Do Your Best
Mediocrity seems to be the norm these days. Let’s do enough just to get by at home, at work, in relationships, and even in our walk with God. But while mediocrity may suffice for those living only for the moment, it is totally incompatible with a life devoted to the eternal.
Simply put, God expects excellence. Excellence is not perfectionism; it is giving God your very best. The word excel means “to go beyond average” and biblically, excellence is a discipline you practice daily, not occasionally because we are called to “please Him in all respects” (Col. 1:10b). What you will become spiritually tomorrow is shaped by what you pursue faithfully today (Phil. 3:12–14).
Every four years, the world marvels at Olympic athletes who devote their lives to excellence for a medal, some highlights, and perhaps a lucrative endorsement. Yet the greater contest is not played every four years, but every day. Most people drift downstream with culture, but disciples are called and equipped to swim upstream—seeking to know Christ and make Him known (Jer. 9:23-24).
The question is not IF we pursue something, but HOW: with excellence or excuses?
In Malachi 1:6–14, God rebukes His priests who offered blemished sacrifices and their half-hearted worship that dishonored Him as the great King. To learn to give our best, remember these two things:
God deserves the very best: God says to the priests, “where is My honor…where is My respect?” (Mal. 1:6). God says, “I am a great King” and “My name is feared among the nations” (Mal. 1:14). He didn’t want the profaned or defiled food or the blind, lame, and sick sacrificial animals (Mal. 1:7-8). God Himself set the standard by giving us His best in creation and redemption. However, our sin always trades God’s excellent way for our mediocre substitute (Rom. 3:12). To offer Him leftovers is to misrepresent His worth. Francis Schaeffer said, “If we do not show the world excellence in what we do, then we show them that we do not really believe that God is excellent.”
God determines the very best: He said it was “evil” to present the blind, lame, and sick sacrifices (Mal. 1:8). Excellence honors God in the specific (Moses hit the rock instead of speaking to it), the small (be faithful in a few things—Matt. 25:23), and the same things (be found trustworthy—1 Cor. 4:2). God cares about the details (no defects allowed—Lev. 22:20–23).
What: make more and better disciples of Jesus Christ (Matt 28:19–20)
Why: all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31)
When: today, be faithful to the end (Heb. 3:7-8; Rev. 2:10)
Where: keep seeking the things above where Christ is (Col. 3:1)
How: love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:37-39)
In a mediocre world, excellence becomes a powerful testimony. As God declares two times, “My name will be great among the nations” (Mal. 1:11). The way we live either magnifies His greatness—or diminishes it. Give Him your best.
Pastor Jeff
Foundational Faith Statement #15: What is sin?
Sin is any attitude or desire or word or action that explicitly breaks a commandment of Scripture, or comes from a heart of unbelief, or is not done for the glory of God (1 John. 3:4; Romans 3:23; 5:13; 14:23; 1 Peter 1:16; Matthew 5:48).