a purpose?  Are we going somewhere as we carry out an assignment?  Do we have a mental picture of where we want to go?  Will our “duty” propel us towards our “destiny’?

WHAT IS OUR
FINAL
DESTINY?
(What does it have to do with our present destiny?)

          Surely our final destiny is with our Lord in Heaven.  If we’ve asked Him into our heart to be our Lord and we’ve given our life over to Him, then we surely want to keep our eyes on where we’re going.  That is our greatest destiny.

SHORT  TERM 
DUTIES and DESTINIES

          When people are young they may see their destiny in short term sequences.  They may think they are destined to be a great doctor, athlete, parent, or teacher.  On the other hand many may think they are destined to be a loser with no special duties to perform.
          But, God says He has a plan for each of us with a future and a hope.  (Jeremiah 29:11).  To give us an expected end.  He has a destiny (point of arrival) for us in Heaven and on earth.  Truth is; there may be several destinies we will reach during our life time on earth.  Each one will require that we carry out our “duty”.
          God created man to work so we will always be doing some kind of work or creative activity.  If we have no vision or desire to reach our short 
term earthly destiny (destination), then it’s likely that we won’t enjoy our “duty”.
          But, if we know where we plan to go, then we can JOYFULLY carry out our duty.  Life on earth is too short not to enjoy the journey.

FIRST  DUTY – ETERNAL – TO GOD
SECOND DUTY – TEMPERAL – TO MAN

The word “duty” would make a great “walk-about”.

          God doesn’t ask us to pay Him back:  we can’t.  Salvation is His Free Gift to all who will RECEIVE it in SINCERITY. 
          I think it would be a most informative “walk-about” to see what God says is our duty.  What is expected of us as His sons and daughters?
          Since we are made in His image, He gives us FREE CHOICE to choose our own destiny…the temporal as well as the eternal.  So, if we choose to become a nurse, I believe it’s our “duty” to be the best nurse we know how.  If we believe our “destiny” is to be a loving and wise parent and mate, I think it is our “duty” to do our best to reach that destiny (destination).
          As we carry out our earthly (second-temporal) duties, I believe God desires that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  And we show wisdom when we invoke these scriptures into whatever we do.

MY  FAVORITE  DUTY/DESTINY VERSE IS;
Luke 17:10
(Also verses 7-10)

We have (only) done that which was our duty to do.

          My interpretation of these 4 verses is that we don’t need a lot of praise or glory for doing an exceptionally good job of whatever we do.  Perhaps it is our desired destiny (destination) to always do our best at whatever we do. 
We won’t need someone to tell us what to do because we have already chosen our own destiny:  that which is:

          “What ever my hand finds to do, I shall do it with all my might.”
(From Ecclesiastes 9:10)

ETERNAL  DESTINY AND DESIRE
To Hear the Words
Mat 25:21

          Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
We want to be able to say:

  Lord, we have only done our DUTY.
We have only done our Job…the best we knew how.

Please visit the Dedication Page