March 27 Honesty Luke 16:10
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10)
**Please continue to pray for Annette. The complications from the back surgeries; have left her with some issues that will require much time to resolve. Progress is slow, and at times, discouraging, yet, we truly believe that God IS answering our prayers and she will recover fully! Every prayer, every card, every text, every act of love and concern, are all, so appreciated! We Love You All!**
Recently, I had the opportunity to provide some work for a young man that needed a job. The task was simple, yet the work was difficult and would require patience and concentration. This fellow is a committed church goer and he professes a love of Christ and has publically professed a relationship with Jesus. I left him to the task and when about my daily duties. I returned home, expecting the job to be completed. To my dismay, the task had been done, yet, the results were not what I had expected. You could tell that the commitment to doing a good job was not in this young man’s mind. Disappointed, would describe my reaction. Within minutes of my return to my house, this young man showed up to be paid. I was not ugly, nor was I critical, yet, I pointed out the disappointment in his overall performance. His explanation, for the “Messy” way that he attempted to complete this simple task was priceless! “Well, I didn’t have time to do it the way that I wanted. I had to go and pick up my new rims from the store in Wilson.” He went on to say that, “I will come back on Friday and finish up!” Now, he wanted to be paid right now, today! Since the job was, at best, half finished, I told him that I would pay half of our agreed amount, since the job was half finished! He was upset that I was unwilling to pay the full amount and he was further challenged that I wouldn’t take his word that he would be back to complete the task. Well, it finally happened! Here, right before my eyes, was a golden opportunity to share some words of wisdom from my dear daddy. I said, “Son, why is there always enough time to do it over, yet never enough time to do it right the start with?” He responded, “I never thought about it that way!” Folks, our lives must reflect the reality of our faith and the reality of our salvation. Every aspect of our existence must be an example of God’s Grace! This boy knew better, yet, his motivations were twisted and his thoughts were on a single earthly pleasure. BOTTOM LINE: You can’t “cut corners” and be a real and committed Follower of Christ! Proverbs 10:9 tells us that, “the man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.” This young man had a real and genuine reassessment of his life, his priorities and his behavior! He apologized to me for the sloppy way that he did the job and he did come back and he did an amazing job on the redo! To seal his lesson and to, as he said, restore my faith in him, he returned the money that I had given him, with the understanding that it was a cheap price to pay for the lesson in honesty and integrity! Dear Friends, what are we to do and how are we to act? “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).” Be REAL, Be HONEST, Be TRUTHFUL and live to GLORIFY OUR GOD!! Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!