During the 1970s, C. A. “Pop” Farley served for years as a counselor at a Christian summer camp. Later in life, he discovered he had cancer and eventually planned his own funeral, asking a friend to relate that at each session of camp, they worked to instill in the campers the principle, “You don’t have to — you get to.”

This principal is a matter of attitude. Attitudes are either good or bad, reflecting the nature of the heart. Solomon said of the heart or mind, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus was also concerned with attitudes; for example, humility, mercy; self-righteousness and hypocrisy.

When we consider almost any legitimate activity, spiritual or secular, there are two contrasting attitudes we need to be aware of.

First, what is required of us is necessary, but may also an irritation, a nuisance, to be avoided if possible. Second, contrasting with this is the attitude that every responsibility is seen as an opportunity to do good. Attitudes can be changed if needed. William James, US philosopher & psychologist (1842–1910) said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.”

Now, let’s make practical applications in a couple of biblical areas where this mindset applies. The Lord doesn’t want robotic followers, but those who do so with free-will.

1. We don’t have to be Christians — we get to.

What does it mean to us to be Christians? Among other things — including salvation, faith, repentance, baptism in water, etc. We belong to the kingdom of God, the church of God. Jesus related two brief parables teaching that the kingdom is like hidden treasure and a fine pearl. It is worth the sacrifice of everything we have (Matt 13:44-46). The church is so important to God that he paid for it with his blood (Acts 20:28).

Despite this great spiritual value, some see the church at best as a burden, and at worst, totally unnecessary. Years ago, a saying some seemed proud of was “Jesus — yes; the church — no!” Some view the spiritual body of Christ as something demanding money and time and restricting their selfish desires.

How much better is it to see the blessings of Christian and the church?

• “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing....” (Ephesians 1:3).

• “...we ... are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another (Romans 12:5).

• “By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

• Instead of feeling forced to serve, we can enjoy the blessing of helping one another.

2. We don’t have to commune with God in worship — we get to!

What a privilege it is to worship the Lord in every way we can. Paul admonished the Greek philosophers in Athens, Greece by saying, “...we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man” (Acts 17:29).

The psalmist David wrote, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord” (122:1).

Let us pray that God will help us see the privileges we can enjoy as his children.