We cannot be do-nothing followers of Christ. Jesus explains this principle in the parable of the talents. “A man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey. Straightway he that received the five talents went and traded with them, and made other five talents. In like manner he also that received the two gained other two. But he that received the one went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.” The servants who used their talents wisely were rewarded, but the servant who did nothing was condemned severely: “And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
No matter how talent-less we may think we are, we are expected by our Lord to do what we can with what we have been given. John Wooden, a famous basketball coach, told his players, “Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” We need to do whatever we possibly can to serve our Lord.
“I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” These words were spoken by Helen Keller who was born blind, deaf and dumb. Are any of us blind, deaf and dumb? Didn’t think so. Each of us has a contribution to make, and we should get busy doing it. We need to put our personal inadequacies, complaints and fears aside and serve our Lord. We can share our hope, we can help those who are hurting, we can contact those who have lost their faith, but the main point is, we can do something.
Moses was carefully chosen and groomed by God to lead the Children of Israel to the Promised Land. Yet when God asked him to do the job, Moses felt overwhelmed by his inadequacies. “And Moses said unto the LORD, Oh Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak.” God made us and He knows our weaknesses. God expects us to do His will in spite of our deficiencies, and He will help us to accomplish it.
Later on, Moses might have been full of pride and self-importance because of his privileged position as the leader during the plagues and the Exodus and the special relationship he had with God, yet the record tells us, “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” Moses’ acute awareness of his inadequacies kept him from taking credit for the monumental task he was given to accomplish. We are called to a high calling, but we must humbly give God the glory for what we may accomplish, knowing we are frail and cannot succeed without His help.
God knows our weaknesses. He made us. God wants us to work in His service understanding that we cannot do it on our own. As Paul explains, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” God works with our weaknesses, and our very weaknesses help us to serve God more effectively because we recognize that it is His power that accomplishes His will. We are but tools in the hands of the Master Craftsman.
As we get older we find that many things we used to be able to do are not possible anymore. At over eighty years of age, we can become so discouraged about what we cannot do that we stop doing anything. This thinking is wrong. Look at Moses, eighty years old, having for forty years lived in Midian with his wife and two sons peacefully shepherding sheep, yet not having begun the major work of his life. We never are too old to serve our God. We may not be able to travel to far off lands or do hard physical labor in the Lord’s service anymore, but we can find work for us to do right where we are. As long as the Lord preserves our life we can do something, and we need to find it and do it.
If we think every day, “Do what you can with what you have right where you are,” then we will look for opportunities to serve no matter how weak we are. If we cannot visit the sick then we can call them up, send them a card, or write them an email. We can offer prayers for those who are in need. We have only this life to live, and, however we find ourselves, we should make the most of it to serve our Lord.
Paul had a weakness that he pleaded with the Lord to remove. The answer Paul was given was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul concluded, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The weakness of old age and its infirmities gives us the opportunity, as Paul, to be more fully aware that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. Let us serve our God with all our power, knowing that with Paul we can say, “When I am weak, then I am strong.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One