The pursuit of excellence
We continue in our preaching series on discovering our destiny, discovering your destiny.
Across our group of churches, we are spending a few weeks preaching on how setting high standards in our lives is important as disciples of Jesus.
This morning our theme is Excellence in all we do and say and I want us to spend some time considering the pursuit of excellence in our daily lives.
Excellence - The Oxford Dictionary defines it in this way:
Excellence - The quality of being outstanding or extremely good.
The word excel is defined as, “to do or be better than; to surpass.”
Excellence from the viewpoint of the world is defined in terms of competition, of surpassing others, usually for self glory or a sense of significance or to achieve the praise and applause of other people.
From a worldly perspective, the words excel, surpass, exceed, transcend, outdo, all suggest the concept of going beyond a specific limit or standard.
To excel is to perform at a level higher.
To surpass is to be superior in performance, quality, or degree.
Exceed can refer to being superior in quality, ingenuity or quantity or to progress beyond a defined limit.
Transcend implies the attainment of a level so high that comparison is hardly possible.
To outdo is to excel in doing or performing.
When we think of the pursuit of excellence from a biblical perspective, it is different from the world's view of excellence.
From a Biblical perspective, excellence is a virtue and we, as disciples of Jesus, should pursue excellence at all times.
Whether we are washing dishes at home or washing windows for a living, whether we are running a business or running a small group, whether we are driving a car or a golf ball we are to do it to the glory of God.
In 1 Corinthians 10:31 the Apostle Paul tells us “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” And in Colossians 3:23-24 he writes, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”
There is basic theology in these verses for us. This is a foundational part of our faith and our daily walk as disciples of Jesus. This is a theological truth that should touch every aspect of our lives, a truth that is essential to us living the life that Jesus has called us and saved us to live.
In all things, we as Christians, we as followers of Jesus, we as those who have repented from our sins and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are to pursue excellence, for the glory of God.
Aristotle the ancient Greek philosopher and scientist put it this way: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
The pursuit of excellence is a direction not a destination, the pursuit of excellence is something we must continue to do until God calls us home.
Excellence means being your best.
Excellence means being better tomorrow than you were yesterday.
Excellence means matching your practice with your potential.”
We are to be the best we can be as we daily serve our Lord. We are called to seek His will and purpose. We are called to be the people God has called us to be.
How much do we love God? How thankful are we for what God has done for us?
What has He done for you? What has He done for me? Simple answer, John 3:16, “This is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” Or Romans 5:8, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
God has showed His love for us, He has expressed His love for us... How do we express our love for God? I would suggest that the pursuit of excellence in our daily lives is an important expression of our love for God.
Listen to the words of 1 John 2:4-6, If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love Him. That is how we know we are living in Him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
Following God’s commands, God’s precepts, God’s will and purpose for our lives is an expression of our love.
Biblically speaking, the pursuit of excellence refers to pursuing and doing the best we can with the gifts and abilities God has given us, giving our best to the glory of God. Living our lives the way Jesus wants us to. Excellence is more about becoming than being. It’s a way of life that needs to be at the centre of how we live our lives.
The pursuit of excellence has a cost that some are not willing to pay. The pursuit of excellence may require sacrifice.
The pursuit of excellence always requires commitment.
Humanly speaking, excellence may be difficult to achieve, but that should not stop us from trying. When we ask Him, God will help us. The Holy Spirit can work in us and through us to change and transform our lives.
Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:58, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
Pursuing excellence should not be limited by the nature of the task. Nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
Whatever we do, whether it is viewed by the world as important or insignificant, whether everything is to be done to the glory of God. Regardless of what it is, it deserves our best, for God deserves our best. Everything we do should reflect God’s honour and His glory.
The pursuit of excellence is in keeping with the biblical goal of spiritual growth and greater levels of spiritual maturity.In many places in the Bible we are called or commanded to abound or excel in Christian character, particularly in the various ways we can express our love for God and our love for one another.
Spiritual maturity is a quest for character for which there will be little progress without the pursuit of excellence.
If we choose not to pursue excellence, then we are choosing a mediocre Christian life.
If we choose not to pursue excellence, then we are choosing a bland Christian life.
If we choose not to pursue excellence, then we are choosing a vanilla Christian life.
If we choose not to pursue excellence, then we are choosing a lukewarm Christian life.
Friends, the pursuit of excellence will fuel our fire, the pursuit of excellence will keep us from just drifting through our days. We need to pursue excellence in all we do and all we say. God wants us, His people to excel in both what we are - our inward character, and in what we do - our behaviour and our deeds).
Let me give you some evidence from the Bible that God wants us to excel in these ways:
Ecclesiastes 9:10, Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
The preacher of Ecclesiastes teaches us that apart from faith in God and living one’s life for Him, life is empty and futile. Life is full of opportunities and there is much to be done before God calls us to our eternal rest.
Philippians 1:9-11, I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
The strength, abilities and spiritual gifts God has give us are to bring glory and honour and praise to Him .
1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. May He, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all His holy people.
1 Thessalonians 4:1, Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more.
Matthew 22:37-38, Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
If we truly love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, then we must seek to do our best, we must pursue excellence.Our pursuit of excellence must be motivated by our love for God. Our values, our priorities, and our motives must align with God’s will and God’s Word.
I will close with this, because of who we are in Christ, because of our eternal hope, because of the enabling grace of God, because of the presence and the power of The Holy Spirit in our lives, we must pursue excellence in our daily lives. The pursuit of excellence is the direction we must take, it is an indicator of our spiritual maturity.
Finally, let me leave you with the words of John Newton, author of the hymn “Amazing Grace”
“I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I will be. But thank God I am not what I used to be.”
Are those words true of you this morning?
My encouragement to you, my encouragement to myself this morning is this:
Let us seek to pursue excellence.
Let us seek to do our best and choose to follow God’s will and purpose for our lives.
Let us ask God to help us to pursue excellence and allow the Holy Spirit to continue His transforming work in our lives.
By God’s grace and mercy, and by the power of The Holy Spirit, may each and every one of us experience spiritual growth and maturity as in the pursuit of excellence we discover our destiny.
May God bless you. Let’s pray.
