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An Old Slogan For A New Year!
Happy New Year everybody! It’s my hope and prayer that in the weeks and months to follow that you and yours will be blessed and honored of the Lord!
As I pondered what to write on for this newsletter, I could not get away from a slogan that I have tried to live by since the day I heard it back in 1974. I was sitting in a classroom at Nazarene Bible College and Dr. G.B. Williamson was our professor. He made a remark in his lecture to us that morning that really resonated with me, and I have embraced it ever since. He was advising us that in our desire to serve God and His Will for our lives, to daily remember this simple phrase: “Just Do Your Best, And Let God Do The Rest!” And since that day, the Lord knows I have tried to practice this principal in every area of my life. And I cannot begin to tell you the freedom that can result by living this way! It’s liberating, and it’s emancipating! Why? Because in your heart you know that regarding the respective situation, you’ve done the very best that you can do (as you honor and obey God’s Word and direction), and then by faith you just leave it with the Lord and trust Him for the results! Guess what? It frees you! PTL! Now it needs to be noted here that Dr. G.B was giving this advice to those of us that are Christians. Those who have confessed their sins to Christ, have accepted Him as their personal Lord and Savior and have determined in their heart that they are going to seek His Will and Way for their lives, and pledge to do their “very best” to serve Him as a fully devoted disciple of His. Now listen up, “doing our best” has not, and will not, “earn” anyone their salvation!” Never has, never will! No, this can only happen through the Atonement of Christ at the Cross. And God offers this as “a gift” to anyone who will receive His atoning sacrifice for sin into their heart by faith! Then, after we have accepted His mercy, grace, forgiveness, and cleansing that comes to us only through His Atonement for our sin by faith and become a “Believer”, we now begin our quest to becoming a fully devoted “Disciple” of His and promise to serve Him to the “best” of our ability. This, of course, is where this slogan of Dr. G.B. can be, and should be embraced. The truth is, you can apply this principal to every area of your life! In your profession, in your personal life, in your plans, in your pressures, in your predicaments, or even in your times of pleasure/recreation. Let’s briefly consider the following examples.
Professionally. You could be a Christian electrician, plumber, builder, policeman, professional athlete, secretary, CEO, small business owner, auto technician, musician, singer, author, educator, poet, politician, cook, cashier, waitress, janitor, manual laborer, missionary, pastor, evangelist, pilot, flight attendant, lawyer, doctor, nurse, pharmacist, farmer, a greeter at Walmart, or many other jobs/vocations that are not mentioned here. The bottom line is, if you want God’s blessing and favor in your respective calling in life, then: Just Do Your Best, And Let God Do The Rest!
Now maybe you feel as though your best is not good enough, and that maybe someone else could do what you do better. Well, I’ve got some advice for you. Stop it! The Bible tells in Gal. 6:4 “not to compare ourselves to anyone else.” All God wants us to do is our best, and then He will honor us accordingly.
Personal Life. As a husband, wife, parent, grandparent, friend, neighbor, ect.. The Word of the Lord has told us how we are to treat our spouses with the respect and dignity that they deserve, and we are to do the very best that we can do in our respective role. He’s also told us how to raise our children and grandchildren with Christian standards and principals, and how to be a witness and testimony on His behalf to our friends and neighbors. Is it always easy to do so? No! But again, we just try and “do our best, and then let God do the rest, and leave the end results to Him.
Now, will “our best” always measure up to the “expectations of others” in our endeavor to “be Jesus to those around us?” No! And let me make this suggestion. If you’re going to try and go through life seeking your personal validation and approval by the opinions of others, I’ve got two words for you! Good luck! Excuse me, it ain’t gonna happen! And the sooner you learn this, the better off you’re going to be! The simple truth is we simply can not measure up to everyone else’s” opinions and expectations all the time! It’s impossible!!! However, we do have to try and measure up to His!!! Good news folks! It’s not what people think, it’s what God’s knows! And really, the only validation we truly need is from Him! The Apostle Paul reminds us in Gal.1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ!” Paul is telling us that there are times that you can please men, but not God; and other times that we can please God, but not men. Hello???!!! Just Do Your Best, And Let God Do The Rest!!! Thank you Jesus!
I think you get the idea by now. This simple slogan can be applied to each and every predicament we find ourselves in; the daily pressures that we try to work through; the plans we have for our future, and this encompasses our need for pleasure/recreation as well. Again, I have tried my very best to embrace this little phrase in my life for 36 years now. As a Christian husband, father, grandfather, singer, preacher, recording artist, song writer, friend, and churchman, the Lord knows that I have always tried to do my best, and the let Him do the rest! Have I ever made any mistakes? Absolutely! Haven’t we all? But like the old saying goes, “show me someone who doesn’t make a mistake, and I’ll show you someone who isn’t trying!” Truth is, we can learn from our mistakes, and be better for them! All I know is this, Satan never stops trying to discourage us, depress us, and hopefully defeat us emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Can I get an amen? And one of the ways I’ve been able to overcome his relentless attacks and live with victory is a result of what Dr. Williamson suggested to us in that classroom long ago, and I offer to you as a slogan for this New Year: Just Do Your Best, And Let God Do The Rest!!! Amen? Amen!!!
I love you all very, very much!
Gary
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