The Urgency of Necessity
Today’s Verse
And he must needs go through Samaria. ~John 4:4
The word “necessity” implies something of the highest priority. It is what we have to do. It is what we make essential and imperative. As we consider the Christian life, we must be clear on what the high priorities of our life are. Jesus was returning to Galilee and had to go through Samaria to get there. Let us consider the urgency of necessity.
There is the “must need” of the gospel.
“And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent” (Luke 4:43). The gospel is for all men. In Acts 1:8, God commands that the gospel be preached in cities, in counties, on coastlines, in the country, and on every continent. It needs to be preached to men, women, all ethnic groups, every language, and every place where there are people. Paul said, “For necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”
There is the “must need” to go.
Jesus must needs go through Samaria. We must obey God and go wherever He sends us. We must obey God and go where other men have not gone (“the uttermost parts of the earth”). We must go, even if other men do not go. We must go, even if we go alone. We must go with a passion for lost souls going to Hell. We must go in the power of the Holy Spirit. We must go with perseverance and not be someone who gives up easily. We must go with determination that if we do not go, we are in disobedience to the Lord. Jesus felt the necessity to go through Samaria in spite of a long, historical hatred between Jews and Samaritans. We must be careful not to let our biases or fears keep us from going.
There is the “must need” of grieving.
“If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities” (2 Corinthians 11:30). Our human nature enjoys it when we receive glory for our accomplishments and successes. On the other hand, Paul made it clear that he gloried in his infirmities. Why is it a necessity to glory in our infirmities? First, it is God’s will that we glory in our suffering and trouble. Second, it is demonstrating our submission to God in our infirmities. Third, it is accepting that there is good in times of suffering and trouble. We will never fully appreciate God’s comfort and grace in our life until we glory in our infirmities.
There is the “must need” in glory.
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14). We must glory in the mortification of the cross. The cross symbolizes my death to self and sin. My life is not about me, but about my Saviour. We must glory in the message of the cross. The message of the cross is the suffering, shed blood, and death of Jesus for every sinner. It is a message that every sinner needs to hear. The cross is where I first saw the light, confessed to God that I was a sinner on the way to Hell, and, by faith, called on the name of the Lord to save me.
The urgency of necessity prioritizes what I should be doing in life. Go to God in prayer today, and ask Him to help you identify the “must needs” for your life.
Have a prioritized God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Numbers 26-27