STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE
Does excellence matter to God? Does God care about quality? Is He concerned with how well things are done? Isn’t God primarily concerned with our hearts? Yes, but the way we live out our faith before God in our fellowship, at home or at work reveals what is in our hearts.
“We can be truly successful only at things we are willing to fail at.” (Mark Manson)
Most people hate failure. They run from it. Since their self-worth is tied directly to their performance, any failure is proof they aren’t good enough. However, this is precisely why they’ll stay in mediocrity. If a person is not willing to fail, they are not able to learn from their mistakes. If they never learn, they’ll never grow and develop into something more; they will never excel. So, what’s the big deal with excellence!
I believe, first, that we should strive for excellence because God is worth it. “Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.” (Psalm 145:3) “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.” (Revelation 4:11, NLT)
Kent Crockett says, “Excellence is taking every assignment seriously for the glory of God.” It doesn’t mean perfection, but it means doing our best for the honor of God. We live in a day when mediocrity is often then norm, where just getting by if often practiced. But throughout the Old and New Testaments, through the sacrifices that were offered and through the work that was done in the Tabernacle and Temple, we see that God was never pleased with mediocre, but desired excellent service and sacrifice.
Secondly, we should strive for excellence because God gave us His best. Paul tells us in Romans 8:32 that, “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (NLT)
We forget that God has given us far more than we deserve. He never cuts corners or takes the short cut. It was meant to cost something when God told His people to give of the best of their flocks and their fields and to “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.” (Proverbs 3:9)
The final reason we should strive for excellence is because God will reward our efforts. Paul says in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (NIV) “You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever. (I Corinthians 9:24-24, CEV)
So how can we succeed at excellence in a world of mediocrity? We need to remember that God is for us. (Romans 8:31) We need to believe that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13) Additionally, we need to depend on the Holy Spirit who gives us both the desire and ability to strive for excellence that honors God. (Philippians 2:13)
