If worth doing, do it well
by Neville Grieger
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‘Do what’s right and do it in the right way’ (Isaiah 56:1).
Good old Eugene Petersen … he’s done it again! (Helped me, through his everyday language, to get a handle on a tricky passage!)
I grew up on a Mallee farm. I can distinctly remember my dad talking about a special identification plate that could be found on certain types of old 1900s farm machines manufactured by the Bagshaw Company (later to become Horwood Bagshaw). I was determined to find one of these small elliptical-shaped solid brass plates, which even back half a century ago were a highly sought-after collector’s item. My efforts were eventually rewarded with two prized finds. The point of interest and value of these items was in the letters inscribed, almost in code, around the perimeter:
IFWO RTHDO INGDO ITW ELL
I was reminded of this Bagshaw motto when I read The Message version of the opening verse of Isaiah 56. What a fabulous catch-cry for us as Christian people – if the Christian life is worth doing, then let’s do it well. Not that our salvation, which, back in Isaiah’s time, was still ‘just around the corner’, as Petersen puts it, requires us to do anything – far from it! It has already been done for us (past tense), for we are already at the party. So, in our celebration of that, we are challenged to do a good job of responding to God’s incredible undeserved love and gift to us, by making sure those around us are aware of the free ticket to the biggest party ever!
Communicating the good news of Jesus: worth doing? You bet. So, let’s do it well!
Dear Lord, we pray that you would help us to appreciate the enormity of the gift that we have been given and to respond to that gift with action. Give us the words to say and the right moments to say them to those around us who may have not yet come to know Jesus. Amen.
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