Professionals are people who can do their jobs when they don’t feel like it. Amateurs are people who can’t do their jobs when they do feel like it. If we only do what we feel like doing, we will never amount to anything. This is true in life as well as our life in the Truth. Success in the Truth is dependent upon us forcing ourselves to do what we ought to do when we ought to do it, whether we feel like it or not.
We are told by Paul that the Lord Jesus did not please himself. He did what he knew he had to do and he did it when it needed to be done. He often went without food when he felt hungry. That was his first temptation in the wilderness, but he endured it over and over again. On one occasion his disciples said to him, “Master, eat. But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat which you do not know.’ Therefore the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought him anything to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work.’
On another occasion the family of Jesus tried to take him by force, because they said he was out of his mind. What was the problem? Mark described the situation: “Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’ The mother of Jesus, along with his brothers, were concerned that he was neglecting his health because Jesus was so intent on doing what he knew had to be done.
Jesus considered his food was doing the will of God. His own feelings and needs were subordinated to doing what he knew was right. How often do we push ourselves to do what we know we should do even when we do not feel like it?
Some do not do their Bible readings unless they feel like it. If we allow our feelings to rule us, we will soon stop altogether. Some do not pray unless they feel like it. Instead of giving the lame excuse, “I didn’t feel like it,” just do it anyway. When we feel that our prayers may be dry and hard to express, open the book of Psalms and read some prayers. There are many beautiful prayers throughout the Bible. Many of our hymns are prayers set to music. Read or sing a hymn that is a prayer.
The professional makes a list of things that need doing and systematically gets to work on them. The amateur sits around thinking he will do something when he gets around to it, and never does it because he never feels like it.
No farmer ever plowed a field by turning it over in his mind. Get up and get going, do what ought to be done, as a professional follower of Christ. Solomon told us, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”
Let us be doers of the word and not hearers only. If it needs to be done, then do it! Mary told the servants that whatever Jesus told them to do, do it. As good servants of Jesus, let us also do it.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One