Do the Best With What You Have
Posted on October 7, 2016 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:17)
I have read somewhere that there was a village in England some years ago that had a town hall with a clock with one hand in the steeple facing the central square. The village did not have enough money to repair it. Some wag suggested, “Well, at least the clock is right twice a day!” But a village philosopher suggested that the message of the clock is, “Do the best with what you have.” That’s good advice.
In a way, that is the story of Simon Peter in the Gospels. Among those who were following the Lord Jesus Christ, none were more colorful than Simon Peter. His story began when his brother, Andrew, brought him to Jesus. When Jesus met him, He said, “You are Simon…and you shall be Peter” (John 1:42). The Greek word for Peter is “rock.” “You are…you shall be.” Hidden within Peter was God-given potential that had not yet surfaced. I suppose Peter thought he could never be anything other than what he was – a fisherman from Galilee. But Jesus saw him differently. “Rocky” would be a good name by which to know him.
So Peter began to follow Jesus and the rough edges began to wear away. One gets the impression that Simon Peter was a strong man who appeared to be given to physical violence as a way of settling personal disputes.
Peter was always stirred and moved by the actions and the words of Jesus. He had his highs and his lows. He confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16) yet a short time later he objected to Jesus saying He must die on a cross (Matt 16:22), but he was so much like we are. He wanted to be so close to Jesus, yet he failed so miserably and so often. We can easily identify with him more than with the other disciples.
The time came when Jesus warned him that he would deny he knew Jesus, not once but three times before the night was over (John 13:38). Peter protested vehemently…yet he did. But his story doesn’t end there. Even before his failure, Jesus gave him hope that recovery would be possible. He was forgiven and restored. His story tells us that we, too, can be transformed by God’s grace. Our past and present need not limit us in our future usefulness for Jesus. Peter wrote two letters about what he had learned. In 1 Peter, he wrote about suffering; in 2 Peter, he wrote about loyalty. What we are today need not be what we shall be tomorrow.
Written by Dr. Donald R. Hubbard: Dr Hubbard is a Bible teacher on Bible Broadcasting Network and frequent speaker at America’s Keswick.
The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 126; Proverbs 7
Daily Quote: “Prayer is not a hard requirement – it is the natural duty of a creature to its creator, the simplest homage that human need can pay to divine liberality.” ~Charles Spurgeon
This Week’s Verse to Memorize:
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