Be the Best

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:17 NLT “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 NLT. These are two great thoughts from the Apostle Paul to the church in Colosse. Also on a regular basis, we hear from many other different voices about how important it is to do our best! Having been a Boy Scout it’s part of the Scout oath, here it is: “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” What a great pledge, it is so profound that we should read it over a few more times. Most of us are not within the age prerequisites for being a Boy Scout, but we can still abide by this oath. The order of commitment within the Scout Oath is very important, duty to God is first and far above our commitment to country. The secret beauty of doing your duty (being your best) to Almighty God first means will be even better citizens of this nation. There is nothing within the Word of God, which followers of the Lord Jesus must adhere to, which brings dishonor to our nation. Just today while writing this article someone asked me how much longer until we can meet again within our worship facility. I didn’t have a clear answer to give them. Yet, the day may come when gathering together requires a hard decision which even society may not appreciate. We do not answer to man, we answer to God. Hawthorne Assembly has been very cooperative to this point; this Sunday is our sixth on-line gathering during the “safer at home” orders. During this time of the year, our outdoor activities become more prevalent within this local fellowship...Roadside Cleanup, Spring Spruce Up, Assembly Park Camp Cleanup Day, and much more. All of these important fellowship activities will still take place; watch for more information through Text in Church and the church Facebook page. We’ll be our best first to God and then to Country!

The impetus for this week's thought comes from a young man I met in India last year. We had a few additional Bibles left to distribute and I was able to provide him a copy. Whether you appreciate Facebook Messenger or not, it does open up the world to communication wherever a person has a smartphone or computer. In our last conversation, he mentioned his vocation was not a position where one experiences levels of success. More specifically, levels of success where we tell others about our great exploits, our great achievements, our great advancements! According to our scripture passage, if we are engaged in cleaning bathrooms, scrubbing floors, or picking up trash; whatever we do, we do it to honor God. Be the best at whatever you do. Don’t forget, plant a garden, and plant a garden that brings glory and honor unto the Lord. Part of my garden endeavors will be assembling containers, above ground, to provide the produce soil for our variety of produce. Having a beautiful garden is not about bragging rights, rather it’s about boasting in the Lord. My challenge to you is to be the best, be the best spouse, be the best parent, be the best neighbor, be the best employer, be the best employee, be the best worshiper, be the best volunteer, be the best gardener, be the best at whatever you do. And whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God!