In Pursuit of Excellence

Our pastor recently relayed a story of a man he once knew who was willing to participate in any and all aspects of service in the church except a certain one of “lower degree”.

This has been resonating with me.

How often do we seek to place ourselves in positions that will promote our status and good name? We are willing to pursue something with our countless hours and dollars if at the end of the day we can lay claim to the title of being "THE BEST __________ " (you fill in the blank). We will gladly do things that will have others scrambling to give us an admiring pat-on-the-back.

Now I am not promoting half-hearted efforts. There should be no semblance of mediocrity in our lives. As the pinnacle of God’s creation, we were created to pursue excellence in all things! As Christians, we must strive to do everything to the best of our abilities. But as Galatians 1:10 says, 

“…do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” 

It is right and proper to seek excellence if our goal is to seek the glory of God; our actions leading others to praise our Father in heaven.

But far too often we find ourselves putting restrictions on our service, saying,  “I will do this, but I won’t do THAT…THAT is too great a sacrifice…THAT requires too much effort…THAT cost is too high…What will I gain from doing THAT...?”

But what if Christ has said to God, “I am willing to sit on the throne and wear the crown, but I am not willing to be scorned, mocked, ridiculed, spit upon, laughed at, shunned, despised, forsaken or crucified”. What miserable and despondent creatures we would be if Christ had not been willing to humble himself for our sake!

Because he did not limit his sacrifice, how can I? Will I do as little as I can, the “bare minimum”? Or will my life be marked by an intensity of service and deep love for others? Will I be willing to do the seemingly menial, unnoticeable gestures that enrich others lives? 

I would rather be satisfied with living the rest of my life having my works going unrecognized among my peers in favor of being welcomed into eternity with these words:

“Well done, good and faithful servant…”