just do your best…

malachi 1.6 (niv) says, the LORD almighty says, “I am your FATHER and MASTER. but where are the honor and the respect that I deserve? you have despised MY name.” if you were to keep reading in that text, the people ask GOD, “how have we despised YOUr name?” and GOD says “you’ve despised my name by offering defiled sacrifices.” and the people said, “how have we done that?” and GOD says, “here’s an example.

instead of finding the best lamb from your flock and offering that as a sacrifice, you’re bringing ME lambs that are crippled and blind and sick. it’s like you’re going out into your field and you find a little feeble lamb leaning against the fence about to die. you figure he’s not going to make it anyway and that’s the guy you bring to me.” and GOD says, “if that’s the way you’re going to worship ME, don’t bother.”

HE doesn’t expect perfection. HE knows we are incapable of giving that. but are you doing your best? maybe even as you might go to church, you don’t give much thought to the honor or the value you’d show the LORD through your actions. like at the time in the service when you have the opportunity to give an offering do you give any thought to the offering you’ll give to GOD? to say, “GOD, i really do love YOU.” or how about when you’re singing? do you give any thought to singing in such a way as if to say, “GOD, you really do matter to me.” or during the time of teaching, do you have an attitude of, “GOD, what do YOU have to say to me today? i really want to do it YOUr way.” worship is about GOD; it’s not about us. taking our eyes off self and looking at GOD.

that’s what service is. service is about others. it’s not about i or me or mine. it’s unselfishness. it’s not treating people like you are here to meet my needs or advance my career or fulfill my dream.

there was a dramatic scene played out by actors. one actor was the leader of an organization and the other actor was his personal assistant. the leader was depressed over the way that people were not responding to his leadership in the way they once had. so his assistant began to explain to him why. she said, “when you first came here, david, you talked a lot about ‘us’ and ‘we’ and ‘the team.’ you challenged us with what we could do together, the hills we could climb side by side. and everyone liked the first david. but that david is gone now. now you just talk about you, what you’re doing, what you’ve accomplished, it’s all about you. and i’ll be honest. i don’t like the second david.” then she said. “nobody around here wants to give their life just so you can pin another medal on your chest.”

and as someone who helps lead from time to time, i thought, “would the people in my world, my family, my co-workers say the same thing about me if given the chance to speak honestly?”

how about you? do you live in such a way that even subtly you communicate to others that they are here for you? or do i in any way show others their value by being there for them? it’s called service. and at the end of the day it’s called respect.

just a thought from the front porch…