Do Your Best! Give Your All!

You take your Bibles if you would and turned to Colossians chapter three. Colossians chapter three. You know what I forgot to do this morning? I've got to turn the ringer off on my phone. So, I'm going do that right now.

Alright. Colossians chapter three, we're going to read verses 22 through 24 in just a moment. It it's also going to be up here on the screen but This is the verse that I put in the bulletin this morning. Ecclesiastes nine ten, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, okay? And what does that mean?

That means do it with all your power. Put put your best into it. Don't be satisfied with just getting by. Do it the best that you can. Goes along with the song saying just a moment ago.

Colossians three twenty two through 24 sort of deal with similar message here. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God, and whatsoever you do, do it heartily. Do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men. Knowing that of the Lord, you shall receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. Let's pray.

Dear God, thank you again for this day. Thank you for your word. We pray as it goes forth that you would use it mightily in our hearts. I pray Lord that you would guide in the message and I pray Lord that if there be one that's not trusted Christ as savior that today would be their day of salvation. Lord, thank you for the privilege of preaching.

Thank you for the privilege of worshiping. You here together and we pray Lord that we would have soft hearts and that you would do a mighty work in us this day. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. Now, back to our our passage here this morning, Colossians three twenty two, servants obey in all things your masters according to flesh.

The word translates servants is doulos. It can be translated fairly broadly from slave to to servant, to hired servant which would be more like our employee of today. Paul is telling those who serve others not only to think about pleasing the person that is their earthly master or boss but more importantly, to do it to please who? To please their father in in heaven. He says, therefore, do it with singleness of heart, fearing God, and do it heartily.

Do it heartily. Now, that kind of dovetails with the idea of do it with thy might. You know, do it from your heart. Don't just go through the what? Don't just go through the motions.

Don't just do it just to get a paycheck. Don't just do it to get a pat on the back from your boss. Do it from your heart. Do your do your best. Do your best.

In doing so, do it to the glory of God and bring glory to God. First Corinthians ten thirty one, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Do it for his glory. Do it for his, do it to bring glory to him. Amen.

He deserves it. We live in a world today of convenience Everything is at our what? At our fingertips. Little responsibility or accountability required. Just don't see people pushed.

Young people today in particular to be responsible and accountable for the decisions they make in life. We see a lot of excuses and not a lot of responsibility, not a lot of great expectation of others. We see in the workplace, little work required or expected. In many jobs, if you just bother to show up on time, you you do better than half the other people that work there. Satisfactory is good enough.

That is sort of the mantra of ours. The satisfactory is good enough. Just do satisfactory work. Grab your paycheck. I don't believe that's what God wants from his children.

I don't think God wants us to go through life just being satisfactory. Doing things half heartedly. I mean, well, this verse here says it, do it what? Half heartedly? No.

The idea here is wholeheartedly. There's a lot of people today that just aren't growing up aren't becoming committed, faithful, responsible people no loyalties, no loyalties. People jump from job to job and church to church and sometimes relationship to relationship with absolutely no no loyalty or no no allegiance. We live in a disposable world. You buy something in about three months, you just what?

You throw it out. Sometimes, we treat our responsibilities and sometimes even others with the same kind of mentality. Everything's disposable. It meets my needs for today. We won't worry about what?

We won't worry about tomorrow. It's good enough. I'll get around to it someday. I I spoke with somebody couple about three or four weeks ago. They said they would show up to church and to my astonishment, they showed up to church.

Now, that does happen from time to time. But you know what happens most of the time? People say, oh yeah, you'll see me at church or I'll I'll get there someday. Well, for some people, I've been here seventeen years and they've been telling that to me for fifteen and I haven't seen them yet or it's been at least five or six years since I've seen them and every time I see them, oh yeah, I'm I'm going to get back out, you know. We we see a lot of that, don't we?

And not just with church but just in general with life. This should not be the attitude and the behavior of the child of God. We need to do our best in whatever our hands find to do particularly in our service to the Lord, particularly in our relationships to others. And on it goes in other areas of our life Satisfactory is not enough. I remember when I was like in kindergarten or first grade, we didn't get A, B, Cs, Ds.

We got, I think, O for outstanding. We got S for satisfactory and we got something else for, I guess, a U, was it for unsatisfactory? And when I got up in the higher grades, then, we went to the A, B, C, D, you know, thing but some of you that are older may remember O and S and U in in like kindergarten. And I remember coming home and I had S's on my report card. And I thought that was okay.

But my parents had a different opinion. You know, maybe one S was okay. But most of them were supposed to be O's and not S's because satisfactory wasn't good enough. Because they knew that I could do what? That I could do better.

And so they expected better of me. You know, we may have other people fooled but you don't have God fooled. God knows what you are capable of especially by his grace and with his help. Amen. And he expects better of us than the rest of the world.

He expects better of us than satisfactory. He expects us to give him the best. Right. That we have. Anything else is unacceptable.

Anything else is unacceptable to our master and it should be unacceptable to us and yes, you do have a master. You do have a master. He is also your creator. You wouldn't be here at all without him. He is also your redeemer and your savior.

You would have no hope of eternity. No relationship. If if not for his grace and his mercy and his love. He is your father as well. He loves you.

He wants the best for you but that also makes you his wife, his child. And he has expectations of his children and he is our friend. He is our friend. Who will never leave us nor what? Nor forsake us.

But he is our master and he is one who deserves for his servants to give him their very what? To give him their very best. For he gave his very best for us. Right. Romans twelve one, Paul pleads with the Christians, primary, mostly Christians.

He's writing to Rome. He says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. Why is it reasonable for me to take the the days and hours and years and in energy that of of my life and turn it over and give it to be used in service of God. Why is that reasonable? Well, that is reasonable.

First of all, because again, as I mentioned, he created you and therefore, has being your creator, he has certain rights. And expectations. But even more so, it says here, according to the mercies, by the mercies of God. What did God do? Well, the God who created you after you rebelled against him, send his son, his only son, his righteous son, his beloved son, to die on the cross.

Amen. For your sins and mine. Because he's a god of love and mercy. And he gave all he had for you and for me. So, it is reasonable for us to give him satisfactory?

No. It's reasonable for us to give him our why? Our best. This coming week. This coming year.

Just a few areas in which you can do your best in 2023. We're going to cover two or three this morning depending on how fast the time moves on. First is this, Does he have your best in your allegiance and affection? Does he have first place? Does he have your loyalty?

Does he have your love? Deuteronomy six four and five. Here oh Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Why is he one Lord? Because he's the only Lord.

Because there are no other gods beside him. That's right. Here, Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord. He is the Lord, the true and living God and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy what? Might.

With all thy strength. Moses here is speaking to the children of Israel in God's behalf and he tells them, you have one Lord, he is the Lord, he is the true Lord and he deserves your love and he deserves your allegiance and he deserves your loyalty and he deserves your affection. He deserves to be first over all other loves, all over all other allegiances. Yeah. In your life.

Are you giving God your best in regards to your love and your allegiance. Is he the top priority? Is he the most precious thing? Person in your life. That's what it means to love.

Agape love. It means that object of your love is the most precious thing that you are not willing to give up. For other things. That's the kind of love that God has for you. He gave his only what?

Son. Because he loved you so much. He made you first one, priority. And Christ followed through and went to that cross. Out of allegiance to his father and out of affection and love for you.

He said, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me but nonetheless, not my will but thine be done and he went to that cross and he drank of that cup. He endured that suffering. And he did it out of love. For us. He deserves our love and our loyalty and our allegiance.

Moses went off the scene. He at God's direction appointed a successor. His name was Joshua. Joshua led Israel into the land of Canaan and under Joshua, they conquered and divided the land. At the end of the book of Joshua, Joshua now is giving a speech before he passes off scene.

Very similar to what Moses did at Mount Nebo before he was taken off the scene and this is what Joshua had to say to the children of Israel. He says, if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve. Whether the gods which your father served, which were on the other side of the flood, that would have been the Egyptian gods or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell, the idols of Canaan but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I have a wooden plaque over top of cabinet in my house. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Is that not over your door, your mantle, in your house, is it in your what? Is it in your heart today? Are you willing to give up other allegiances because your allegiance to God must come what? Must come first. Will you give him your best?

Or does he have to take third or fourth or or fifth place? In your life, over other things. For example, who wins when you're tempted by friends to do something you know is wrong? Who wins? Does God win?

Or do your friends win? Who wins? When you're asked to tell someone about Jesus, does your fear of man went out? Or does your fear of God went out? Does your love of self went out?

Or does your love for others and their need to hear the gospel went out? Which is it? Who do you love more? Who wins when your feelings or your lust conflict with God's will for your life? Does God automatically win?

Or do you sit there and kind of, well, you know, if I do, you know, I have to watch still. I just don't feel like doing that or you know, I really, you know, God, yeah, but and we have that word. Well, God's but. When we when when we're referring to God and what God wants and we we in the middle of the phrase, put in the word but we're in trouble. Because there should be no but There should be just this is what God wants and so this is what I'm going to do.

Why? Because he has one. First place. My allegiance to him must come first. My love for him must come first.

We get ourselves in trouble. We fall into sin when we start to argue with ourselves and we don't simply choose to love the Lord our God. With all our heart. Does God get first place? Does he get time with you each day?

Or does he take a backseat? Do you serve him when it's convenient? Or also when it's inconvenient What is it in your life which Jesus must play second fiddle to? Might be a person. Might be an ambition.

Might be a lust. What is it in your life? That needs to change. What is it that God sometimes plays second fiddle to? Your lust, your friends, your career, Your bank account your entertainment.

Your hobbies be honest. We talked last week about taking inventory. Of ourselves. That's what I'm asking you to do this morning. Take inventory.

Does do you love God? With all your might. Or is satisfactory you know, good enough. Second of all, Do you give God your best not only in your allegiance and love but do you give God your best in your holiness, in your holiness? Your moral integrity and your behavior.

Is it is it holy? Is it is it righteous? Does God have first places? Do you give him your best in regards to that? I think sometimes, we kind of begin to compromise a little bit.

Because of the world in which we live is so inundated with things that are so contrary to the holiness of God. That we think, well, I'll give just a what? Just a just a little bit. I'm still a lot different from the world. But that starts a dangerous slide.

In our lives. First Peter 114 through 16, as obedient children, if you know Christ, that's you. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust and your ignorance. That's before you became a child, before you were born again. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be you holy in all manner of conversation.

That word conversation can also be translated conduct or behavior. In every aspect of your behavior and your conduct in your life, can it be described basically as what? As holy, as pleasing to God, particularly in a moral sense because it is written, be you holy for I am holy. Are we doing our best? Or are we sort of compromising?

Are we just letting some things kind of slide? Because hey, we're doing good in this area. You know, I I'm not a drunk. You know, I I I don't hurt people. I'm not in jail.

You know, I'm I I don't cuss and swear. So, you know, this one other little area over here that God will overlook that because I don't do all these other things, you see? Is that true? Should that be our attitude? The answer is no.

That should not be our attitude. Our attitude should be one. Described here. Every aspect of our life. More like who?

More like Jesus Christ. That's the goal we should be shooting for and striving for. No, we don't always get there. We're still working on. It is a work in progress but that means you are not satisfied.

Not satisfied with the compromise in your life where you're not doing your best. I was reminded of that and I read that of the beatitudes. The beatitudes. You look in Galatians chapter five and I don't have the I have several verses I want to read so I don't have it up here on the screen. Look if you would in Galatians five beginning in verse 19.

Actually, I'm going to read verse 16 and then we'll jump to 19. Verse 16 says, this I say then, walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Paul is drawing a contrast between the spirit and the flesh between the spirit who is holy and the flesh that is corruptible and that desires the wrong things. We, if we're walking in the spirit, walking with the Lord, putting him what? First, giving him our best spiritually, then, we're not going to be stumbling about in the darkness of sin and prone to just succumbing to the lust of flesh all the time.

But if we're not walking in the spirit, well then, the others going to take place. So, if you look on in verse nine, he says, now, the works of the flesh are manifest, they're revealed. Here here's what they are. Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness. Those are all moral, sexual, moral failings.

Verse 20, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders. Those are all the the you have the idolatry of course which is unfaithfulness to God and then it's followed by several that are failings in relations to others. Murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like that wild parties and the like revelings. Of the which I tell you before as I I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. The word do there can also be translated practice.

That those are practicing, doing such things without unrepentantly, without remorse, do indicate that they're not following who? The Lord. Maybe don't even know the Lord in their life. These should not be manifest, practiced, in the lives of God's children. What should be?

Verse 12, but the fruit of the spirit is love. Joy. Peace. Long suffering. Or patience.

Gentleness. Goodness. Faith. Meekness. Temperance, against such there is no law and they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and lust.

If we live in the spirit, if you know the Lord, let us also what? Walk in the spirit. Let let our our behavior match. Let our attitudes match. Let what's inside come what?

Out. And let your life be filled with these fruits. The fruits of the spirit and not the works of the flesh. That is the holiness of God coming out and living out through our lives. Faithful in our marital relationships.

Husbands love your wife, your wives, even as Christ loved the church. Pure in our thoughts and actions. Job thirty one one, Job said, I made a covenant with thine eyes. Why then should I think upon a maid? Job says, I have a wife I have decided not to lust after others.

Righteous or honest in our dealings not deceitful In our business dealings. In our car sales. In our interactions with others. Just be honest. Be truthful.

When you go to the store and you buy that item and you give em $20 and you go to leave the store and you look back and in your change, there's a $50 bill. Lot of people would say, wow, cool. I got a $50 bill. What's the Christian thing to do? Take it back.

Sadly, they will be shocked when you take it back because most people don't. Be honest. Be righteous in your dealings. Don't try to cut corners. Don't try to cheat others.

Sadly, there's a lot of that in the world in which we live. Shouldn't be the case. Proverbs eleven one says, a false balance is an abomination to the Lord but a just wait is his delight. Those that are just. God's going to take care of you.

Don't cut corners. Sober in your lifestyle. Not drunken, or controlled by substances or addictions. Be sober. Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess but be filled with what?

The spirit. You see the contrast again between the flesh and the and the spirit. Be led by the spirit. Walk in the spirit and give God your best. Don't be satisfied.

Well, I don't have these other problems. So, I'll just let this this one slide. No, don't do that. Give God your why. Give God your best.

In all manner of conduct, Live to the glory of who? Live to the glory of God. Not the glory of pleasure. Not the glory of self. Live to the glory of God.

Be meek and kind in your responses. Not violent or ill tempered or in inconsiderate. We live in a very inconsiderate world. While they scream, be tolerant, be tolerant, they're not very tolerant. Be meek.

That means power under control. Be self controlled. Be God controlled Be kind. Don't respond in vengeance Be loving and merciful even to those who are not loving and merciful to you. Be like your father who is what?

In heaven, who causes it to rain on the just and on the unjust. Ephesians four thirty one and thirty two. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be you kind one to another. Tender hearted, forgiving one another just or even as God for Christ's sake. Hath forgiven.

Let all bitterness, bitterness. What's bitterness? What's anger that just kind of sits there and rots in your heart and it affects your relationship with others but you know who what relationship it also ship it also affects? Your relationship with who? Your relationship with God.

Give God your best. What that mean? Don't be satisfied with bitterness in here. That's not giving God your what? That's not giving God your best.

If bitterness, if there's something stuck in your crawl and whenever you see that person, you well up in anger. Okay? That's bitterness. Let all bitterness and wrath. You know, temperament and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, mean, insults gossip that is intended to hurt somebody else, whoever the object of the gossip is.

Let all of that be put away from you with all malice, with all hatred, doesn't have a place. And instead, be you kind one to another. How do you give God your best by putting away these works of the flesh, these attitudes of the flesh? Asking God to help you get victory over them so that you might be kind so that you might learn to be forgiving and merciful. Even as God for Christ's sake hath what?

Hath forgiven you. If you are a child of God, your sins have been what? Forgiven. And if you are not a child of God, they can be forgiven today. That's right.

No one has hurt you as bad As humanity treated the very son of God. Right. When he was on this Earth. No one has failed you to the extent that humanity has failed their creator and God and yet God sent his only begotten son. He demonstrated, commended his love toward us and that while we were sinners, he did what?

He died for us. And he has forgiven us. All of our what? All of our sins. Can you not forgive others?

Can you not let it go? Can you not show them the mercy and kindness that God has showed you? Let us be more like Christ. Let's give him our what? Best.

Let's forgive the unforgivable. Let's let's ask for his grace and help and do our best to be sober and righteous and pure in our heart and in our life. To be more like our savior Jesus Christ this year. Maybe there's somewhere in the mix of all that, something that you need to take inventory of. Something that can change, needs to change.

Well, God will help you change it. Amen. If you'll confess it. And if you're here today and you've yet to accept Christ as the Lord and savior of your life, he welcomes you today with open arms. He loves you.

He'll forgive you and save your soul. If you'll come. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord. Forgiving your best for us and as we look into this New Year, Lord, I pray that you would help us to give you our best and Lord, as we give ourselves over to you, Lord, you'll do things in our life that we could never even have imagined.

Lord, if we'll seek first the kingdom of God and your righteousness, all these other things, they'll be added to us. And Lord, I pray that you would help us to to deal with ourselves honestly and and Lord, if there's an area in which we're we're just not giving you our best, Lord, that we wouldn't be satisfied with anything less this year. And that we keep trying. Lord, if we fail, we'll confess it and Lord, you'll help us and Lord, just help us to see you do deserve our best. And Lord, grant us the power and the wisdom.

And the humility. To do it by your grace and Lord, if there's one here today that has not accepted Christ as savior, praise we give this hymn of invitation, they come. And trust you today. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.