Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do, Do It With All of Your Might

Two men invented the telephone. One was a professional inventor; the other was a high school teacher, who worked in his spare time.  The reason we hold up Alexander Graham Bell today as the inventor of the telephone is because he beat Elisha Gray to the U. S. Patent office by two hours.

Ira Flatow writes that Elisha Gray’s sketches reveal that he had basically the same idea as Bell. However, as a professional inventor, he did not see his invention as a lucrative endeavor; it was merely a toy. Consequently, he dawdled.  Were Elisha Gray more diligent; perhaps, Don Ameche would have played him in a Hollywood motion picture, rather than Alexander Graham Bell.

It was Thomas Jefferson who wrote, “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” His words remind me of Prov. 14:23, “Hard work always pays off; mere talk puts no bread on the table” [THE MESSAGE]. Procrastination is not a good quality.

This does not merely apply to work. God calls for us to respond to him immediately. The judgment day is coming. We may not have tomorrow.

Furthermore, ignoring God’s teachings hurts us today. God calls us to do as He says—now—not because He wants to rob us of a good time, but so we can experience life to the fullest. He created us and He knows the greatest way to live. Any delay in following God’s instruction, means a delay in recovering from our own self-destruction.

The Goodness of Man

Dumas Malone was the unparalleled biographer of Thomas Jefferson. In one of his volumes, he attests to the fact that Thomas Jefferson was known to have an enormous faith in the goodness of man and nature.

When he was president, in the year 1807, Zeb Pike was exploring in the southwest and sent Jefferson some live Grizzly bear cubs. The President did not know much about them and hadn't yet read Lewis and Clark's report on the grizzly. Still, he observed that they seemed playful and cuddly, so he sent them to a friend of his, Charles Wilson Peale.

Peale was equally optimistic about the harmony of the animal world with humans. He receive Jefferson’s accompanying message well, "They [the grizzly bear cubs] know no benefactor but man. "

Unfortunately, events proved Jefferson's faith in the nature of animals unwarranted. When the bears grew bigger and older, one escaped from his cage and terrified the family." Peale killed both bears and had them stuffed. You can almost see Malone smile when he writes, “… in this harmless form Peale continued to exhibit them."

I see these grizzly cubs serving as effective metaphors for humanity. Likewise, people start out as warm and cuddly creatures. But I have found it important to never underestimate their power to hurt or maim others. If they don’t do so physically, they will emotionally. And sometimes, this is the more destructive course.

As Paul quoted from the Psalms in the Rom. 3:10, “As it is written:

"There is no one righteous, not even one…”

I believe in the goodness of people, but I believe in the goodness of redeemed people.

The Man Who Snubbed George Washington in Death

One of my favorite historians, Edward J. Larson, writes about George Washington's death in 1799. There was one prominent politician, who refused to attend Washington's funeral. He refused to attend any memorial service for Washington. He refused to send any note of condolence or issue any statement to the press expressing his respect for Washington. That man was the vice president of the United States. That man was Thomas Jefferson.

It was almost two years before Jefferson demonstrated any hint of respect. After winning the presidential election in 1800, he called upon Washington's widow. Jefferson had grown bitter in his opposition to Washington’s political views. Finally, only after winning his election to the presidency, he did the right thing.

I crack up today when I hear folks complaining about partisanship and hostility in politics. Truth be told, it is rare when there is a lack of partisanship in politics. Throughout our history, the political dialogue has typically lacked civility and been mean-spirited.

This is one reason why I think we, as Christians, must be very careful regarding politics. Our calling is much greater. 200 years have not made Thomas Jefferson’s snub look any better, even though he was a Deist. Imagine the poor reception we receive from the unchurched world, when we behave in a way inconsistent with our Christian ideals.