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I’ll be open with you all that these blogs and podcasts are not easy to write. For one reason it’s not just me sharing thoughts but me writing to put into words teaching that will please God and guide others in a life of righteousness. This results in me having many drafts and sometimes the words just don’t come out right. Which are the ones that result in my going off script when I record the podcasts because reading well… a script feels a bit off to me when I’m used to hearing podcasters not having one and instead working off a bullet point list. My desire to bring forth the best I can do is what makes this a bit of a challenge. One of my other hindrances is writing in general and organizing my thoughts.
Those of you who know me know that I can easily write very long sentences. Or it can be that I give so many details which make the point of the writing hard to find and identify. So writing these weekly thoughts takes up some time and I’m only staying a float by having one or two weeks of them prepared in advance. I’m writing this on January 22nd and you’ll be receiving it on February 2nd which is *que drum roll* 11 days of time between typing this up and it going live to be available for you all. And let’s not forget that I like to do at least one round of editing before I record and publish these thoughts.
All of this is because of one thing, I want to bring my best before God and that includes being a regular supporter of those He’s given me to provide spiritual insight to. Namely you folks who take time to consider my thoughts. It’s you who accept a lower than optimal sound quality and blog posts that border on being essays in length sometimes. How I ever got to be someone who does this as a primary pastime is beyond me but all I know is that this is what God has me doing for now. And I want to like Abel who brought the best he had to offer to the Lord in willing sacrifice.
When the author of the Biblical book of Hebrews describes faith in chapter 11 Abel is described like this in verse 4. “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.”
When we turn the pages of our Bible and look back at Genesis chapter 4 and read the more detailed account there we see that Abel brought the best of his flock. He brought the first born of his flock and the fat portions of the sacrifice to God. In Old Testament terminology this means he brought the best of all he had to offer. When I did some research on this topic for Welcome to the Armory, I found that the word for faith also means trust. And when that understanding is applied to the verse from Hebrews it shows us that Abel trusted God to understand his heart as he gave it to Him. Writing this I’m reminded of the widow who gave two copper coins at the collection bowl in the temple. The terminology used to describe this is “the widow’s mite” describing the two small coins she gave.
When she gave those coins there had been several rich people before her who had given vast amounts to the temple treasury. If I were to put it into a modern mindset, think of someone coming to the church with one of those big display checks that have several hundred million written on them to give at offering time. That’s the type of people who had been giving money earlier that day while Jesus and his disciples were watching things unfold. After all the rich had come and given out of their wealth along comes the widow who gives her two copper coins which is like giving two dollars after several people gave millions all at once. Seeing this Jesus takes his disciples aside and tells them how this poor widow had given more to God than all other rich people combined. Saying that she gave everything she had while not much financially it was the heart of her being willing to give it to God that mattered to Him. And I’m willing to bet that Abel was in a similar circumstance. Giving the best of what he had knowing that God understood his heart.
It’s the same way for each of us. Whatever talents God has provided us, whatever skills we have been given, and whatever the job that is before us we need to do our absolute best because it’s part of how we minister to others. One of my old pastors had a sermon called Christianity on the Job which had a very similar message to today’s thought. Through our deeds, words, and motives people know if our faith is true and if we are serious in believing it. Do we approach our Jesus with Holy Fear knowing that He has the right to pronounce judgment over us? Have you considered that He will judge how we approached each day and the duties that were before us each day? Be it something that seems insignificant or something that you easily understand to have great value, do you take it seriously to serve God through doing this in the best way you are able to do so in what you have been given?
I’d say it’s easy for you all to tell how I desire to approach my assignments but today I’m giving the question to you.
How are You, approaching what’s been placed into your hands? Are you doing your best to make it grow and prosper or are you just doing the bare minimum? Do you see each day as a chore or an opportunity to encourage others around you?
Read the first two verses of Romans chapter 12 and see how each day we are to submit ourselves to the work that God has given us to do. Work that is true and proper worship to God for it shows His character to others. And that gives power to the witness we eventually give. There is a place in scripture where Jesus talks about people having the quality of their work judged to see if it fits the standards of God. When it does they shall enter heaven receiving glory for the work they did to the Lord but for any work which is not able to make the standard it is burned up and the people enter into His kingdom as those who merely escape the flames. Are you consistent in doing your best in all things regardless of whether they seem to be secular or spiritual in nature?
What God wants to develop within us is a nature that consistently does its best in all things.
I finish this off with a prayer that God opens your eyes to see the work He has placed before you so that you apply yourself to it with all of your strength in submission to Him. Till next time, courage and Godspeed.