excellence

Pastor Erwin spoke on extraordinary excellence from Phillipians 4:1-9 today. God holds us accountable for what we do with our lives, but doesn't tell us what to do. That in itself is amazing and confusing. How can we know what we should do? Verse 8 holds a key: "whatever" is used six times. Whatever we do is up to us. See also Colossians 3:23. How we do "whatever" must be excellent - that is God's non-negotiable. Calling my current work situation "just a job to pay the bills" is wrong. God has no tolerance for second best and I must work at my job to the highest level of quality that God enable me to give. It's not always easy, that's for sure. So, how can I use my top strengths (self-assurance, activator, maximizer, learner, responsibility) to excel at my job without acting like a know-it-all, to take initiative to contribute to the team, to motivate others to excellence, to make the most of the opportunity to learn on-the-job, to proactively use my time wisely for career advancement as well as reflecting Christ's love to my coworkers? How can I be more aware of my words and actions before I act or react out of my sinful nature and selfish desires? God's daily grace, that's for sure, and daily reliance on Him to love others more than myself.

Ian