Robert Lowery

Once again in reading through Revelation I came across the little Greek word "dei" (pronounced "day"). It appears seven times and is frequently translated "ought" or "must." Six out of the seven occurrences (1:1; 4:1; 11:5; 17:10; 20:3,6) focuses on God’s sovereignty while only one refers to a person’s responsibility, in this instance, John must prophesy (10:11).

The occurrences of the word in Revelation and elsewhere in the New Testament got me to thinking . . .

Our ancestors had to go to pretty extreme measures to keep from getting lost. They erected monumental landmarks, drafted detailed maps, and learned to read the stars in the night sky or tracks left by a fleeing animal or enemy.

Trying to figure out where we are and where we are going is probably one of mankind’s favorite pastimes.

Things are much easier today. For less than $100.00 you can get a pocket-sized gadget that will tell you exactly where you are on earth at any moment. As long as you have a GPS receiver and a clear view of the sky, you will never be lost again! So runs the advertisement for a Global Positioning System, that worldwide radio-navigation system involving a constellation of earth-orbiting satellites in which a hand-held GPS can locate where you are and where you need to go.

I believe there is a device that can help us as disciples in determining where we are and where we need to go. I call it my DEI GUIDE. Its name comes from the Greek word referred to in the opening paragraph and is often translated "must," "ought, " or "it is necessary." I am convinced that the DEI GUIDE can help us avoid the tyranny of the urgent and guide us in putting first things first. In particular, the DEI GUIDE used by Jesus is the foundation for the disciple’s DEI GUIDE.

Jesus’ DEI GUIDE

I must be in my Father’s House (Luke 2:49) . . . I must preach good news (Luke 4:43) . . . I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day–for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! (Luke 13:33) . . . I must stay at your house (Luke 19:5) . . . But first I must suffer many things (Luke 17:25) . . . This which is written must be fulfilled in me (Luke 22:37) . . . The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of the sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again (Luke 24:7) . . . This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms (Luke 24:44) . . .

If Jesus needed a DEI GUIDE, how much more do we?

The Disciple’s DEI GUIDE

We must be open to God’s commands (Acts 9:6) . . . We must give earnest heed to the Gospel message (Heb. 2:1) . . . We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29) . . . We must hear how we ought to walk (I Thess. 4:1) . . . We are reminded what manner of persons we ought to be in all holy living and godliness (II Pet. 3:11) . . . We ought always to be ready to suffer for his kingdom (Acts 14:22) . . . We must have mercy (Matt. 18:33)

. . . We must show justice and faith (Matt. 23:23) . . . We must be good stewards of what is entrusted to us (Matt. 25:27) . . . We must never think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Rom. 12:3) . . . If we are conceited, we do not yet know as we ought (I Cor. 8:2)

. . . If we are in leadership we must be above reproach (I Tim. 3:2), blameless (Titus 1:7), gentle (II Tim. 2:24), of a good reputation among non-Christians (I Tim. 3:7), conscious of our responsibility to help the weak (Acts 20:35) . . . We know how we ought to answer any enquiry or argument (Col. 4:6) . . . We ought to imitate those worth imitating (II Thess. 3:7) . . . We ought always to pray (Luke 18:1) . . . We ought always to accept the Spirit’s help because we do not know how to pray as we ought (Rom. 8:26) . . . We ought to worship not in some special locality but in spirit and in truth (John 4:20,24) . . . We must be ready to share the Gospel (Mark 13:10) . . . We must be witnesses to the Risen Christ (Acts 1:22) . . . We ought to be eager to speak boldly about the Gospel (Eph. 6:20) . . . We ought to be ready to make the Gospel known (Col. 4:4) . . . We must be glad when sinners return to God (Luke 15:32)

Please note that these must and ought passages speak about our relationship to God, to each other as disciples, and even to those outside the Christian community. From one perspective, these are tough passages because we do not live in a culture that honors the words must or ought but instead Whatever? Who says? So what?

At this point I return to Revelation and two places where the word appears, specifically the phrase "what must take place."

God will have the final word.

He just must.

Related posts:

1. Our Spiritual Global Positioning System: THE DEI GUIDE