“For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee” (Titus 1:5).
TEXT —Titus 1:1-5
Message
A ranking military officer interviewed a man who later became the president of his country. He was asked if he did well as a student in the Naval Academy. Proudly, the young man said he stood 59th out of a class of 820. He expected to be congratulated. But the military chief asked, “Did you do your best?” After some hesitation, he answered: “No, sir, I didn’t always do my best.” Then, the question that ended the session was: “Why didn’t you do your best?” He did not answer. It dawned on him that not doing the best is not the best thing.
Titus had exceptional credentials that led the Holy Spirit to move Apostle Paul to ordain him the bishop of Crete, where he was to continue what Paul had started in the church. Titus was to “set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city…” These were enormous assignments in a land of “liars… (posing) foolish questions and genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law.” Titus must have done his best to be entrusted with these tasks in the ministry.
Great things in life cannot be attained by mediocre performance. Half measures do not lead to remarkable accomplishments; only masterly feats achieve masteries. Those who hit the gold medal in the Olympics and other globally recognised competitions are known for putting up excellent performance: no average act, no middling effort. It is a total departure from the beaten track to make the best and secure 100% success.
This is the best God expects from those in His vineyard. At the end of each day, we must ask ourselves: Did I do my best for God? Did I also do my best for my fellow humans? Have I pleased the Lord in all my activities? These are the questions we need to address now because they will come up when we stand before Christ’s judgment seat for assessment and rewards. If we cannot answer “yes,” the question will be, “why not?”
Thought for the day
Only self-weight-watchers are pleased to be weighed and found wanting!
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
4 comments
Give of your best to the master,
Give of the strength of your youth;
Throw your soul’s fresh, glowing ardor
Into the battle for truth.
Jesus has set the example
Dauntless was He, young and brave;
Give Him your loyal devotion,
Give Him the best that you have.
Give of your best to the master,
Give of the strength of your youth;
Throw your soul’s fresh, glowing ardor
Into the battle for truth.
Jesus has set the example
Dauntless was He, young and brave;
Give Him your loyal devotion,
Give Him the best that you have.
Refrain
Hi there! I stay in Canada, and there used to be an app for this, but it is no longer working. Can that be fixed? And I have a suggestion: can we get a feature that allows us to have the memory verse or thought of the day as a wallpaper or widget feature for our lock screens or phones? I think that would be great for meditation!
Glory to God for today’s daily manna. Father, please empower me your spirit, wisdom and knowledge to enable me give of my best in my service to you and humanity in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Give of your best to the master,
Give of the strength of your youth;
Throw your soul’s fresh, glowing ardor
Into the battle for truth.
Jesus has set the example
Dauntless was He, young and brave;
Give Him your loyal devotion,
Give Him the best that you have.
Give of your best to the master,
Give of the strength of your youth;
Throw your soul’s fresh, glowing ardor
Into the battle for truth.
Jesus has set the example
Dauntless was He, young and brave;
Give Him your loyal devotion,
Give Him the best that you have.
Refrain
Hi there! I stay in Canada, and there used to be an app for this, but it is no longer working. Can that be fixed? And I have a suggestion: can we get a feature that allows us to have the memory verse or thought of the day as a wallpaper or widget feature for our lock screens or phones? I think that would be great for meditation!
Glory to God for today’s daily manna. Father, please empower me your spirit, wisdom and knowledge to enable me give of my best in my service to you and humanity in Jesus’ name, Amen.