No one wants to be mediocre. God doesn’t want us to be mediocre, either. God wants our whole lives to become all that he intended them to be. Why settle for a life that is less than what God wants for you? God wants us to be excellent in three ways: excellent in personal discipline, excellent in our relationships, and excellent disciples of Jesus Christ.
God wants us to be excellent in personal discipline. The biblical word for it is holiness. We are called to put to death our old, futile ways. Accumulating possessions or numbing ourselves with drugs or careening through a series of shallow relationships will all prove unsatisfying. Set your mind on higher things. Choose holiness. Choose personal discipline. Choose excellence.
God wants us to be excellent in our relationships. He wants us to be excellent friends, excellent spouses, excellent parents. It doesn’t just happen. It takes intentionality. It takes effort. And it takes patience. Transforming mediocre relationships into excellent relationships doesn’t happen overnight. But it is worth the time and effort.
God wants us to be excellent disciples of Jesus Christ. When you pray, really pray. When you study the Bible, concentrate. When you come to worship, prepare beforehand, so that you will be ready for what God wants you to hear that day. Most of all, when you serve people in the name of Jesus, do a great job. Live in such a way that Jesus will say at the end, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
In our sermon this Sunday we will talk about being excellent.