Day Thirty-Nine “Blessed Effort”
I have had the distinct honor of teaching what may very well be the worst-sounding musical instrument (and I use the term instrument loosely) ever created by human hands. Ah, the flutophone! Who in the world came up with that? The combination of that piece of plastic and a nine-year-old child can create quite a cacophony. Throw those instruments at a whole classroom full of kiddos, and you have one chaotic concert on your hands! After years of enduring the music (?) produced by that instrument, my ears have become somewhat numb to the unusual sound, but occasionally I am taken by surprise and WOW-ed! A young student will take that cheap piece of plastic, invest some time and effort, and make it sing.
I was privileged to know such a student. I can still hear the songs wafting down the hallway after school, first rough and squeaky, the same measures repeated endlessly…over and over and over…but gradually those sounds morphed into musical tones. As effort and practice were faithfully applied, the fruits became more evident. Upon closer observation, I noticed that this young man approached all areas of his young life with that same unbridled effort, doing his best, putting forth focus, and I watched God bless him mightily.
So what brought this young student to my fading memory today? While spending some time alone with God, I met a young king who shares the same name as my former student. King Asa began his reign with a firm commitment to be faithful to the God of Israel. He was a diligent worker, tearing down “the altars of strange gods,” cutting “down the groves,” building “fenced cities in Judah,” and assembling an army of “mighty men of valor.” (II Chronicles 14) That was one BUSY young man. Although Asa had some missteps in his life, God records a powerful tribute to him, “…the heart of Asa was perfect all his days.” This young king loved His God, and exhausted every effort in serving that God, doing “that which was right in the eyes of the LORD.”
God doesn’t require vast, natural talents, nor perfection, but He does demand our diligence and steadfastness, “that a man be found faithful.” When we pour effort into a task, depending on Him to produce the results, He will rain down His blessings. Let’s approach everything we do today, even the mundane, with a passion worthy of our King! Make it sing!
II Chronicles 15:7 Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak; for your work shall be rewarded.
Help me, Lord, to work faithfully, to apply all my effort to a task, and to depend on You to produce the results. Help me to always set the example of being a diligent worker, even when performing those mundane daily chores.
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