I often get excited when I think of the wonder of American Exceptionalism as it is the benchmark for a thriving enterprise when it is applied to an individual life, a business, be that business a Mom & Pop or a mega corporation and certainly to a church and nation. In the old days we were to follow a song of the time and “Do what you do, do well” it is obviously one of the important keys to success in whatever area we strive to “Do what you do, do exceptionally well.”
That God honors the person, church or nation that inculcates this principle into the life of the entity is beyond question. The building of the tabernacle in the days of Moses is a case in point. The rebuilding the wall under the leadership of Nehemiah is one of the wonders of the Old Testament. Even the box that the law was stored in was ordered built to the minutest detail.
We live in times in which men and women are subtly taught that if you are not doing the grand thing of your dreams or in some cases idle wishes, any sort of effort is acceptable. This is because people think, “If only I could be doing what God wants me to do, I would do it better than anyone has ever done it before.” And then they wonder why the door doesn’t open, unaware that the statement/ thought casts aspersion on the goodness and sovereignty of God Himself. Mel Branham said:
“Observation is a good teacher about character and it’s a sure bet that if you aren’t doing what you are currently doing to the very best of your ability, you won’t do any better when you start working in the area of your dream once the novelty wears off.”
Elisha, the handpicked successor to Elijah, was discovered while working with oxen and gang plowing a field in harmony with other workers. Elisha, the man who ultimately performed twice as many miracles as his predecessor, was giving a mundane job his best effort, while keeping a good attitude.
Dale Carnegie was the most outstanding motivational teacher of his day. Mr. Carnegie stated:
“Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones tend to take care of themselves.”
Even the Seven Dwarfs knew the value of whistling while you work. I doubt that many would envy the nature of their work!
Due to the mystery of the Incarnation, many Christians take the earthly life of Christ lightly failing to grasp that during His earthly walk, Christ was performing with great restraint the often mundane affairs of this life, much as spirit filled Christians are to do while we walk through the vale of tears. Christ Himself wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus. We too will weep at the painful loss of dear ones. He was thirsty, hungry and rejected. He spoke the creation into material existence, yet patiently worked agonizingly slowly developing His relatively few disciples over a three year period. He stated in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”
The divine meaning is beyond me, but I do grasp that He was/is teaching that whatever we are given by Him to do must be done in the realm of today because we are in the constraint of time, which makes no provision for such statements as, “I am saving myself for my real work.” Or “I don’t feel this current work is meeting my inner needs, I have moved on from this work in which I no longer find satisfactory fulfillment.”
About a year ago a man employed by a church came to see me and went through the gamut of “I’m too big for the work they now have me doing.” I kindly led him through a series of questions and finally asked him, “Brother, while you are waiting on God to open a bigger door, are you giving where you are the very best of which you are capable?” He dropped his eyes, hung his head and muttered, ‘No.’”
I said simply, you must start giving it your all, for if you do not you are actually stealing because you are not being paid for sloughing off, but for your best. You must give it your best or be honest and quit!
You may recall that Paul excluded Mark from joining with him in the greatest missionary journey due to the fact that Mark’s work ethic was out of line, for it is told to us that Mark “went not to the work.” Fourteen years later Mark, under the mentoring of Barnabas had learned the ethics of work, and thus Paul forgave and found Mark to be usable in Christ’s work in the world. Here’s Paul’s instruction to Timothy,
2 Timothy 4:11, “Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”
Colossians 3:23, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly
For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard.
That God honors the person, church or nation that inculcates this principle into the life of the entity is beyond question. The building of the tabernacle in the days of Moses is a case in point. The rebuilding the wall under the leadership of Nehemiah is one of the wonders of the Old Testament. Even the box that the law was stored in was ordered built to the minutest detail.
We live in times in which men and women are subtly taught that if you are not doing the grand thing of your dreams or in some cases idle wishes, any sort of effort is acceptable. This is because people think, “If only I could be doing what God wants me to do, I would do it better than anyone has ever done it before.” And then they wonder why the door doesn’t open, unaware that the statement/ thought casts aspersion on the goodness and sovereignty of God Himself. Mel Branham said:
“Observation is a good teacher about character and it’s a sure bet that if you aren’t doing what you are currently doing to the very best of your ability, you won’t do any better when you start working in the area of your dream once the novelty wears off.”
Elisha, the handpicked successor to Elijah, was discovered while working with oxen and gang plowing a field in harmony with other workers. Elisha, the man who ultimately performed twice as many miracles as his predecessor, was giving a mundane job his best effort, while keeping a good attitude.
Dale Carnegie was the most outstanding motivational teacher of his day. Mr. Carnegie stated:
“Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones tend to take care of themselves.”
Even the Seven Dwarfs knew the value of whistling while you work. I doubt that many would envy the nature of their work!
Due to the mystery of the Incarnation, many Christians take the earthly life of Christ lightly failing to grasp that during His earthly walk, Christ was performing with great restraint the often mundane affairs of this life, much as spirit filled Christians are to do while we walk through the vale of tears. Christ Himself wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus. We too will weep at the painful loss of dear ones. He was thirsty, hungry and rejected. He spoke the creation into material existence, yet patiently worked agonizingly slowly developing His relatively few disciples over a three year period. He stated in John 9:4, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”
The divine meaning is beyond me, but I do grasp that He was/is teaching that whatever we are given by Him to do must be done in the realm of today because we are in the constraint of time, which makes no provision for such statements as, “I am saving myself for my real work.” Or “I don’t feel this current work is meeting my inner needs, I have moved on from this work in which I no longer find satisfactory fulfillment.”
About a year ago a man employed by a church came to see me and went through the gamut of “I’m too big for the work they now have me doing.” I kindly led him through a series of questions and finally asked him, “Brother, while you are waiting on God to open a bigger door, are you giving where you are the very best of which you are capable?” He dropped his eyes, hung his head and muttered, ‘No.’”
I said simply, you must start giving it your all, for if you do not you are actually stealing because you are not being paid for sloughing off, but for your best. You must give it your best or be honest and quit!
You may recall that Paul excluded Mark from joining with him in the greatest missionary journey due to the fact that Mark’s work ethic was out of line, for it is told to us that Mark “went not to the work.” Fourteen years later Mark, under the mentoring of Barnabas had learned the ethics of work, and thus Paul forgave and found Mark to be usable in Christ’s work in the world. Here’s Paul’s instruction to Timothy,
2 Timothy 4:11, “Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”
Colossians 3:23, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”
Copyright © 2014 Larry Lilly
For IT services it's hard to do better than clicking Oral Deckard.
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