not good, not better, but best
"Well done! You are an industrious and reliable servant. Since you were dependable in a small matter I will put you in charge of larger affairs. Come, share your master's joy!" —Matthew 25:21
The Lord doesn't call us to do good. "No one is good but God alone" (Mk 10:18). He doesn't call us to do better — better than others or even better than before. The Lord doesn't like to compare. He simply wants us to do our best. Our best may not be better. It may not even be that good. Nonetheless, the Lord is pleased with our best. It is a sacrifice acceptable to Him.
We all can do our best any time we want to. Our best doesn't require ability, skill, training, or even maturity. A little boy can do his best. A feeble elderly man can do his best. We can always do our best. It's just a matter of trying our best. The Lord is not concerned with how many talents we start with (Mt 25:15). He just wants us to do our best with what we've got. Ten talents are pleasing to Him if they're our best. A thousand talents are displeasing if they're not our best.
So "whatever you do, work at it with your whole being. Do it for the Lord rather than for men" (Col 3:23). To do our best, we must give our all. This is the first commandment: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind" (Lk 10:27).
Prayer: Father, may I not have good days but best days for Your glory.
Promise: "We belong neither to darkness nor to night; therefore let us not be asleep like the rest, but awake and sober!" —1 Thes 5:5-6
Praise: Praise the risen Jesus, teaching us to pray (Lk 11:2) and baptizing us in the Spirit (Mk 1:8).
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 24, 2014
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.