December 11, 2017
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His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant. – Matthew 25:21
When
delivering newspapers as a boy, I felt a certain satisfaction in
throwing the paper in the exact location preferred
by homeowners. That place was near the front door, where they could
open the door and simply reach for the latest news lying at their feet.
Now, years
later, I wondered why our paperboy chose not to deliver his goods in
the same way. Over a period of several months, I would find our
newspaper not
on the front porch, but just beyond the split rail fence, near the
street. On rainy days, the paper would always be wrapped in plastic, but
I still
had to go outside the fence to pick it up. One day, the conclusion
was reached to cancel the paper if the delivery location did not change
soon.
Never before had I actually
seen our paperboy, until one afternoon when I was driving down our
street toward home. Slowing the car, I was taken aback by
what I observed. He was a young man with a large bag full of
rolled-up newspapers strapped over one shoulder. He obviously had a
crippling handicap
in his legs and arms, and was doing good just to walk. Moving slowly
along, he would reach for a paper from his bag and do his best to pitch
it toward
the house to which he was delivering. As I turned into our driveway,
he reached for another paper. Once again, he made his best effort to
pitch the
paper toward our house, and like many times before, it fell just
beyond the fence. As I watched him shuffle down the street, there came a
realization
that this crippled gentleman was faithfully and consistently doing
his best with what he had. We did not cancel the paper.
As it is in most areas of
life, in our Christian walk we tend to look at accomplishments. What
great things have we done for the sake of the Gospel? Are
we excelling in our work for Him? Looking at it that way, we may
feel that our accomplishments seem small or inadequate. However, God
looks much deeper
than that. He weighs our efforts, and He delights in the consistent
faithfulness found in His children doing their best for Him out of a
pure heart.
He knows our human limitations, and He will not quit on us as long
as we keep putting forth our best effort for Him.
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