Hymns With A Message: GIVE OF YOUR BEST TO THE MASTER

Sunday, February 26, 2017

GIVE OF YOUR BEST TO THE MASTER

My favorite verse during my working days was Colossians 3:23, "And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." I believe that it should be the desire of each believer to do everything for the Lord heartily, giving Him the best that we have. Now let me clarify that. In Isaiah 64:6 we are told that "all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags", so in our own strength we have nothing good to give Him. It is only by His grace that we are saved, a gift of God. "Not of works lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8). But in Ephesians 2:10 we are told, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." And in Romans 12:1 we are told to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." So as those who were chosen and saved by grace, it is our duty and privilege to daily give of our best to the Master. Now if you are like me, some days I come up short in doing this. The cares and obligations of daily living often distract us. I think we need to stop at times and examine our lives. We might start by looking at our daily planners. Do we take time to spend with the Lord? Do our actions throughout all of our daily chores bring glory to Him? How about our monthly calendars? Are we faithful in taking time to worship and minister, or does He get our leftover minutes. And if that isn't enough, maybe we should examine our budgets and checkbooks. Does our spending and giving demonstrate that all that we have is His? Giving of our best to the Master should be shown in all that we do and have. Pastor Howard Grose (1851-1939) apparently wrote these words as a result of an incident in his church. According to his son, "My father was the organist and choir director of our church. One evening at choir practice a young man wandered in late, interrupting what was going on as he slid past other singers into his place. When my father asked why he was late, he simply shrugged and had no answer. At which my father stung him - and set the bar for all of us - by saying to the latecomer, "The Lord doesn't want your spare time." Pastor Grose actually wrote this hymn to be included in The Endeavor Hymnal, a compilation of songs used in meetings of the Christian Endeavor Society. Charlotte Barnard (1830-1869), who wrote the music, actually never heard this hymn. In fact, it was written more than 30 years after her death. She had written the tune for a secular song, "Take Back the Heart That Thou Gavest". When Howard's words were written, they fit the tune and timing of that old secular song and they found a new, better life by becoming a hymn published in 1902. Now many of us no longer have "the strength of your youth" to give Him, but our desire should still be to give Him our all, moment by moment, serving Him heartily. When we consider all that Jesus has done for us and all that we can be for Him - His workmanship - we should be motivated to "Give Of Your Best To The Master." May this be our prayer and desire.

1. 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:

Give of your best to the Master;

Give of the strength of your youth;

Clad in salvation's full armor,