Christians are called to excellence. But what does cultivating excellence look like? And how can we avoid being prideful when doing so? Let’s take a look!
Did you know that we are called to cultivate excellence?
This is a much-overlooked aspect of the Christian life. We hear often about cultivating Godliness, and rightly so! We hear often about cultivating Christ-likeness, and rightly so!
We hear often about cultivating love, peace, joy, steadfastness, self-control, and maturity… and rightly so.
These are all tremendous virtues that we as Christians are called to cultivate with everything we have.
But in addition to all these things (and perhaps in conjunction with all these things), we are called to cultivate excellence. We are called to pursue excellence in all we do, from the smallest action to the biggest decision.
There are two main Bible passages that we’ll be taking a look at today which talk about excellence. The first of these is found in Proverbs:
Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. [Proverbs 22:29, ESV]
The second is located in Colossians:
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. [Colossians 3:23-24, ESV]
When we examine both of these verses, it becomes clear that we are being called to excellence. We are called to give our very best in everything we set out to do. We’re told that, whatever we find to do – whether in the home or in the workplace, whether in the family or by ourselves – we are to do it well.
Pursuing excellence: that’s what we’re going to be examining today.
What is Excellence?
The first part of our journey here will begin by simply asking a question: what is excellence?
Google Dictionary gives the following definition: ‘excellence’ is the quality of being outstanding or extremely good.
To take things a step further, ‘excellence’ implies standing out. When Christians are called to excellence, we’re called to stand out. We are called to show something that distinguishes us from the rest of the world.
Re-read our passage from Proverbs. It says that a man skilled in his work will stand before kings. If you’re skilled, you will find yourself standing before the most important people.
If you’re set apart, people will notice. That is the basis of Christian excellence. Just as we are to be set apart in our lifestyles and our affections, we are to be set apart in our commitment to hard work and honorable duty.
Now, to be excellent – that is, to stand out and to perform our actions with distinction – we must have two things: a conviction firmly rooted in Christ, and a strong work ethic which grows out of that conviction.
Cultivating Excellence: a Conviction Rooted in Christ
In the Christian life, everything we do ought to be done from a place of love and obedience to Jesus Christ. Our pursuit of excellence is no different.
We HAVE to be rooted in Christ, and Christ alone.
You see, the world has its own ideas of what it means to be excellent.
In our schools and colleges, for instance, we rank students by GPA (Grade Point Average). The students who study hard and devote their time to school work will earn top marks. They will distinguish themselves. They will receive rewards and accolades aplenty.
Such students often get the best scholarships, the highest awards, and the most prestigious honors.
But sadly, most students do this for themselves. They get a strong sense of pride from their achievements, and from setting themselves apart from their peers.
I know this because I once lived it.
I worked hard, achieved top grades, and enjoyed my place of privilege among my classmates. It gave me such a glowing sense of pride and satisfaction to be at the “top of the class.”
This is the world’s meaning of excellence. It is an exaltation of yourself, a setting apart of yourself, for your OWN glory. Think of the businessperson whose wall is covered in golden plaques, the professional athlete who brags about his accomplishments, or the politician who gloats about his achievements to all who will listen.
Pride. That is the root of worldly excellence.
That is precisely why you must – read: MUST – be grounded in a Christ-centered conviction of excellence.
The Bible calls us to give it our all, to pursue the position of being set apart and being excellent. But the Bible also strongly condemns pride, and shows us that we are not our own.
To be prideful is to assert ourselves above God. We should never pursue excellence out of pride.
Instead, this is how we ought to be chasing the Biblical standard of excellence: start with Christ, move in Christ, and end with Christ.
When you go to work, you are going to work for the Lord. When you do your homework, balance your accounts, make business decisions, or play in the band, you are working for the Lord.
You’re not working for yourself.
You must be grounded in the conviction that Christ is everything. In all things you do, submit to Christ. Before you go to work, fall on your knees in prayer and ask God to take charge of your day.
Before you go to school or college, ask God to take charge.
Before you write that paper, submit that report, file that claim, or fix that fence, go to the Lord and ask Him to take charge.
You need to be going into everything with the conviction that Christ is the center and the reason. That is the only foundation from which you can pursue excellence and not become overwhelmed with pride.
This is why Colossians tells us to, ‘Work heartily, as for the Lord…’
The foundation upon which this Christian pursuit of excellence is built is nothing less than the fact that we are serving Jesus Christ whenever we work.
Now, this is the foundation, but we must have something else to carry us through our work. That ‘something’ is nothing less than a Christ-centered work ethic.
Cultivating Excellence: a Christ-Centered Work Ethic
Something largely lost in today’s society is a strong work ethic. Now, not everyone lacks a work ethic – there are still plenty of people who work hard every day – but there is an increasing trend towards prioritizing comfort and even laziness.
Christians would do well to avoid laziness. Scripture strongly implores us to avoid laziness and idleness (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15).
However, we cannot adopt the high-strung work ethic of the world, which teaches you to pursue success at all costs. It teaches you to pursue excellence for your own exaltation.
This is poison to the Christian life. We must seek deeper dependence upon God, not greater independence.
We cannot seek the world’s style of work ethic.
Instead, we must seek to cultivate a work ethic that grows out of our Christ-centered convictions.
Pursuing this Christ-centered work ethic comes in the same way as pursuing a Christ-centered conviction of excellence. The deeper we delve into Jesus, the more naturally it comes.
Let us return to Colossians to get a clearer glimpse of what this means.
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. [Colossians 3:23-24, ESV]
From this, we can see the basis of our Christ-centered work ethic: work heartily, as for the Lord… you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
In other words, no job is done in vain IF you’re doing it for the Lord. You can expect a reward. You are not serving your employer; you’re serving God.
You’re serving Him directly.
Believer, do you suppose that your work is in vain? I think that is probably the number one killer of a solid work ethic.
You show up to work every day and do the same things. If you’re a restaurant cook, you cook food. If you’re a cashier, you handle money. If you’re an accountant, you balance books. If you’re a construction worker, you build things. But day by day, your job is the same. It can breed monotony.
Inherent in most jobs is this danger: that you will begin to grow numb and dissatisfied in the routine. You will begin to believe that your job doesn’t really mean anything.
And if your job doesn’t mean anything, why does it matter if you do it well or not?
The world will teach you the lie that you can just sluff things off. It will lie to you, telling you to just do “the bare minimum” to get by.
Isn’t that amazing? There are two modes of operation that the world will try to shoe you into when it comes to the work ethic.
On one hand, it will encourage you to be a workaholic who seeks glory and self exaltation. But on the other hand, it will teach you to shirk your responsibilities and do the bare minimum.
Neither of these positions is Christ-centered.
The Christ-centered position is this: in everything you do, devote your best effort to it. Seek excellence. Do it not for your boss, your company, your school, your parents, or even yourself. Do it directly for God. Do it as though God is watching you at that very moment, because He is.
Are you taking classes at college? Seek to get top marks! Are you employed? Seek to do the best you possibly can!
If you’re a janitor, seek to be the best janitor the world has ever seen.
If you’re a cashier, seek to be the best cashier the world has ever seen.
If you’re a banker, seek to be the best banker the world has ever seen.
If you’re a car salesman, seek to be the best car salesman the world has ever seen.
But in your pursuit of excellence, be sure that you are weaving Christ into every moment. Be resolved to never pursue your own glory. Be resolved to never pursue your own exaltation.
When you really step back to consider the issue, you’ll actually find that the world’s approach to the work ethic is always self-centered. If you’re a workaholic, you’re pursuing your own glory. But if you take the “bare minimum approach,” which seems to be the exact opposite, you’re also pursuing your own glory.
The bare minimum approach is simply this: This job isn’t giving me enough (money, recognition, entertainment, etc.), so therefore I will do just enough to get by.
Both the workaholic and the bare minimum modes of work ethic are selfish and cannot look beyond the question, “What’s good for me?” They’re simply two sides of the same coin.
The worldly work ethic (or lack thereof) leads nowhere. It cannot look beyond the self. It is self-centered and short-sighted.
But a Christ-centered work ethic? That CAN look beyond the self. And it DOES lead somewhere.
When you go into work, consecrating your every task and duty to Christ will provide you with a surprisingly strong work ethic. When you aren’t burning yourself out trying to do everything in your own power, you will experience freedom.
Does this mean that work will always be a piece of cake? No. Work will still be tough. You’ll still have days you simply don’t want to be there.
But you will see freedom. You will see strength. You will be carried along by the Lord.
You’ll be carried along by the Lord because of this: everything you do is for Him. Not for you, not even for your employer, but for Him. He designed the world, and He knows that all types of labor are needed to make it function.
The clerk, the cashier, the stocker, the farmer, the banker, the CEO, the pilot, the doctor, the teacher, and the scientist… all are necessary. All have a place.
God can be honored in each of them.
Seek to honor God in your every action at work, and you will have locked into what it means to have a Christ-centered work ethic.
Working For a Reward
Scripture tells us that, when you work for God, you’re working for a reward.
Are you getting paid at work? Yes. Maybe you feel like you’re not earning enough, but that’s neither here nor there. If you’re employed, you’re working for a wage.
Are you getting knowledge at school? Yes. You might feel like it’s simply in one ear and out the other, but some of what you read and learn and hear will find its home in your mind. One of the foundations of a successful life is proper education.
Even work that doesn’t pay – that is, work around the house or work for a good cause – still yields a reward. Once you’ve fixed the staircase, the stairs don’t groan anymore. Once you’ve helped your elderly neighbor trim his bushes, he can see out the front window.
Money, knowledge, or progress – these are the rewards of work, right?
Yes. But there’s more.
If we go back to Colossians 3:23-24, we’ll read that we will receive “the inheritance” as our reward.
Do we really expect to work for God Himself and not get a reward!?
You see, God has great treasures stored up for those who serve, love, and seek Him. If you’re serving God in your work, you are working for an inheritance.
What’s an inheritance?
It’s something that you inherit from another person. It may be money, property, or some other valuable thing. If you’ve got a wealthy grandparent, for example, you might receive a large sum of money when they pass away.
God is promising us an inheritance here. What might this inheritance be?
We can be rest assured that it will be far more valuable than earthly money. Think of the largest sum of wealth you can, and then imagine something a million times more valuable than that.
That only begins to scratch the surface of the inheritance spoken of here.
In truth, we know that our God is vastly more wealthy than anyone on this Earth. He has created all things, including wealth. He knows you more intimately and personally than you know yourself.
Who better to receive an inheritance from?
Whenever we work, whatever we do, we ought to work heartily. We are not working for ourselves or our employer; we’re working for God Himself. And God promises us a reward for this hard work. We will not see the fullness of this reward this side of eternity, but we can be assured that our hard work will not go unnoticed or unrewarded.
This is why we should cultivate excellence. We are laborers for the Lord, and we should seek to reflect Him in all that we do. We should seek distinction and excellence, but not for our own sake.
Because of who God is, and what He has called us to do, let us seek excellence and work heartily in all things.
God bless!