More than enough
Eric A. Snyder, Minister, Farwell Church of Christ
December 15, 2002
The man told his doctor that he wasn’t able to do all the things around the house that he used to do. When the examination was complete, he said, "Now, Doc, I can take it. Tell me in plain English what’s wrong with Me."
the doctor replied, "You’re just lazy"
That’s a struggle in life isn’t it.
That a lot of times it would be easier just not to mess with it. You might be thinking about starting or finishing some project and you realize that your day could go a lot easier if you didn’t have to do it.
Mike Breaugh says the most dangerous thing in your house is probably your easy chair. I am inclined to agree with him. Not because of what it might do to you but rather because of what you might not do when you are in it. I mean the name says it all “Lazy boy”
Some here have considered running for office or reconnecting with old friends but when the reality of the time, resources and effort are realized you may have just decided to drop the idea all together. In 1986, a group of researchers published a study of Japanese mothers and mothers in Minneapolis. The mothers were asked to rank the most important things that a child needs to succeed academically. The answers tell a lot about the difference in our two cultures today. The mothers in Minneapolis chose "ability." The mothers in Japan said "effort."
Many times we forget that God is not as interested in our abilities as he is in our availability. There is a very famous book called “The road less traveled” it starts out wit a 3 letter phrase that a lot of people agree with. It’s this “life is difficult”
I know a lot of people who share that sentiment. That life has been hard on them, Schedules get burdened, or you might be experiencing hardships. Because Life is what it is there is a major temptation to just get by. We try so hard just to get through.
Many times we also do just enough to make it. I remember receiving a poor grade on a test in middle school. The teacher told me afterwards that I could correct the test if I showed documentation on the correct answers. For every 10 questions I changed my letter grade would go up one grade was the deal.
So what do you do with life? Do you do the bare minimum required of you or do you do everything that is possible to leave your mark of excellence?
That is the principal we are talking about today. This principal can be found in Matthew chapter 5:vs 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
This is a key principal that Jesus teaches. First he is saying “be service oriented” and next he is saying “give that extra effort”.
A young boy was talking and his father was listening, the boy said "Hello, sir, I was calling you to see if you could use a lawn boy to do your yard work!" "Oh, I see you already have one!" "Well, is he doing your work to your satisfaction?" "He is! Thank you, sir, I was just checking," then the young boy hung up the phone. The father looked at his son and said, "Sorry son, you didn’t get the job!" "Oh, no" said the boy. "I’ve already got that job. I was just calling to check up on myself!"
It is my prayer that we would all check up on ourselves from time to time. That’s the kind of environment that we are trying to create around here. We are trying to create an environment where everyone goes the extra mile. We are doing our best to be a place of quality and excellence so that people can grasp the truth of Jesus here.
When people ask me what I want to be a recognizable mark of our church, I always say I want this to be a place where others see Jesus. But if I had to pinpoint the area that could be most evident I would have to say, “I want this church to be recognized for it’s extra mile efforts”
When people come in for the first time I want them to see that the greeters are friendly and helpful. That we make a great effort at each Job that gets done. I like people to see the quality of the worship service and appreciate the long hard hours that have been put into the communion meditation, prayer time, special music, sermon, child care. I want people to know that we are willing to do whatever it takes to make this thing run smoothly without one glitch.
So the question is. How is your effort. If you were to grade yourself on your area of service, how would you measure up. The measuring stick is not based on anyone else but you. Are you doing your best in every area that you are involved in.
One lady that comes to my mind when I think of “Extra effort” service is a lady named Cathy Taut. Cathy has such a joyful spirit she works and she takes pride in being here. She joyfully does her job, she does it to the best of her ability and many times I would bet, her work goes unnoticed by the masses. But Cathy knows the value of giving her best.
A lot of what we have been talking about up till now has to do with the effort we put forward on Sunday morning. But there is also another effort that we may not see on Sunday morning.
I’m talking about in the workplace. The Bible tells us that we are examples of Christ in every place we go. Because of who we serve we should always be giving our best effort at work. Ephesians 6: 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.
I read an article recently about A Massachusetts doctor a Harvard graduate has been suspended for leaving a patient on the operating table midway through spinal surgery so he could deposit a check at his local bank.
The state board of medicine said David Arndt, an orthopedic surgeon, posed "an immediate threat to the public health, safety and welfare" after he left the patient with an open incision in his back.
According to Reuters, Arndt left behind a surgeon who was not qualified to complete the surgery. After his 35-minute trip to the bank, Arndt returned to the operating room and finished the surgery within a few hours. (Aug 8 refuters)
There is a world of people who have a hole in their heart, as Followers of Jesus we need to stay and get the message of hope through. That’s why displaying excellence here is so important. But we also have to have excellence of integrity in our personal lives.
Are you doing everything to restore the best relationship that you can possibly have with God” Are you learning? Are you growing? I don’t want to just squeak into heaven, quite honestly I wouldn’t even know how to do that anyway. The Bible says it’s very clear, either you’re in or your not. Well how do I know for sure. It’s as easy as this either you know Jesus or you don’t.
I tend to think that if you are doing everything possible to get it right with God then we would see you more than once a month. Why wouldn’t you want to provide yourself every possible opportunity to come to the table and soak in the presence of God. In the old testament God saw that people were worshiping in convenient times and his lament was that “these people worship me with their lips but their hearts are far from me” Where is your heart today. Do you ache when you can’t be in a place of worship? Or is it just an “Oh well” kind of thing. Jesus is saying that extra mile experience will not happen for you unless you are going the extra mile in your faith. With your spiritual habits.
You will never go the extra mile for another person if you can’t make it a mile for your relationship with God.
I love that verse for the drummer boy song. I played my best for him. What a great sentiment. That even though we may not have a lot we still have something to offer as long as we can bring our best.
Over the years we seem to forget that it is our best that God wants. That’s where we get our terms from giving. We say God wants the first fruits. Do you know why the bible says that? When you bring fruit home it’s in great shape right. The grapes are firm the apples are not yet bruised the bananas are just right. God wants our freshest. He is not interested in what has been sitting on the table for a month. He is not a God of leftovers but a God of first fruits. That means that when you plan your colander, you give God some time first. When you write the budget that God gut’s your best effort.
God said when it comes to animal sacrifices I want the firstborn, I don’t want any spots, birth defects I want your best. So how about it. Does God have your best?
Jesus birth signifies that God is not interested in meeting the minimum standard requirement but that he wants to do everything He can to restore that relationship with you.
I have always found it interesting in the turn of events that took place around the Christmas story. We gave God a drafty old stable and he gave us a wind that can bring fire to the hearts of His followers.
What are you doing to restore that relationship?
Several years ago Gary Spies from White Lake, Minnesota, did an incredible thing. He sailed his ten-foot boat across the Atlantic Ocean in just fifty-four days. Most of us can only imagine what he endured to complete his ordeal, but suddenly the whole world knew who he was.
What is the real story? Did he just have a good idea, implement it, and "luck" into celebrity status? Gary worked, planned, sacrificed, and studied for three years to build his boat. He committed not only his money but also 100 percent of his spare time for three solid years. He had to chart his course and plan every detail, including maximum use of his space and the proper food, clothing, and water to carry.
Once the trip began, so did the danger. The most dangerous and difficult part was fighting the violent areas of the Atlantic Ocean. The seas often combined with a driving, bitterly cold rain, which chilled him to the bone. By the time he reached England . . . his entire body was black and blue . . . it’s safe to say that he sacrificed and worked in order to receive his rewards.
Most of us are not interested in doing anything of that nature, but it’s safe to say that if we’re going to accomplish anything of significance . . . long hours of planning and even more hours of hard work are required. It’s also safe to say it’s worth it because the effort is temporary, but the satisfaction and rewards can be long-lasting.
When we end up taking inventory for this life, how will you end up. Will you be wishing you did more to deepen your relationship with God? Will you wish you had done more to point others to Jesus.
I want to show a clip from a movie called schlindler’s list.
More than I could hope or dream of
You have poured You favor on me
One day in the house of God is
Better than a thousand days in the world
So blessed I can’t contain it
So much I’ve got to give it away
Your love has taught me to live now
You are more than enough for me
Now it’s not too late for you. There is still more that you can do. If you want to be one who makes a difference we invite you to come as we stand together and sing.
