It doesn’t take much effort to be
ordinary. Doing the minimum is an easy road to travel. But God didn’t make us
to be average. He wants us to be a person of excellence because God is
first-class all the way.
What does it mean to be a person of
excellence? Let me start by saying excellence is not perfection. Excellence means doing an ordinary thing in
an extra-ordinary fashion. How we do one thing is how people perceive us
doing everything. A person of excellence will make an extra effort to deliver
his best – all the time.
None
of us can perform at 100% all the time but it’s our attitude and commitment to
do our best in every situation that shows excellence in our lives.
A person of excellence will go the extra mile even when it is hard. A person of
excellence will come to work early, give his best and not leave early. When you
have a spirit of excellence, it will demonstrate in your work and cause you to
find favor and rise higher. One of Mother Teresa’s favorite quotes was, “We can do no great things, only small
things with great love.”
In the Bible, Joseph had a spirit of
excellence. In spite of cruel treatment from his brothers, fellow prisoner and Pharos’s
wife, Joseph was a person of integrity and excellence. His rise to the top was characterized
by his commitment to excellence. When temptation came Joseph ran the opposite
direction. He took a stand for what was right before God. Compromise and mediocrity may give you a temporary advantage but when
you’re a person of excellence, you’ll have God’s favor that will cause you to
stand out amongst the average.
What are some ways we can have
excellence in our lives? At home, take care of what God has given you. Your relationships at home are much more
important than your career or the stuff. How we treat our loved ones are an indicator of how high we will fly.
How we treat our spouse, our children and even our pets will define if we’re a
person of excellence or not. If we’re always taking our family for granted,
giving them the leftover time and energy then we’re living a mediocre life. If
our home is a mess and dirty dishes pile up all the time, we’re being average. A person of excellence will do his/her best
to take best care of what God has given him. When we exhibit excellence at
home, we’re raising the bar for our children.
I’d love to claim that I’ve always
been a person of excellence but that would be wrong. I remember I had a bad
habit of leaving my chewing gum in all sorts of places. It was a small thing.
No one really saw what I was doing but deep inside I knew I was being lazy. I
didn’t want to put trash where it belonged. Instead of putting it in my pocket,
I’d just leave it in the wrapper even in the church pews! I know I was
terrible. Another area of struggle I had was to put the shopping cart where it
belongs. Then the Holy Spirit began to teach me excellence in these small things
and my life became more fruitful.
We can demonstrate excellence at our
workplace. Our commitment to excellence is a much greater sermon than what we
can preach with our words. We as representatives of Christ should be the
highest performer. We should have the best attitude. We should uphold the
company policy and submit and support the management. When we are top
performers at work, we’ll have not only have job security but influence others
and commend respect. Nobody can be
perfect but there’s a great difference between being perfect and having a
spirit of excellence. When we pick up the trash other people have left, we’re
being excellent. When we avoid the office gossip, we’re being a person of
excellence. When we submit and defend the management’s decision we’re carving
our way to the top. Being a person of excellence has its own rewards. Remember, God is ALWAYS watching us. Not so
much to see what we’re doing wrong but what we’re doing right so He can promote
us.
Friend, let’s do the small things in a
big way. When we’re displaying excellence in our work, like Joseph, God will cause us to rise higher and
find favor in unusual ways. Today, will you commit yourself to excellence? When
we do, we’ll draw in God’s favor like never before. Be a person of excellence
and promotion will be the hallmark of your life.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as
working for the Lord, not for human masters”
(Colossians 3:23 NIV).
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