What You Can Do

Saw it again recently. Same fellow, same dynamic, same outcome. It is getting predictable. And that is a good thing.

Whatever this brother of mine does, it has a winsome quality to it. He is capable in his tasks, but that is not what shines through. He is good at what he does, but not that good. There are individuals that out produce him and others whose technical proficiency exceeds his.

My point is not how well he does his job, how well he fills his role in the life of the church. My point is that who he is remains more important than what he achieves.

What I’m learning from this is that a polished performance is a shallow substitute for a polished heart. We get so caught up in what people do well that we forget who people are. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks*.” And out of the treasures of a life centered in and lived for Christ, a beautiful authenticity unavoidably escapes.

In the empire of the Eternal One it is not what you can do, but what He has done, that matters. If He has changed your heart and your heart glows from His dear touch, that reality is reflected in all you are a part of. Choose a man or woman who walks well with God over a man or woman who walks well on his or her own. Make that choice every time and know you will so rarely be disappointed.

Tim Gramly
Education Pastor
SHBC, Belton, MO
July 15, 2009

*Matthew 12:34