Excellence

In his farewell to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul wrote,

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about these things.”     Philippians 4.4

I think it’s noteworthy that among this list of spiritual attitudes that excellence is mentioned.  If we will be honest, we will all have to admit that the concept of and the demand for “excellence in all things” has all but disappeared.  The “good enough” principle seems to be the guiding philosophy of American life.  The kind of excellence I have in mind is described by Chuck Swindoll as, “true excellence, the kind of excellence that conveys superior quality, attention to significant detail, care about that which really matters.”  {Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, New York, NY.  Inspirational Press: 1995}639

            You see a lack of this type of excellence everywhere you look these days.  You see it in substandard construction in private homes and public buildings.  It seems buildings and homes are thrown up as cheaply and quickly as possible without regard for their structural integrity or aesthetic impact.  You see the lack of excellence in the classroom.  There are people graduating college these days who can barely read and write.  Some of these people will become teachers further perpetuating this vicious cycle. Somewhere the sense of excellence in dress, physical fitness, intellect, art, literature, speech, and just about everything else has gotten lost.  We have become sloppy individuals as well as a sloppy nation and yes, even sloppy as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is time for that to change.

            If we were to consider the whole counsel of God’s Word, we would discover that God desires excellence in everything we do.  From worship to work it is important that we do our absolute best (excellence) in everything.  Excellence is not perfection-only God is perfect.  However, the more we practice doing our best in everything we do, the closer to perfection we come.   I have noticed that when I hurry, I get sloppy and forgo excellence just because of time constraints.  When I have taken on too many responsibilities I tend to neglect to do each task with integrity and excellence.  When I care more about what people think than I do in a job well done, then excellence seems to suffer.  The biggest factor that affects the excellence in my life and work is my relationship with God.  If that’s out of kilter, then I tend to let everything else go.

            Once again we can go the most excellent Apostle and preacher Paul for a verse to hang onto when we feel like giving up on doing our best with integrity and excellence.  Colossians 3.23-24 reads,

“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.”

I am recommitting myself to excellence by slowing down, paying attention and being aware that I need to please God in everything I do.  Will you join me?  What are some of the things you do to make sure excellence is the standard for everything you do? 

*Please post your comments by clicking on the comment icon below.  Thanks.  Tom