Excellence in Christianity

A few months back, the Christian rapper/poet Propaganda released a new album under the title "Excellent." The title track discusses what it is like to do things with excellence, based largely on Colossians 3:23, which says:

"Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men.." -Colossians 3:23, HCSB

OK, so... how does this play out practically? Lemme tell ya. Hang tight.

1. Work hard. This passage says to do everything "enthusiastically," like we're doing it all for Jesus. That means your homework, your work, your lawn mowing, your everything... is done for God's glory. Not easy, huh? I mean, if you're giving your all in all of this stuff, how can you keep from being exhausted? I don't know, but I know what will help.

2. Rely on His strength, not yours. If we rely on ourselves, we will burn out and be exhausted. Habakkuk 3:19 discusses how the Sovereign Lord is our strength. Christian, the Spirit of God lives in you! The Lord over all, the God that runs this show, is in you! He will give you the strength to do His work. If He wants you to accomplish something, He will give you the ability to do so. He's sovereign over all; do you think he can't handle giving you the strength to do His will?

3. Rest. There's a reason that the Sabbath day existed in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). God's example in Genesis 1 of a day of rest is intentional; He didn't need to rest, but He was showing us that we do. I know this is hard, and I don't even do this. If you are reading this in the United States, in particular, then you know how our culture is. We are constantly on the go, and the idea of going all out for God sounds like just amping up our already psychotic business. We hardly have the energy to do our jobs halfway, much less with a Colossians 3:23 level of excellence. Yet, we must find a way to rest. I was recently told to get a hobby, in order to avoid burning out. We must all find some sort of Sabbath day, and rest. If we don't we'll fall over under the work.

4. Realize that you will fail. Hey, guess what? Even if you follow steps 1, 2, and 3 above, you will not  work at a Col. 3:23 level at all times. We are in a broken world, and we will stumble. That's a fact, Jack. I was recently encouraged with this word: "we will fail." I know, right? Not very encouraging on the surface, yet I'd like you to ponder on this. In Philippians 3:13, the apostle Paul mentions that he was not fully mature in Christ. This seems obvious. Of course he wasn't. He's mortal, Bryan. Yet, think: this man was in prison for sharing his faith. He was leading guards and prisoners alike to faith in Christ. Does this seem like an immature believer? Of course not! Yet even this man admitted that, at times, he failed and didn't live up to his calling. He didn't meet the level of Colossians 3:23 at all times, either. Paul understood that, and we must to. We must not be afraid to fail. We must do what we can to follow Christ, and then rely on His strength to pick ourselves up off of the ground when we fail.

I know this is hard. I struggle with this as much as (or more than!) you. Trust me. But we're in this together, gang. Let's push forward and live a life of excellence. Our reputation as believers must stand out, and living according to this passage in Colossians is a great way to do so. Let's do it. Be excellent, and understand when you aren't.