What’s Your “I Must?”

“And He said to them, ‘Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?’” Luke 2:49

When Jesus was 12 years old, he went on a trip to Jerusalem with His parents. When it was time to go, His parents left, but Jesus stayed and lingered in the temple. He stayed there for three days, sitting among the teachers and amazed them with His wisdom and understanding of the scriptures. When Mary finally found Him, she told Him they had been anxiously searching for Him and asked why He had done this to them. Jesus simply replied, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 

Jesus had an “I must.” He told His parents that He “must be about the Father’s business.” What is your “I must?” To realize your “I must,” two things have to happen. First, you get an “I am” from God. In 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul said, “By the grace of God, I am what I am.” What a powerful verse! Sometimes in life, you will feel insufficient or not good enough. But remember that “by the grace of God, I am what I am.” So, you first get a revelation from God about who you are. If you spend time with God, He will show you photographs and glimpses of who you are. You are not a drug addict or an alcoholic. You're not a failure or a loser. Spending time with God will show you who He created you to be. 

Then, after God establishes your identity, He will give you an “I must,” which will establish your purpose. “I am; therefore, I must do this.” God shows you who you are and what you must do before you leave this planet. He will move you from complacency to being compelled. When you say “I must,” you are in the grip of something greater than yourself. When an “I must” gets planted in your spirit, it begins to consume you. You were not created just to eat, drink, and pay bills. You are a person of purpose, and that means you've eliminated some things that are not part of God's calling for your life. When you get a burden for something, you are not living out of convenience; you are living out of conviction. You know you must do some things and eliminate anything hindering you.

Jesus was driven at the age of 12 by an “I must” conviction. He understood that He had an assignment and had to fulfill it. His “I must” told Him what to say no to and what to say yes to. There's a difference between an opportunity and an “I must.” You'll get many opportunities. And if you don't watch it, you'll waste a lot of your life just by accepting every opportunity that comes your way. But then there are the “I musts” where God says, “This is my plan for you. Your “I must” will tell you where to give your money. It will show you how to spend your time. Your life has a purpose beyond yourself, and with God leading the way, you will do great things!

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