Truthworks

“We’re doing our best setting things right.” (2 Co 6:7, The Message)

In 1907 Grant C. Tullar wrote, “Hear ye the Master’s call, ‘Give Me thy best!’ For, be it great or small, that is His test. Do then the best you can, not for reward, not for the praise of man — but for the Lord. Every work for Jesus will be blessed; but He asks from everyone his best. Our talents may be few, these may be small — but unto Him is due our best, our all.”

Are you giving your best? Or, like so many others, do you just cruise along merely doing only what is acceptable.

Paul the Apostle said, “Whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him” (2 Co 5:9 CEV). Indeed, we are called to do our best at setting things right in a world gone wrong. Nothing more could be asked, and nothing less would be acceptable.

The story is told of how the great Leonardo Da Vinci had started work on a large canvas in his studio. A few of his students watched as he worked at it — choosing the subject, planning the perspective, sketching the outline, and applying the colors; all with his own inimitable genius. Then he unexpectedly paused, the painting still unfinished, and, summoning one of his students, invited him to step up and complete the work.

The student protested that he was unworthy and unable to complete the great painting which his master had begun. But Da Vinci answered, “Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?”

Do you think that Jesus might be saying a similar thing to you?

Your life can honor God greatly, and benefit some many others in positive and lasting ways. Everything you need for this has already been provided by Jesus. Believe it, take hold of it, press on with it, and give it your best shot. Surely you can do no less, seeing how much He has done already.

Finish the painting, my friend — for Jesus believes in you.

“Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.” (Proverbs 13:12, The Message)

A friend in the promotion business says, “Every time someone tells me “NO!” I get happier — because I’m one step closer to that person who will say “YES!”

Some people cannot bear to be told “NO” even once; let alone repeatedly. And then there are others who stop just one person too soon. All they needed was to ask one more time. But they didn’t. Disappointment can do that to you if you let it. Especially if it seems to be unrelenting — one blow after the next.

Years ago I discovered a splendid little poem that has anchored my life in those times when everything seems to be going wrong — times when your hopes are dashed, your dreams have faded, your deepest desires thwarted, and when so many great expectations become inexplicably disappointed. Maybe you will find it helpful, too.

“Disappointment. HIS appointment. Change one letter, then I see
that the thwarting of my purpose is God’s better choice for me!”

It is true, as the proverb says, that unrelenting disappointment can leave you heartsick. But the rest of the proverb is also true — “a sudden good break can turn life around.” One doesn’t come without the other.

Draw yet another breath, my fellow traveler; though you have paused alongside the road — you have not stopped. Your journey is not finished. There’s a bend in the road up ahead. And the bend in the road is not the end of the road — unless you fail to make the turn.

Tip your hat respectfully to old man Disappointment, and then be on your way; for God has something better in mind for you. And though you have heard “NO” perhaps a thousand times — you are actually one step closer to a “YES!”

And that single “Yes” can turn your life around!

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1).

Jesus is Lord and King, Conqueror, Savior, the Mighty God, Prince of Peace, the Christ, Emmanuel, Teacher, Prophet and Master. Of the many titles given to the Lord, Shepherd must undoubtedly be one of His favorite. It links Him in the most personal way to those He loves.

Say it out loud and let the truth settle deep in your heart: “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

Isaiah prophesied, “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” (Isaiah 40:11). Peter preached, “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” (1 Pet 2:25).

David, himself a shepherd, penned the Twenty-third Psalm as a comprehensive tribute to the Lord. He encompasses in this short poem at least fifteen provisions that are made for us when we follow the Lord as our Shepherd.

“The Lord is my Shepherd….

I shall not want for Rest – for He maketh me to lie down in green pastures

I shall not want for Peace – for He leadeth me beside the still waters

I shall not want for Restoration – for He restoreth my soul

I shall not want for Guidance – for He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

I shall not want for Courage – for though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil

I shall not want for Companionship – for Thou art with me

I shall not want for Comfort – for Thy rod and Thy staff comfort me

I shall not want for Sustenance – Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies

I shall not want for Blessing – Thou anointest my head with oil

I shall not want for Fulness – My cup runneth over

I shall not want for Abundant Life- goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life

I shall not want for Eternal Security – I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever

As you can see, there is nothing left out. No wonder David said, “I shall not want!” The Lord gives us everything we need when we follow Him as our Shepherd.

“And now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he who became the great Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting agreement between God and you, signed with his blood, produce in you through the power of Christ all that is pleasing to him. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20,21).

“I have graven you upon My hands…” Isaiah 49:16

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to write something down, something important, but you had no paper available — only a pen? What did you do? Write it on the palm of your hand? Of course you did; everybody has done that at least once.

Even God.

Once you write anything on your hand it becomes a priority; you are going to have to do something about it right away. In fact, you really can’t do anything else until you take care of that written matter.

But, what if it were tattooed on your hand? Or, even more graphic than that, what if it were engraved there? Would that suggest a far greater importance than merely jotting it down with washable ink? Absolutely. And this is precisely what the Lord has done for us.

The people had complained that God had forgotten them; forsaken them. But His answer boomed from heaven, and echoes through the corridors of time reaching even unto us today -

“Does a woman forget her sucking child, so as not to have compassion upon the child of her womb? Even though mothers should forget, I will not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls stand continually before Me.”

One translation says, “I can never forget you! I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” Another one puts it this way, “Behold, I have indelibly imprinted you on the palm of each of My hands!”

Could it be that when the nails pierced His hands, your name was being written there by God Himself? And do those rich wounds, yet visible above, stand even today as an eternal witness in heaven to God’s unfailing commitment to you here on earth below. There is no doubt. As the great English poet expressed it –

“My name from the palms of His hands Eternity will not erase; Imprest on His heart it remains in marks of indelible grace.” —Augustus Toplady

Now that’s the ultimate Palm Pilot!

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14).

Notice the cooperative partnership in our opening verse of scripture — God calls us upward, and we press toward the goal. Both are necessary. If God calls, but no one answers – nothing happens. If man presses, but God’s not with him – nothing happens. Nothing good, anyway.

Have you ever taken a volley ball into a swimming pool, pushed it down into the water, and then tried to balance yourself by standing on it? Did you notice that the deeper you pushed the ball into the water, the greater the force it exerted to rise back up to the top?

The air inside the ball belongs with the air above the water, and it will press upward to return back to where it belongs. That’s the way it is with us as followers of Jesus. There is something inside us that urges us to the summit; it’s the upward call.

Some merely drift along, hoping for a break here or there. But in Life, as in nature, nothing ever drifts upstream. The only exception to this happened in Texas during a freak flash flood.

The waters rose so quickly that people only had time to scurry to their rooftops. One man, a reporter, sat on the house watching the floodwaters sweep past. There were cows, and cats, and all kinds of things zipping by the house. Suddenly something caught his eye. A $500 Stetson hat came floating down stream, just out of his reach. However, before it passed by, the hat stopped, turned around and floated back up stream. It then came back, stopped and turned back upstream again.

Amazed, the reporter said, “This is a miracle: it will be the lead story in my paper tomorrow!”

A woman sitting on the roof next door heard him and replied, “That’s no miracle. It’s my husband Cecil. He said he was going to mow that lawn come hell or high water!”

Like I said, nothing ever drifts upstream. Left to ourselves we will not rise, but retreat. However, God does not leave us to ourselves; He calls us upward. Something deep inside us is hooked to heaven; there’s a pull on our hearts which lifts us towards the higher way.

As the old hymn says, “I’m pressing on the upward way; new heights I’m gaining everyday. Still, praying as I onward bound, ‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground!’”

When you hear God calling, press upward. One day heaven will be your home.

“I am doing a great work….” (Nehemiah 6:3)

There are many people who meander through life as though it were a flea market, browsing the bins for the deal of a lifetime, but only coming home with someone else’s junk. Others are a bit more like the crazy rabbit in Alice’s Wonderland, always on the go for something that is always somewhere else; and never getting there.

Some people set in the stands and watch others play the game, and reassure themselves that they could do that if they wanted to. Others see a great opportunity of some kind, and console themselves with a reflective sigh, “I should do that.” But, of course they never do. And then there are those who wistfully say, “I would do that,” hinting by their tone that it’s somebody else’s fault if they don’t.

Could do, should do, and would do never do. The only thing that works is when you find the thing that you must do.

God uses the inner pull of that upward call to free you from the gravity of lesser things. There is a resolute power inherent to any great work, and once you become involved in such an enterprise, you are virtually unstoppable.

Nehemiah undertook the great challenge of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and was constantly opposed by enemies who sought his ruin.

First they tried ridicule; it didn’t work. Then they made overt threats of hostility; it was, as they say, water off a duck’s back to Nehemiah. Next they attempted covert sabotage; but he foiled their plot. Nothing fazed him. Finally they tried the diplomatic approach, seeking some sort of compromise. Nehemiah’s answer stands to this day as one of the greatest closers in any conflict:

“I am doing a great work,” he said, “Why should the work stop while I come down to you?”

Nehemiah’s passion for answering the upward call, minimized the effects of those who were always seeking to drag him down to their level. They lost; he won. The same will be true of you.

The words of this old hymn say it best –

“I am resolved no longer to linger,
charmed by the world’s delight;
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
These have allured my sight.

I am resolved to enter the kingdom,
leaving the paths of sin;
Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me;
Still I will enter in.

I am resolved, and who will go with me?
Come, friends, without delay.
Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit,
We’ll walk the heavenly way.”

                           Palmer Hartsough, 1896