Obedient

I say it all the time at the plant: "It's not what you can do, it's what you do." An experienced paint maker who doesn't make much paint doesn't do me much good. I have come to really value employees who show up every day on time and do what they're asked to do. Obedience has a lot of value.

That's why, despite the little bit that we actually know of Joseph, I like him. He seems like a good guy who's really trying to live right. And he's obedient: "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." Matthew 1:24-25.

Think about it: Joseph went to bed with a plan. He woke up and did the opposite. He didn't waffle (that we know of), didn't try to cut corners. In fact, he not only married Mary as he was told, but he abstained from the physical benefits for quite a while. Joseph put his own plans and desires under God's. He not only did what he was told, he did the best he could.

In comparison, I'm not all that impressed with myself. I tend to obey on my own terms. Blackaby says that whenever I see God at work, that's His invitation for me to join it, yet I still decide what I want to do and what I'll pass up. I decide the terms of my involvement; do I have to go to every choir practice, or every council meeting? In the end, my service can be pretty self-serving.

I also am selective as to how I use my gifts. There are all kinds of things I can do: sing, pray, preach, teach, rake, paint . . . But it's not what you can do, it's what you do.