Worth Doing “Badly”

A. Lk. 16:10. “ He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is
unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” “Humility” sometimes serves as a
respectable smokescreen for negligence, laziness, cowardice, and other less?than?honorable characteristics. You can read about that truth in Matt. 25:24?30.
(3) “I can’t” sometimes means little more than “I don’t want to.” “Someone else can do it better” frequently translates into “I’d rather someone else do it.” It’s good to have high standards of excellence. But, in the Lord’s work, we cannot afford the luxury of declining to try a worthwhile task merely because we think we cannot do it as well as we would like.
a. The Lord’s work is that of saving lost souls. In regard to physical life, the first person on
the scene of an auto accident would not think of letting persons die in a burning vehicle
while he waited for more skilled rescuers to arrive. There are simply some activities in life
where one must always do what one can.
(1) Glen Chesterton once said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” That remark contains a very an important insight. When a task deserves to be done at all, it deserves a less?than?perfect attempt while we are learning to do the thing better.
(1) In very few of the practical affairs of life is it possible to wait to act until we can act up to the standards of our ideals or those of others. Most things must be done relatively poorly before they can be done passably well. And as much as our pride might like to find one, there is just no shortcut to competence.
(1) Doing things well is the result of practicing. It is practice that makes “perfect.” And the person with no time or inclination to be a beginner will forfeit the pleasure of ever being anything more than just that. A novice, a beginner all of their life.
(2) “The shortest cut is usually through.” John Henry Newman, said, “A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.” That’s the biggest problem we have in the church today.
(2) It boils down to one truth. “The shirker is not a truly humble person.”
(1) Accepting and understanding this way of looking at life and the Lord’s work does not require that we give up our appreciation of excellence and settling for mediocrity.
(2) But, It does mean that, in valuable and urgent works like the Lord’s, we must have the true humility to do a mediocre job at first while we are trying to learn and improve our skills. I can’t teach a class, I can’t say a prayer, I can’t wait on the Lords Table, I can’t invite people to Church, I can’t do this or I can’t do that. So I don’t do anything.
(3) We may excuse ourselves from our work with “modest” remarks about our abilities. But, many times, it is actually pride, not humility, that is holding us back. We don’t want to be laughed at, or do a job that would look inferior by comparison to someone else’s.
(1) In truth, there is no more proud or self?centered person. Than the one who will not do anything unless he can “look good” doing it.
(2) The doing or not doing should not be determined by one’s ego. If that is the problem. The truly humble person swallows his selfish pride and gets involved in the Lord’s work no matter how he thinks it makes him or her look.

(2) The Lord is looking for people who put Him and His work first. Have the attitude the songs talks about, “None of self and all of Thee.” The Lord is not looking for people who can do everything. He is looking for people who will try to do anything.” He wants people with the attitude and commitment of the prophet Isaiah, in Isa. 6:8. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, Here am I. Send me!"
(1) In nearly every congregation, there is a handful of Christians who understand this. They can always be counted on to try, regardless of the nature of the work. Mk. 14:8-9. That’s the secret of successful Christian living. “She did what she could.”
(1) If every person in this congregation would just do that. The Lord would be able to make known our work here in Spur all over the county. You don’t have to be a multi?talented, Ball of fire, conspicuously?gifted person. Just do what you can with every opportunity God sets before you.
(2) Never put restrictions on the nature of the work you are willing to attempt in the service of other people’s souls. What you do is not made great by you. “Our sufficiency is from God.” 2 Cor. 3:5.
The emphasis is not on you. Only God can qualify you and enable
you to do anything. 2 Cor. 12:10. “That is why, for Christ's sake, I
delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Don’t limit God
by fencing Him into your inabilities. When you do that you loose.
(3) On the day Solomon became king he felt inadequate and over whelmed by the task and responsibility before him. But, he did not give up and say, “I can’t do it.” What he did say was, “I am inexperienced, but I will do what I can...and God will help.” 1 Kgs. 3:7?9.
(2) We are servants of God. We are to be at the beck and call of our Master, ready to be used in whatever way He may need us. And we are to do it without regard to whether our efforts may suffer by comparison to someone else’s.
So what, if we can’t do it perfectly. If what our Master needs is something we can only do badly at present, then the Master's work is worth doing “badly.” Just do it as best you can. God will accept it graciously. And He will make it work mightily.
(b) If we are not faithful by doing what we can with the “least” amounts of
ability, we won’t do any better if we wait until we think we can do it
perfectly. Which would you rather hear on the judgment day? The words
of Matt. 25:23, or Vs. 30.
(4) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 09/22/02 pm