God Made Us To Be Excellent

What a great verse to start off the day. Paul is encouraging the Thessalonian church to continue their walk with the Lord and to take their relationship to another level, to take their commitment to another level – to “do this more and more.” Paul is a true leader and motivator who loves those he shepherds. And because of his love for others and for God, he urges them to want to be better, to do better, to do more. He is asking them to commit to excellence. What does this mean? I included a few quotes around excellence in the supporting scripture section. Although it is not scripture, there is some good insight in these quotes. Further, striving for excellence aligns with God’s Word.

Image courtesy of: AJC1

Scripture:
“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:1

Observation/Application: 
Can anyone doubt that God is most excellent of all? And if God created us in His own image, then we too were made to be excellent. God didn’t create us one way so that we could be another way. Excellence us God’s desire for us, and so we are to be responsible with the gifts and talents that God has given us. We should strive to be excellent in every area of our lives, not just one. We should be excellent in our relationships, more than just being there for each other. We should strive to be the best at work, and to accept only excellence. We should strive to be the best spouses, not just good ones, but the best. I love the quote where Robin Sharma says, “A commitment to excellence is not just reserved for a few select areas of your life – it must be reflected in everything you do. Your diet must reflect your commitment to excellence. Your physique must reflect your commitment to excellence. Your personal habits must reflect your commitment to excellence and your thoughts must reflect a commitment to excellence.”

So how do we do this? We have to start by being honest with ourselves. We have to ask ourselves if we are always striving to do better, or are we just accepting that something is good enough – our bodies, our results in our work, our relationships and how we treat our spouse? How hard are we really trying? Are we just giving up too easily because it’s just too much to handle? How hard are we really fighting through challenges? Is mediocre good enough? I think not, and ask if we are truly giving our best in this life for the glory of God.

Let us live up to our potential, on earth as it is in heaven. Let us fight with everything we have against the enemy, and against mediocrity. Let’s fight apathy and mediocrity like the devil himself – “that victory might be pursued and wooed with every fiber of our body, with every bit of our might and all our effort. And each week, there is a new encounter; each day, there is a new challenge.” – Vince Lombardi. And in the words of the apostle Paul, “Now we ask you and urge you to do this more and more.”

Make is a great day. I’m super pumped this morning and hope you are encouraged as well. I’d recommend that you commit to reading this list of quotes (below) at the beginning of every day for a week, and see what effect it has on your mindset and your day.

#Excellence-And-Nothing-Less

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word today. We are filled this morning with the power of your Holy Spirit, and with your love and goodness. Thank you for refreshing my body through a restful sleep. Help us to walk through today with excellence, as we know you created us in your image, and with excellence. Let us not accept mediocrity in any area of our lives. Let us be diligent every single day in living to be excellent, and to please you with the work of our hands, how we treat others, and how we treat our bodies which are the temples you gave your Holy Spirit to live in while on this earth. Let us respect you in every way, for your honor and glory, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Today’s full reading: 1 Chronicles 25-27; 1 Thessalonians 4

Scripture References From Today’s Reflection:

• “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” – 1 Corinthians 6:19
• “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” – Ephesians 4:1
• “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” – Hebrews 12:1
• “but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” – 1 Corinthians 9:27

Additional References:

• “Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” – Mario Andretti
• “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” – Paul J. Meyer
• “Genesis 1 logs God’s commitment to excellence when it says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” (v. 31). Christians should always do good work. Christians ought to be the best workers wherever they are. They ought to have the best attitude, the best integrity, and be the best in dependability.” – R. Kent Hughes
• “When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” – Ken Blanchard
• “Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi
• “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” – Pat Riley
• “There are countless ways of achieving greatness, but any road to achieving one’s maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.” – Buck Rodgers
• “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses – only results.” – Ken Blanchard
• “Gandhi said ‘One cannot do right in one area of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in another; Life is one indivisible whole.’ This point of wisdom is profound. A commitment to excellence is not just reserved for a few select areas of your life – it must be reflected in everything you do. Your diet must reflect your commitment to excellence. Your physique must reflect your commitment to excellence. Your personal habits must reflect your commitment to excellence and your thoughts must reflect a commitment to excellence.” – Robin Sharma
• “Aspire greatly; anything less than a commitment to excellence becomes an acceptance of mediocrity.” – Brian Tracy
• “Most important of all, to be successful in life demands that a man make a personal commitment to excellence and to victory, even though the ultimate victory can never be completely won. Yet that victory might be pursued and wooed with every fiber of our body, with every bit of our might and all our effort. And each week, there is a new encounter; each day, there is a new challenge.” – Vince Lombardi
• “As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:1

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