The Ballestero Blog

Doing The Will Of God Without The Honor Of Man.

There is nothing greater in life than completing the work God has chosen for us to do. He has no stage built on earth for us to stand on and receive accolades. God’s champion’s, His heroes, and faithful followers mostly seem to pass through this life unknown by the world.

Humans expect validation, recognition and honor from each other. We have ceremonies awarding trophies, and ribbons. We have newspaper articles, halls of fame, museums, and statutes. We’ve named some cities after their original founders. Streets are often named after those whom we honor. We bow before kings and queens.

We create crowns for those whom we call royalty. We have yearly contests to see who is the fastest, the prettiest, the best speller, and give scholarships to the smartest.

Life seems to focus on being rewarded for every achievement. Even the Pharisees wanted everyone to notice the amount of their offerings, so they made an obvious display of their giving. They made sure all their fellows noticed when they fasted, and they also prayed loudly to gain attention.

But, in God’s world, some of His most beloved children exist almost unknown by the public. Their time for honor has not yet come. Earth is not a spectacular enough stage for God to showcase His heroes. He has a better place in mind.

God’s Bookkeepers make no mistakes!

Remember Noah?

The generation of Noah was so full of sin and evil that God had no choice but to start all over. Only Noah found grace and favor in God’s eyes. So, he was chosen to build an ark to save all believers from the coming judgment.

• For one hundred years Noah and his sons worked on building a huge ark.
• For one hundred years Noah preached righteousness to a corrupt world.
• For one hundred years Noah preached about the world being destroyed by water.

• Did anyone else help them? No.
• Did anyone encourage them? No.
• Did anyone compliment them? No.
• Did anyone believe them? No.

• Did everyone mock them? Yes.
• Did everyone ignore the preaching? Yes.
• Did everyone look down on them? Yes.
• Did everyone think they were weird? Yes.

• Did God come by occasionally and offer any encouragement? No.
• Did God even speak to Noah for one hundred years? No.

Noah’s efforts in fulfilling the Will of God brought him no earthly honor. Only pain and the disrespect of his fellows. If he had focused on man’s opinion and honor, he would have quit. Unbeknown to him, the whole future of mankind depended on his willingness to do the Will of God, while being dishonored by man. Can the same be said of you? God’s Bookkeepers make no mistakes!

There’s The Potters.

1 Chronicles 4:23 These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.

The potters were unnamed craftsmen who created beautiful vessels for the Temple of God in Jerusalem. They were conscripted to make vessels that were to last for centuries. Vessels made for service in God’s House.

• The potters were not even allowed to go home at night.
• They were not allowed to kiss their babies goodnight.
• They were not permitted to sleep in their own beds.
• They slept on the ground in the bushes.

• They had no roof over their heads.
• They were denied the company of their family.
• They did not get to eat their wife’s cooking.
• They did not get to see nor hear from them.

• They were to focus on doing what they were chosen to do.
• They made goblets from which they would never be allowed to drink.
• They made platters from which they would never be allowed to eat.
• They made utensils they would never be allowed to use.
• They made beautiful things they could never show their family or friends.

Their only comfort and consolation seems to be found in the one phrase that says, ‘with the king for his work.’ They slept on the ground in the bushes but the King stayed there with them the whole time. The very knowledge that they may be sacrificing a bit was overshadowed by the fact that the King noticed their work. The King was there with them the whole time. He’s there with you the whole time while you sacrifice and work for Him!

God’s Bookkeepers make no mistakes!

Then There’s The Calkers.

Ezekiel 27:9 The ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy calkers: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise.

Calkers? Yes. They were the unnamed crew members.

• The Calkers never became the captain of the ship
• The Calkers never became the first mate.
• The Calkers never learned to read a sextant.
• The Calkers never learned how to chart their course by the stars.

• The Calkers never got to say, ‘Land Ho’.
• The Calkers never got to get tanned by the sun.
• The Calkers never felt the wind in their face.
• The Calkers never got to see the whales surface and blow.

• They stayed below deck the whole time.
• They had the dirtiest job of all.
• They had pitch and tar covering their hands.
• They had no solvent to take the tar and pitch off of their fingers.

• No one wanted to shake their hands.
• No one wanted their job.
• No one saluted them or gave them honor.
• No one considered them skilled or highly educated.

• They were the ones who found the leaks below the water line.
• They were the ones who dipped hemp in tar and pitch.
• They were the ones who with a wedge drove it into the hole to stop the leak.
• They were the ones who kept the boat afloat.

• Your job in the Kingdom may not gain you national recognition.
• Your job in the church may not seem important to those in the limelight.
• Your job in the church may not place you in the spotlight.
• Your job however, is keeping the boat afloat.

God’s Bookkeepers make no mistakes!

And Then There’s The Ditch Diggers.

Three kings journeyed through the desert to fight against the king of Moab. But they ran out of water and thought they were going to die. In desperation they sought out the Prophet Elisha for help. He asked for a musician to play and then God spoke to him.

2 Kings 3:15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.

2 Kings 3:16 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches

2 Kings 3: 17 For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts

Make this valley full of ditches? What was Elisha thinking when he gave that order? The men were without water. And, he wanted them the dig ditches everywhere! That would make them sweat and become more thirsty.

These were all officers and soldiers. These were highly trained warriors. They weren’t ditch diggers. Ditch digging was beneath them. They were seasoned and decorated soldiers. How dare the preacher require that of them!

The only shovels they had to dig ditches with, were their own personal paddles. The paddles were only used for hygienic purposes. They were ordered by God to cover up their personal excrement using the paddle. Now, they were asked to dig ditches with the same paddle. (God will never ask you to do anything, unless He has already equipped you to do the job.)

• ’’How many ditches do I have to dig?”
• “How deep is a ditch?”

Those questions had to be asked in their minds. Little did they know that the amount of their blessings would be in direct relationship to the number of ditches they dug.

They only desired temporary refreshment. God desired not only to refresh them but to give them total victory over their enemy. He wanted them to have complete dominion over their enemy.

2 Kings 3:18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.

2 Kings 3:19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.

2 Kings 3:20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

2 Kings 3:21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.

2 Kings 3:22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:

2 Kings 3:23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

2 Kings 3:24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.

2 Kings 3:25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

2 Kings 3:26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.

Little did Israel know, that although they didn’t see the rain nor feel the wind, that somewhere off in the mountains, it would storm and the water would flow down the mountainside bringing a wall of water through the valley, filling up their ditches.

You may feel that you are skilled, yet your abilities are not utilized. You are asked to do things beneath your station in life. Things you even find embarrassing. Things like cutting up sandwiches for serving after church. Things like teaching the Three year olds. Things like going on a Sunday School bus route. Things like teaching a Home Bible Study to the impoverished. Yet know this, the water will come. The blessings will come. The dominion will come. Just be faithful in doing the mundane things.

God’s Bookkeepers makes no mistakes!

The Veterans Of That Other War

I am proud to be an American. My body still gets that special chill at the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. I stand when it is played. I also place my hand over my heart. I have no problem with the Pledge of Allegiance and saying “under God”.

I highly honor all who have served our great country. I owe you a great debt. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Howard Davis - Navy

Eric Marxer - Marines

My father-in-law, Bishop Howard H. Davis served in the Navy in WWII. My brother-in-law, Eric Marxer served in the Marines. I am proud of them and their service. I continue to enjoy freedoms because of them and others like them. I thank them especially today.

When I see a military person in the mall, airport or restaurant, I always thank them for serving our country. I even thank policemen for serving and protect our community. Their responses are always heartfelt.

If then, I take the time to thank the men and women, who serve my community and my country, why stop there? Why not thank those today who have given their years serving the Lord.

I thank every minister of the Gospel. But, I also wish to thank the faithful saints of God for remaining faithful in your service to the Lord. You have faithfully served Him through trials, sickness, compromise, rejection, rumors, and turmoil at church, on the job and at home. You have served Him when you’ve had to stand all by yourself. You have lived the life.

You have served without being honored or recognized. You have been faithful and fought the good fight of faith. Someday you will hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

Today, I salute you and thank you for your service to the Lord.