Our Obligation to the LORD

Yes, I have obligation to the LORD. He has given more than I deserve and I am obligated to Him for that gift.

I know what you might be thinking, “it was a gift, how do I owe for it”. Well, it is not that I owe anything, it is thanks that I am obligated to give in return. That thanks is partly conveyed in our receiving of the gift, and the balance is conveyed in word and action. I am obligated to say “Thank you” for the gift of salvation and reciprocate with my actions to demonstrate my acceptance of the gift and dedication of my life and self to Him.

But, our reciprocation is not just receipt, thanks, and dedication, it is to be the FIRST things we do. In verses 35 through 37 of Nehemiah 10, there is the outline of those things that are obligated to the LORD. Those things are noted as not just the things, but the first of those things.

“³⁵We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord; ³⁶also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; ³⁷and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor.” – Nehemiah 10:35-37 (ESV)

So, the obligation I have to the LORD is to reciprocate with the FIRST of everything to Him. I arise in the mornings and pray thanks and petition to the LORD. I give the first of my day to Him. I study His Word first and then on with the rest of my day. I give first to Him and then live on the rest. I am dedicating my life and self to Him and His worship. I am prioritizing the LORD over all else.

What a thing to say it out loud for me and all to hear, as I have done in the above paragraph. It is one thing to internalize things, it is another to say it aloud. I will obligate, and not just obligate, but the first of me to the LORD. He GAVE me the GIFT of salvation and I am obligated to thanks and dedication to Him in return.

What is your thoughts on your obligation to the LORD? Did you just get the gift of salvation and it is time to move on? What if you realized the gift and reciprocated with receipt, thanks, and dedication to Him and did so through obligation and with the first of you?