Mediocrity and Excellence

Here are some verses from Isaiah 43 that can remind us of our call to reflect the glory of God and to testify to the wonders of our Creator:
7Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him."10"You are My witnesses," says the Lord, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.

We are called by the name of Jesus, He is in our hearts, we are part of His family, if we have been born again.   We are told that we were created for His glory - we are called to be the visible expression of the indwelling Christ.  The standard that God has set is that all we say, think, or do should reflect His character.   It's a high bar, but the Holy Spirit gives us the resources to enable us to move in that direction.   We can choose to be mediocre in our pursuits, including growing spiritually, or we can strive for excellence - if we make excellence our aim, then I believe it pleases God because we are honoring Him and using the talents with which He has entrusted us, and it makes a powerful statement to the world of the power and presence of Christ within us.

In 1st Corinthians 10, we are given instruction by Paul to exalt Christ and don't act in a manner detrimental to the gospel:
31Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.32Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,33just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Two columns written originally in 2011 have made an impact on the Internet today, they both address the same subject, and they were composed by pastors in the Charlotte, NC area.   The Christian Post reported on a column by Pastor Steven Furtick that appeared in Outreach magazine recently - and that column can also be found on his website.

Pastor Derwin Gray of Transformation Church tweeted out a reference to one of his columns from 2011 about the same subject.   And, I think both of these can be instructive for us today.

Furtick recounts that while on a road trip, his family saw a sign for a gas station that said, "clean restrooms,” so they pulled in.   But they found that the restrooms were filthy.  His son, Elijah asked, "why does it say clean restrooms when these aren’t clean?” I said, “I guess they lied to us.”

Furtick goes on to say that:

Not too long after this, Elijah and I were in a nice hotel and we went into the restroom and it was super clean. He said to me, “Daddy, does this restroom have a sign that says it has clean restrooms?” It didn’t. Then he responded, “Why do some restrooms say they’re clean and they’re not, and then other restrooms are clean and they don’t say that they are?”

I don’t know.

And I also don’t know why this same dynamic continually plays itself out in the Church either.
The Church is fond of saying that the world offers everything but has nothing. And that’s true. But from my experience, the Church offers everything but doesn’t know how to really advertise it. Either corporately or individually.

The takeaway is:

I believe the most important message in the world deserves the best presentation. That’s why I’m so adamant about the Church being known for excellence. And that’s why I’m also so adamant about people living up to their full potential in Christ. It’s not that we’re trying to impress people with how great we are. It’s that we’re trying to impress into people how great Jesus is.

Derwin Gray, perhaps best known as the "Evangelism Linebacker", also referred to mediocrity today on Twitter.   He wrote in a previous blog post that says:

Mediocrity is a choice.

So is excellence.

Let those words drip and sink deep into your heart.

Everything you and I do causes us to make a choice: Will we do what we’re doing with mediocrity or with excellence?

He says that it "doesn’t take much effort to do something without passion, focus, or intensity. But, he also points out that mediocrity will "cost you life-transforming opportunities. In a world filled with mediocrity, only excellence stands out...It’ll cost you your God-given potential. Jesus invested too much into you for you to be mediocre."

I thought that perhaps that was a good word for us today - out of the mouth, or keyboard, of two pastors.   We were created to testify to the glory of God and to His work in and through our lives.   If Jesus has transformed our lives, then we have a duty to Him and to those with whom we come in contact to share it. And, to do so in an effective way.   When we're told to do everything for the glory of God, I think that means to be focused, to be creative, to want to do our best, because He gave us His best for us.   We should not go into a project half-baked or approach our occupation half-heartedly.    Jesus wants us to give our all and strive for excellence, rather than settle for mediocrity.   We should be known as the most devoted, reliable, and cheerful people in the house - whether at work, in the church, or even in our homes.   We take God seriously, and approach our assignment with a sense of purpose and passion.