Excellence That Affects Others
Texts: Psalm 150:2, Ephesians 5:1, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17, Philippians 1:27, 1 Peter 2:12
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. —Psalms 150:2 (KJV - King James Version)
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. —Ephesians 5:1 (ESV - English Standard Version)
31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. —1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV - King James Version)
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. —Colossians 3:17 (KJV - King James Version)
The pursuit of excellence is ultimately about using the gifts and opportunities God has already given to us.
God Cares About Excellence in Everything We Do
We divide our lives into two worlds.
Paul tells the Corinthians that “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Then, he tells the Colossians, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (Colossians 3:17).
God is glorified whenever we pursue excellence wherever we happen to be.
Christ-likeness in us becomes plainly evident to all by the way we work in the world.
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, —Philippians 1:27 (ESV - English Standard Version)
12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. —1 Peter 2:12 (NIV - New International Version)
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Paul exhorts the Philippians to “let [their] manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27).
Pursuing excellence in all we do is a testimony to the world that God is doing a mighty work in us.
Peter urges Christians to “keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles” (1 Peter 2:12, NASB). Why? “So that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12).
God has given us opportunities in all of our endeavors to demonstrate His gospel-transforming power at work in us to an observant world.
God gets the glory because He made us, He saved us and He is continually sanctifying us by His grace.
Serve with Excellence
As committed Christian disciples, we are now expected to serve God with distinction—not because we have to, but because we want to. God is more than worthy of us giving him everything we’ve got, rather than just presuming on his grace and being satisfied with mediocrity. —Andreas Köstenberger
Paul makes this plainly clear in Colossians 3:23–24 when he writes, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
In whatever capacity we serve people in the name of Jesus, if we do so with excellence, we are serving the Lord.
Use It Or Lose It!
The Bible does say we should be careful about having prideful and self-serving motives (Philippians 2:3; Jeremiah 9:23).
It also says we should be mindful of the temptation to be people-pleasers rather than God-pleasers (Galatians 1:10; Colossians 3:22–23; Matthew 6:1).
But the way to avoid pride and people-pleasing isn’t to do a lousy job so that we have nothing to be proud of.
Jesus’ parable of the talents
What happens when the master discovers one of his servants buried his single talent out of fear?
The master calls him “wicked and slothful” and “a worthless servant,” and orders that he be cast “into the outer darkness” where, “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:14–30).
Some very sobering words of Jesus for those who, in the name of fearful mediocrity, seek to neglect the abilities and opportunities God presents.
Peter remind us in 2 Peter 1:3 that God has, in “his divine power…granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.”
Why Be Excellent?
- The Creator is glorified when, with excellence, we use the gifts and abilities He has given to us.
- Working with excellence demonstrates gratitude to God for how He made us and for the opportunities He gives to us.
- To show love to others by serving them in the best way we can.
- Pursuing excellence causes us to be more like Jesus, who is excellent in every way.
HOW TO PURSUE EXCELLENCE
PRAYERFUL DEPENDANCE ON
If God is calling us to excellence, then he is also calling us to lean on Him to make it happen.
Humble, prayerful dependence on the Spirit of God should always be the central pillar in your pursuit of excellence.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE - WORK
God is calling you to be excellent in the areas He has equipped you.
God is not calling you to do it all by yourself!
As we depend on the Spirit of God, we also need the people of God.
If you are a Christian, then you are connected to the body of Christ in your local church.
The “living stones” surrounding you are there to help complement and augment your efforts in the areas you can’t do as well on your own.
WORK
Maximize your potential!
Our pursuit of excellence requires that we practice, have determination, and focus to hone our skills.
In his book, Outliers: The Story of Success, Canadian author Malcolm Gladwell famously popularized the “ten thousand hour rule,” which—according to several studies—is the length of time it takes for someone to master a skill or talent truly.
Gladwell cites famous musicians like Mozart and the Beatles as well as famous innovators like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, all of whom spent ten thousand hours (or more) honing and practicing their craft. Excellence takes time and practice. As important as raw talent is, hard work is the fundamental ingredient for achieving excellence. For example, Gladwell cites a study by a team of psychologists led by K. Anders Ericsson. The team tracked the history and habits of successful violin players at a top music school in Berlin. By studying these musicians, they discovered the key factor that “distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works.”
Gladwell remarks, “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”
There are no short cuts to excellence.
LESS IS MORE WHEN GOD IS IN IT
- Do less so that you can do it better.
- Remove the distractions.
- Focus your energy on the priorities God has called you to do.
What are your priorities?
John Piper often says that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
One way we show this satisfaction is by accepting the ordinary call on our lives and being excellent in the things God has placed in our path.
CLOSING CHALLENGE
The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us … “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
The time we have on earth is short, and so we are called to be good stewards of this precious time given to us.
All of us will be held accountable for the brief life we lived; those who lived excellent lives in the power and grace of God will be told “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Hebrews 3:5).
This life matters to God, and He is definitely interested in all the details of your life; remember that He made you and He called you to “do all to the glory of God” (Colossians 3:17).
WHAT ONE AREA OF YOUR LIFE IS GOD SPEAKING TO YOU ABOUT RIGHT NOW?
With God’s Help - Pursue Excellence - It will have an impact on those around you!
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, and the house that he had built,
5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her.
6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom.
7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.
9 Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. —1 Kings 10:4-9 King James Version