Doing My Best

Decades ago, I started a tradition with my sons, which we called “Sports Day”. It is a tradition that I have continued now with my grandsons. Since my sons and grandsons were and are athletically inclined, we spent these days trying out as many sports as we could. It was an awesome time of parent-child interaction and enjoyment. As you can imagine, I didn’t always give my best effort trying to win. It was more about enjoying the moment and each other.

II Timothy 2:15 says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” God wants us to give our best effort for Him all the time. This requires that we know His Word and faithfully apply it to our lives by the power of His Spirit. Unlike Sports Day, we actually enjoy our relationship with God more when we are giving our best for Him, in return for His giving of His best, His own Son, for us.

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Make the Right Choice

In Acts 2:36-38 Peter speaks to the people of Jerusalem and says, “‘Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.’ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The people of Jerusalem had made the wrong choice by not believing Jesus and had Him crucified. Confronted by Peter, they were cut to the heart and wanted to know what they should do.

We need to be careful to always make the right decision, by believing Jesus and trusting in His grace and mercy. When facing a problem and tempted to worry, let’s make the right choice and trust Jesus to guide us and protect us. When encountering our fears, let’s make the right choice and trust Jesus to be a shield about us. When facing a need, let’s make the right choice by believing that Jesus will provide for us. Most importantly, when confronted with our human failure and weaknesses, let’s believe Jesus to be our Savior and Lord and receive the forgiveness of our sins and salvation for our souls.

Love Is Patient

Assuming you have loved someone and have been loved by someone, what are the qualities of love that have most affected you? Perhaps you have been overwhelmed by someone’s loyalty to you, staying with you when others have left. Maybe you have been the object of someone’s meaningful encouragement and support. And maybe you have been on the receiving end of that special someone’s unending generosity and help.

Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” God’s love is multifaceted as described here in Psalm 103. God is rich in mercy and grace, always having plenty for our needs. He is patient with His children and slow to get angry with them. His love for us is abundant and steadfast, never wavering.

What a Friend!

If you were asked, what constitutes a good friend? How would you respond? Would you immediately consider your friends and the qualities that make them good friends? Would you think about some of the great friendships of history and why they are considered good examples of friendship?

Psalm 145:13-14 says, “The Lord is faithful is all his words and kind in all his works. The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.” What a friend we have in Jesus! He is always faithful in everything that He has said. He is always kind in everything that He does, holding us up when we feel like we are falling and raising us up when we feel like we are broken. If we simply trust Jesus, He will be the best friend we could ever hope to have.

Talk About It

Most of us have no problem telling others about the good things that we have done. Whether it be vacation details, awards received, athletic conquests, or compliments received, we generally do not hesitate to tell the stories to friends, family and acquaintances.

Psalm 145:4-6 says, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.” God’s majesty can be seen in His wondrous works. Meditating on God’s splendor and mighty acts feeds our faith to believe Him for more awesome deeds. Then we can speak of His might and greatness to others.