The day will come when we will stand before the Lord to give an account of how we used our gifts, talents, time, energy, enthusiasm, and everything else God has graciously bestowed upon us. Failure would be to admit that not only did we do nothing, but that we attempted nothing. Success would be to recount those things we dreamed of and prayed for and attempted, even if they led to no great results.

I once heard a Christian say that when he arrives in heaven he does not expect not hear “well done, good and faithful servant,” as much as “well tried.” He does not mean that God will be impressed by a reckless succession of rash attempts at self-grandiosity. He does not mean that God will laud him for projects he began with great passion before losing interest and becoming distracted by the next big thing. No, he means only that he believes God will reward him for his constant attempts to seek and do what He commands. He expects that though in the final accounting his accomplishments may add up to little, his attempts at faithfulness will add up to much.
There are many things we begin with great energy and many projects we undertake with great enthusiasm. Convicted by the preaching of the Word or persuaded by our reading of providence, we determine that we will make a substantial change to our lives or embark on a ministry that will bless others. We attempt little things, big things, and things in-between. And though some of them succeed some of the time, many of them do not. Though a few of them grow up to become big things, far more of them remain tiny things or soon enough become former things.
A man longed to create a ministry through his local church that would serve the residents of a long-term care home. This was surely a good and noble desire and he embarked upon it with great gusto. But though he labored diligently, he received few opportunities to meet with people in that home or to care for them. And though he told other believers about it, he learned that few of them had interest in joining him. He pressed on for a time, but eventually surrendered to the inevitable and determined he would invest his time and energy in other forms of service. And though this ministry was by most measures unsuccessful, I am convinced God will proudly say to him, “Well tried.”
Read More
Related Posts:

The Second Commandment is also largely concerned with comforting us with the news that we need not be ignorant either of how or who to bring praise with and to in response to the grace given in love. The same God who has provided a plan of redemption has presented in His perfect Scriptures a witness to the manner of the worship of His people. 

Our catechism lesson today continues with more on the Second Commandment. Without any more delay let’s get right into it as there is much to talk about this week:
Q. 51. What is forbidden in the Second Commandment?
A. The second commandment forbids the worshipping of God by images, or any other way not appointed in His word.
Q. 52. What are the reasons annexed to the Second Commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the second commandment are, God’s sovereignty over us, His propriety in us, and the zeal He has to His own worship.
Worship, as has been noted, is what we are about as human beings. It is the very essence of our existence. When we are given a peek at God’s redeemed flock in the Heavens in Revelation 7 we see the people gathered around the throne praising the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with their voices:
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
No matter where you are from, or who your parents are, or what the provenance of your faith is, in your resting and trusting in Christ the natural response of a redeemed heart is going to be worship. It’s who we are. If you don’t have a burning desire to gather with God’s Church on the Sabbath Day then it’s a moral issue, a sin, full stop, truly worthy of repentance. We bear the fruit of the tree unto which we are a member.
If we are still attached to the date tree of Satan then we will resist the call to worship. However, if we are grafted onto the fig tree that is Christ then we will bring forth praise upon praise, because the means of His grace flows through us as sap in a maple. There isn’t any wiggle room here for there can’t be more than one master under whom we live, as the First Commandment makes clear. We either have the God of the Bible as our Lord, or we have the man-made creation as our idol. Choose this day whom you will serve has implications for this next word given at Sinai.
The Second Commandment is also largely concerned with comforting us with the news that we need not be ignorant either of how or who to bring praise with and to in response to the grace given in love. The same God who has provided a plan of redemption has presented in His perfect Scriptures a witness to the manner of the worship of His people.
Read More

Failing to rebuke a sinning brother or sister withholds from him the very love God calls us to demonstrate. Wise parents understand this. We believe God’s Word in Proverbs 13:24, “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” Child discipline can be painful—to both child and parent—but it displays true parental love.

The church should be a reconciling body of believers who help each other be reconciled with God and others when we go astray. The foundation for this is the initiative God has taken in Jesus to reconcile us to Himself. Romans 1 and 3 describe God’s righteous wrath against us because of our sin. But by His grace, God poured out that wrath, not upon us, but upon His own Son, Jesus Christ, our substitute. Romans 5 and Romans 8 tell us we were once enemies of God. We hated Him in our hearts, but through Christ, God changed our hearts, so we now love Him. His divine love poured into our hearts by His Spirit can now enable the church to be a family of brothers and sisters who seek to redeem fractured relationships like our Savior.
Love: The Heartbeat of Redemptive Discipline
What will it take to cultivate this vision? The simple yet profound answer is love—love for God and love for our neighbor. Do we love God and each other enough to pursue each other when one of us turns away from the Lord? And is it really the most loving thing we can do? Let me read and comment on some words from God that plainly connect love and discipline, love and rebuke, love and the efforts we must make to rescue each other within God’s family.
Let’s start back in Leviticus 19:17-18, “Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” Here we find the Old Testament origin of what our Lord Jesus taught as the second great commandment. One way we demonstrate godly love is by rebuking one another when we sin. To not rebuke your brother or sister is to hate him.
Proverbs 27:5-6 declares, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Enemies flatter, friends rebuke. Enemies kiss you, friends wound you.
Read More