“Hold on to the good.” (1 Thess 5:15 NIV)

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1 Peter 2:12 NIV)

“You have tasted that the Lord is good.” (1 Peter 2:3 NIV)

As we were wandering around , Switzerland, home of the famous Matterhorn, a store caught the eye of my boys. There was a huge Swiss Army knife on display in the window, one with at least 120 different gadgets. Boys will be boys, and naturally anything “weapon-like” fascinates them. Especially ones with 120 different gadgets!

It didn’t take me long to become fascinated by these knives as well. Especially when I found one with an optic screwdriver! It was way too expensive for my meager wallet, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it. A couple of months earlier, one side of my glasses fell apart. A small screw had found its way to freedom, freeing my coke-bottle lens at the same time! It could only be called a miracle that the glass lens fell on my foot, saving it from splintering all over the road. If I had had such a pocket knife at my disposal, I could have immediately fixed my glasses!

A salesclerk soon saw me admiring the knife, and she checked all over the story for a cheaper knife that sported this particular gadget. Despite the fact that the store was packed with myriads of tourists, to the point that I was beginning to feel a bit like a sardine, the clerk spend over an hour locating what I was looking for. Never have I seen such service! I was thoroughly impressed!

This isn’t always the case, unfortunately. Too often I go to a store, and though the salesclerks always tell me to let them know if I need any help, when the time comes that I need their service, they are nowhere to be found. Or, if they can be found, they direct me in a certain direction and encourage me to find what I am looking for by myself. I have spent so many hours, if not days, lost in stores! I have left so many stores without finding what I was looking for!

Our words are worthless unless our actions testify that they are true. In fact our actions speak louder than our words.

How many times haven’t we listened to those who promised us the moon, but delivered hardship instead? How many times weren’t we deceived by a charismatic personality, only to discover that we were grasping at straws? How many of us have lost most our pensions, deceived by promises that were too good to be passed up?

No wonder the world is tired of listening to empty promises. Why should they believe us, if our lives don’t testify that what we are saying is, in fact, really true?

The only way we can continually do good is when we set aside our own desires and agendas, and start loving like Jesus does. He loves us eternally, with a sacrificial love that is willing to take the bullet for those in despair; one that puts the interests of others far above His own; one that compels us to live the same way. “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (Cor 5:14-15 NIV)

Are we doers of the Word or are we just uttering empty words?

“Let me help you. What exactly are you looking for?”

“The service is outstanding here! I will most certainly be back!”

Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “Holding On” devotional series, please click here.)