If we stop long enough to think about it, we will realize that we live in an age of pleasures that seem to make life come close to effortless. We have cars, cellular phones, ATMs, plastic checks, television sets, computers, the Internet (information easier to access), you name it! However, in such an age, we as Christians cannot afford to become effortless in our service to God. We must always be giving our best to the Lord. We have good ex­amples of people in the Old Testament who gave their best to God. Follow­ing are some other good examples of those who did just that!

Most of us know the story of Cain and Abel. "Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions" (Gen. 4:4). We can read on in the same chapter and see that God had regard for Abel because of the very fact that he decided in his own heart that he would bring his best before the Lord while Cain failed to do so.

We can also marvel at Caleb's trust in the Lord when he asked Joshua for the land of Hebron as an inheritance say­ing, "I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me ..." (Josh. 14: 11). Caleb gave his best to God; all that he could offer. It sometimes seems to be that some think the older they get, the less active they can get. The simple answer seems to be to just pass it off to those who are younger. However, Caleb's zeal for pleasing the Lord did not diminish with the passing of time.

Josiah. the 16th king of Judah is also another great example! After discov­ering a lost book of the law in the temple during its restoration, it was read before him by Shaphan the scribe. Up until this time, Josiah did what he could to please the Lord. The 22nd chapter of 2 Kings, verse two % scribes him as follows: "He did right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he turn aside to the right or to the left." After hearing God's word, Josiah knew what he had to do. He went on an aggressive campaign to "clean up" Judah of all the idolatrous influence. Most of chapter 23 is % voted to his efforts. In doing this, Josiah also strived to give God his best.

In our worship, and in our lives as well, we cannot afford to get lazy or passive. There are so many distrac­tions, whether it be at school, at work, or at home, that we forget to take time out for the Lord. This includes His word, prayer, and meditation. As a goal for each and every day, let's % termine within ourselves, no matter what our age, to refresh out hearts in Christ, thus always being ready to give God our best! - Joel Fannin

The fellow got on the train and sat down next to a guy carrying two huge suitcases. He asked the suitcase toter what time it was. He pushed a button on his watch and a voice rang out: "It is two-thirty!" Pushed another button, a screen pops up with the news. Pushed another button and got some good music. "I gotta have that watch," says the amazed man - "I'll give you $500 for it." "Sold!" says the guy with the suitcases.

The new watch owner starts to leave with his amazing watch when he is called back by the suitcase fellow who said: "Wait - don't you want the bat­teries?" "Sure," says the happy fellow - "where are they?" "In these two suitcases," says the other fellow.

As I pondered that I thought: "There must be a good point in that story somewhere. " Sure enough, it reminds me of folks who want the "good deal" the devil offers them. All they see is the outside glitter and glitz. But the problem is that there is always a "catch" to it! You always wind up paying too much, or not getting what you paid for. Not so with the Lord's truth - it can be had for free for all men - batteries included! - Bill Moseley