Sermon "Doing Our Best"
Rev. Lonnie Richardson
Sunday, October 11, 1998
Doing Our Best
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
The business of Christians in any age is to guard the truth which has been entrusted to them. That was the apostle Paul's charge to Timothy in the first chapter. "Guard the truth which has been entrusted to you." (Timothy 1:14) in chapter 2 of that letter we are shown some ways this is accomplished. As Christians, it is necessary for us to understand that this is to be done in every age. It is one of the reasons the church exists. To do our best in handling the faith and not be ashamed of it.
The 1st century world in which Timothy lived was one of distorted values, misleading commitments, confused thinking, and dangerous misconceptions. As a result, the whole Roman world was about to explode with violence. In the east, the Jewish revolt, which would culminate with the armies of Titus besieging Jerusalem for a couple of years, had begun. Finally, the temple would be destroyed, the Jews slaughtered, and other carried away into captivity among the nations. All this was just around the corner.
Today, we live in a similar kind of age. The modern proverb, "What you see is not what you get," is sharp testimony to the fact that ours is a deceitful age. We live in a time of deep trouble. The great question of life in this day, as it was in Paul's day, is, "How can you guard the truth? How do you preserve sanity in an insane world?" How do we do that? How do we do our best to present ourselves to God as one approved, one who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth?
It begins by recalling the focus of our faith and allowing that to empower our lives. In other words -- let go and let God! Paul emphasized this by instructing Timothy to remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel. {2 Tim 2:8 RSV}
There is Paul's own personal word given to his beloved son in the faith of the secret of sustaining himself in the hour of pressure: "remember Jesus Christ. Paul says that he who stood on the other side of the grave and said, "All power in heaven and on earth is given unto me" {Matt 28:18}, is the one who is with you in the midst of your living. There is nothing like the realization that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is working with you in your very situation. That is what gives a sense of hope when others see hopelessness.
A little child playing one day with a very valuable vase put his hand into it and could not withdraw it. His father, too, tried his best, but all in vain. They were thinking of breaking the vase when the father said, "Now, my son, make one more try. Open your hand and hold your fingers out straight as you see me doing, and then pull."
To their astonishment the little fellow said, "O no, father. I couldn't put my finger out like that, because if I did I would drop my penny."
Smile, if you will - but thousands of us are like that little boy, so busy holding on to a worthless penny that we cannot accept liberation. Let go and let God have his way in your life.
Another way we do our best for God is to choose the right mountains to climb. Last week I viewed the IMAX presentation titled "Everest." It was a fantastic account of the challenge of climbing the highest point on earth. Mt. Everest looms five and a half miles above the face of the earth. Each year Everest attracts small bands of adventurers bent on reaching the summit. Only a handful make it.
In his book, Into Thin Air, John Krakauer recounts the dramatic story of his 1996 assault on Everest, a climb which ended in disaster. His expedition party began their adventure by spending several weeks at a base camp to acclimate their bodies to the thin air. Located at 17,000 feet, the camp is higher than many commuter airline flights. From the moment Krakauer stepped onto Everest he could feel the toll on his body. He had difficulty eating. Sleep eluded him. A hacking cough cracked his ribs. Bone-biting wind, sunburn, lack of oxygen and sub-zero temperatures became an endurance test of the will of the mountain against the will of the man.
After weeks of agonizing effort, finally on May 10, 1996, John Krakauer stood on top of the world! Interestingly, rather than feeling exultation, he wrote, "I'd been fantasizing about this moment, and the release of emotion that would accompany it, for many months. But now that I was finally there standing on the summit of Mount Everest, I just couldn't summon the energy to care."
As he began his descent he never could have imagined the horror that lay ahead. Just hours later, the mistakes that plagued his group throughout the day bore fruit. Six of his fellow climbers, including three guides, perished in a raging storm.
Why would a man risk his life and destroy his body to climb a mountain? For that matter, why do the rest of us climb our mountains and take the risks we do? It's because we each have a need to find meaning and do something significant with our lives. Unfortunately, many seek significance climbing the wrong mountain and end up frustrated and disappointed. What mountains are you climbing? When our climb seeks first the kingdom of God we are on the path which fosters the peace of God.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a
workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word
of truth. Begin by turning loose of those things which keep
your attention from faithfully serving God and climb the mountain
of seeking his will. When we do our best at this our lives are of
no shame. Amen.
