Free Will is Greater than Duty
When I was young my family had a dog which we all loved. What I didn’t love was waking up early to take him for a walk. One day my father asked me if I wanted to take the dog for a walk. My answer was a lesson I will never forget.
I said no, which was not the answer my father was hoping for. He walked away frustrated, to walk the dog himself. I went after him. “I’ll do it. I just don’t want to do it.” Then I learned my lesson. “I’ll do it. I want you to want to do it,” he said. Needless to say, I walked the dog that day.
We do many things in life we don’t want, but out of duty we ‘plough through with our head down’ until our task is finished. This is true at work, at school, in Church, and sadly even among our own family. Ultimately, we know certain things, like walking the dog, must be done. We do them, but we receive a greater sense of joy when we accomplish tasks we desire.
PAUL, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker, and Apphia our sister and Archippos our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may promote the knowledge of all the good that is ours in Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you – I, Paul, an ambassador and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus – I appeal to you for my child, Onesimos, whose father I have become in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will. Perhaps this is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand, I will repay it – to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be granted to you. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchos, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Philemon 1.1-25
Today the Church commemorates Saint Onesimos, who once escaped from Saint Philemon. As we understand from today’s reading, he was sent back to Saint Philemon by Saint Paul in obedience. He was later sent by Saint Philemon to minister to Saint Paul in jail. Once free will was exercised among everyone, greater love was expressed.
That is our lesson for today. God doesn’t want us to serve Him out of duty. He wants us to ‘want’ to serve Him. Love does not obligate. Love draws two together through free will. When we work out of duty, we are entitled to the reward.
That was the lesson my father taught me so many years ago. When we use our free will, then even difficult things are a joy. Saint Onesimos was tortured and killed for Christ, but not out of duty. He endured torture through his free will and was rewarded by God.
As you go about your day today, ponder this question. “Do you want to serve God?” If the answer is ‘yes’, then even the difficulty will not be a burden. This is the meaning behind Christ’s invitation, “Whoever desires to follow Me, let him deny himself, take us his cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8.34) It isn’t a duty to follow Christ. It is a joy when you use free will.
