“Give him the best that you have.”

“Give him the best that you have.”

Hymn: “Give of Your Best to the Master” – Charlotte Barnard (1830-1869)
Tune: BARNARD

This waltz-like English hymn doesn’t appear in many hymnals anymore, but it is one that we sang a lot in my growing-up, learning-to-love-hymns years at First Baptist Church in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It is definitely one that had an impact on my life as a Christ-follower, and the message of this hymnline is still central to my personal mission statement.

One of my favorite Old Testament quotes is from David when he was looking to purchase a piece of land (a threshing floor) on which to build an altar to Lord. The owner offered it at no cost… as a free gift. David’s response was, “I will not offer to Lord anything that costs me nothing.” (1 Chronicles 21:21-26) I’ve used that quote on choirs throughout my ministry to support my belief that music offered up in worship should be well-prepared, labored over, ready -- And that the music itself should be the best I could find for those choirs.

Whatever your calling, it is incumbent on you to produce only the best work possible. I say that because I believe that we do everything “as unto the Lord,” (Colossians 3:23) and that we especially should give only our best in worship, fellowship, mission and ministry.

When we try to do an end run on God and offer him the second-best (or less), we are acting contrary to our basic commitment to him in the first place. Doing only the bare minimum or completing only what is required is out of the question for those of us who have set out to be successful servants of the Master.

Maybe this hymn will come back around again sometime: I think the message is worth passing along to every generation. Though rarely sung in worship, in my hum-along memory this hymn stands as a constant reminder of my pledge of allegiance to the One who always gives his best to me.

A Piano Karaoke Version of This Hymn: Sing Along!