New! Personal stories from fellow Christians to help you grow.
Those 3 words continue to ring in my ears from the Dangerous Calling conference today with Paul Tripp. When we are gripped by the awe-inspiring glory of God, we are propelled to excellence. That glory doesn't move us to mediocrity. Mediocrity isn't inspired by a right view of God.
"The God of glory is worthy of every ounce of my effort."
Isn't that the truth?! God isn't worthy of 5%. 50% or 95% of my effort. He's worthy of all of my effort. Every single ounce. Our pursuit of excellence isn't because we value excellence for its own sake, but because we have been captured by the most glorious God and now have the privilege of displaying Him, making Him known, being His ambassadors.
"We have high standards because we know who we're representing."
I once heard the definition that excellence is doing the best we can with what we've got. It's not perfection. It's not slickness. It's striving to honour God with our best. It's too easy to settle for less, to settle for mediocrity. This quote was particularly hard-hitting:
"Mediocrity in ministry can convince people that they were right - there's no glory to be found here."
What a terrible shame. What a shame for people to arrive at church on a weekend and conclude - "They don't worship a glorious God. There's no glory to be found here". Excellence involves many things. Narrowing the focus. Being organised. Planning ahead. Spending money where necessary. Creating clear expectations. Learning to delegate. The list goes on. May the glory of God propel us into the pursuit of excellence in every aspect of our lives and ministries.
