I frequently see articles or videos captioned, “Must Read!” or “Must See!” and there is this little sense of guilt when I don’t have time or am not inclined to read or watch. Sometimes I will, but not always; either way, I know that, whether I read, or I watch, God’s relationship with me and the work He is doing in my life will not be affected.

I understand the passion behind sending or posting such messages; I’m just not convinced the Holy Spirit is telling every person who sees or is sent the “Must Read” or “Must See” messages truly must do that. Sometimes I allow, or put a burden on myself to read or watch something that I think I “should;” yet that’s a heavier burden than the one Jesus promised—He said that His burden is light!

I do believe that the Bible is a “Must Read.”

And I recognize that there are some “Must dos” in the Bible—the most recognizable one is, “You must be born again!” (John 3:7)

Paul and Silas answered the cry of the Philippian jailor who asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved,” by saying, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved….” (Acts 16:30, 31)

Here are some of the other “Must dos” in the New Testament:

• As forgiven people, we must forgive:

“…if he (your brother) sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” (Luke 17:4)

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive.” (Colossians 3:12-13)

• I think that it is interesting that the apostle Paul considered intercession on his behalf, and for the work of the ministry, necessary. I hear in the tone of this verse, not so much an authoritative command to pray, as the heart’s cry of a pastor longing for support—the context of this verse is affliction and deadly peril. Prayer continues to be an essential resource for Christians, and I love the validation and effectiveness this statement gives our prayers.

“You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” (2 Corinthians 1:11)

• There are some admonitions concerning our thought patterns and our lifestyles:

“So, you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)

“But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:8-10)

I don’t think I can move on with this post without saying that, with the angry, hate-filled, violent social and political climate in the United States right now, there is much anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk surrounding and bombarding us from every angle. But that is not coming from Christians. At least it is not supposed to be, because we are being renewed in knowledge, and that through the Word of God. Yet I have heard and read things from people who say they are Christians, but the fruit of the Spirit is not evident in their words. Let us not get caught up in the emotions and the spiritual (demonic) influences that are rocking this nation! May we, as children of our Father in heaven, reflect His light, His life, and His heart in our homes, jobs, communities, and on social media!

• Scripture also gives us some things we must NOT do:

Jesus taught that it isn’t our words so much as our heart attitudes that affect heaven’s response to our prayers:

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (Matthew 6:5)

Scripture gives us sound advice for the inner workings of our minds, because our lives tend to follow the direction of our thoughts…

“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” (Ephesians 4:17-18)

Instead, this is the truth we’ve learned in Jesus: “…to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 22-24)

Concerning our lifestyle:

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.” (Ephesians 5:3) Did you catch “covetousness?”

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone….” (2 Timothy 2:24)

• There are some precautionary “musts” regarding Jesus’ second coming. I realize that what is happening in the U.S. and around the world is exactly what we would expect to see leading up to the fulfillment of last days prophecies. As important as it is to stay informed concerning the news, I have certainly experienced information overload, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that many others have, also. One of the things I’ve experience as I’ve listened to or read news reports (which, in many cases, are not reports, merely opinions), is that they very rapidly open doors for spirits of fear. However, “…God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Here are a couple of verses that give counsel on what we must do concerning the times in which we are living:

“Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:42-44)

And…

“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” (Jude 17-21)