“The quality of your life will be determined more by the depth of your commitment to excellence than by any other factor.” Vince Lombardy
Are we committed to excellence? Unfortunately, the world today tries to find the minimum that will do, and does just that. Can we please our Father in heaven if we do just the minimum?
What is the minimum and how does it compare to a commitment to excellence? To some the minimum may be attending just the memorial meeting on Sunday. Others might also include one or two prayers a day, while others might say that the minimum should include the daily Bible readings.
Rather than concentrating on the minimum we feel we should do each day in our service to God, why don’t we rather commit our lives to excellence, and do all we can do with all we have right where we are?
What difference will this focus make in our everyday lives? Will a commitment to excellence drive us to serve our Lord more fervently than we have been? What will we do differently if we are committed to excellence?
If there is an ecclesial meeting going on, will we be there? If we hear that a member is sick, will we be there? Will we make time each day to do what we know we should? Without a conscious commitment to excellence, we tend to drift through life rather than being driven.
Solomon gives us a good definition of commitment to excellence: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” Whatever we decide to do, do it, and do it with all the energy and enthusiasm we possess.
Half-hearted service is unacceptable to God. Do we think we can please Him if we just go through the motions? Malachi challenged the priests of his day who were offering the blind and the lame and the sick to God. Malachi asked them, “Offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.”
The priests were self-righteous. They were surprised by this challenge and responded, “Wherein have we despised thy name?” Do we realize we can also despise the name of our Heavenly Father by half-hearted obedience if we give Him less than our best?
There is only one way to serve our Heavenly Father that will be acceptable to Him. That is by being committed to excellence and putting Him first in our lives. Nothing else will do. If the Lord is second or fifth in our lives, He might just as well be nowhere, for He will not accept our sacrifice if we do not love Him with all our being. Jesus has told us, “anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One