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| Because of All He’s Done for Me |  | One of the great joys of my life was to work with my dad in the last three years of his life as his orchestrator and producer for the recording of his musicals. I remember arriving at the studio for each session with a great eagerness to please him. My job was to wrap “orchestral color” around his compositions and deliver a recorded product that was an accurate interpretation of what he had conceived.
Now, part of this eagerness to please came from a professional standpoint: I wanted to be efficient and responsible while working with him to produce a beautiful and powerful statement that choirs could pick up and make their own. But mostly I think I wanted to please my dad because of all that he had done for me . . . things I could never really repay. And while he questioned certain “experiments” now and then, he always, always thanked me for the work I’d done and would remark on just how much fun it was to be together.
These days I’m trying hard to please my Heavenly Father, not because I think He’ll be impressed with my abilities . . . He’s seen and heard much better. And it’s not because I think He’ll appreciate the long hours and attention to detail for their own merit. It’s simply because of all He’s done for me. This is an especially necessary reminder for me as I consider all that ministry in the Church involves. Sometimes I ask myself: “Why am I doing this?” And I remember that, though the gratification may be delayed, it will be worth it because of all He’s done for me.
The apostle Paul wrote: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18) He also wrote: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Cor. 4:17) His “light and momentary troubles?” Second Corinthians 11 tells us: “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. . . . and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.” Light and momentary indeed!
Seven centuries before calvary, Isaiah gave a vivid portrayal of what Jesus would endure for us. Spend some time reading chapter 53 of Isaiah’s prophecy and note the number of times the words “he” and “him” are placed along with the words “our” and “us.”
When we tend to lament “Why am I doing this?” let’s ask ourselves, “What am I willing to endure for Him?”
And heaven help us when we complain.
Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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| | | Easy 2 Excel Communiqué Article Summer 1997, Edition 136227 |
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