By Tony V. Hammack
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After you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then (Eph. 6:13, 14)
Give it all You've Got!
Specifically the passage is talking about attacks from principalities, powers, and forces of darkness in the heavenly realms. When the day of evil comes, stand!
You know, this passage from Ephesians 6:13,14 reflects how I feel at times. When you've done everything you know to do, to the best of “your ability,” then all you can do is stand.
We rest in the finished work of Christ but the Lord is still calling us to obedience. If the Lord asks us to do something we want to do it with as much excellence, vigor and zeal we can muster based on the amount of grace we've received.
Enthusiasm – from Greek enthousiasmos "divine inspiration, be inspired or possessed by God. So when we do things under the direction of the Lord we should do them with fervor.
If nobody does anything, nothing will get done. ~Tony Hammack
This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done
Ecclesiastes 9:10a
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,
Might – bodily strength, the power, energy, or intensity of which one is capable.
This passage is cast in the light of “the fragility/brevity of life”. We only have so much time to work so why not give it all we've got!
Colossians 3:23
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,
Heart – the emotional or moral as distinguished from the intellectual nature. The seat of passion and emotion. One's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations.
This passage is cast in the light of “who are you working for?” We all can identify with working for someone you don't like, trying to do as little as possible to just draw a paycheck of some kind. However the paradigm in the kingdom is different. We're to work like we're working for the King of King's and Lord of Lord's!
Working very hard forces a result. Either you will have success from your hard work or you will realize “this isn't for me”. If we don't work with all our heart/might we may meander through years of our lives not fulfilling the plans and purposes of God.
Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
We don't need to spend our lives chasing our tails or working toward a goal of self gratification. Our efforts should be approved by Jesus. What we strive for should be under the umbrella of his will. When we do this I believe he will establish our plans. Why do we do what we do?
The motive of the heart is a very hidden issue however the Lord knows every motive of the heart. (1 Corinthians 4:5) He can reveal to us our motives and give us grace to change them if that is His will.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
1 Corinthians 10:31b
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Jubilee Family Church45 Thunderbird Dr. Batesville, AR 72501 (870) 793-9124