(Col. 3:22–24 MSG)
The final three keys to commitment are closely related. The first is to always do your best. It is a way that an armorbearer can show that he cares about the church as much as the pastor.
A visitor walked into our church one morning with a crying child. The woman seemed upset, so one of our nursery workers went out of her way to offer help to soothe the child so the mother could go into the service. There the woman made Jesus the Lord of her life. That nursery worker did her best to help. No doubt, she has a great reward waiting.
The final two keys are to stay with something until the job gets done and never quit or give up. Regardless of what the job is, when you are given something to do—just do it! Then, make sure you finish it. You will have many opportunities to quit, but a committed armorbearer never takes the easy way out.
When we began to build the present church building for Agape Church, the Lord said to construct it debt free, meaning much of the work depended on the voluntary efforts of staff and congregation. When we finally moved into the new building, it had no ceiling or carpet, which meant that the chairs had to be set up before every service and taken down afterwards, along with all of the sound and band equipment. Construction would resume the day after each service, covering the floor with dust that had to be swept before the next service.
When we began, we had plenty of volunteers, but as the months passed, the number of helpers dwindled. Regardless, it was my responsibility to make sure the job was done. It was a difficult season, but I would not trade it for anything. The "hardship" pulled things out of me that I did not know were there—some good, and some not so good. But through it, I learned that the only way to succeed is never to quit.
If you are truly committed to the leader God has assigned you to, you will always do your best, complete every job given to you, and never quit. You will have the privilege of dealing with pride, anger, bitterness, selfishness, and all the destructive things that are in human behavior. But, once you learn to deal with these, overcome them, and let God work in you, then you will become more and more like Him.
The following are some verses that will encourage you to do your best and never quit:
- "Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of" (2 Tim. 2:14 MESSAGE).
- "Do your best, prepare for the worst—then trust God to bring victory" (Prov. 21:31 MESSAGE).
- "To win the contest you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best. An athlete goes to all this trouble just to win a blue ribbon or a silver cup, but we do it for a heavenly reward that never disappears" (1 Cor. 9:25 MESSAGE).
- "Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit!" (Heb. 12:1 MESSAGE).
Heavenly Father, I am committed to do my best at all times, finish every job assigned to me, and never quit. That is easier said than done, but with You as the strength of my life, I can and will do it. I am committed to being the kind of armorbearer that both You and my leader can totally rely on. Amen.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
