Why serve with excellence?
Question: What is your definition of excellence and what does it mean to be excellent?
Dictionary definition: noun.
1. the fact or condition of excelling; superiority; surpassing goodness, merit, etc.
2. something in which a person or thing excels; with particular virtue
3. excellency
Q. Does God require excellence from his children?
What do you think?
Q. Why should we serve God with excellence?
A. The first and foremost reason is that our God is the most excellent God.
Psalm 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent [is] your name in all the earth! who has set your
glory above the heavens.
The Lord our God has an excellent name, and He is worthy of our absolute best.
The excellency of God in scripture
Job 37:23 [Touching] the Almighty, we cannot find him out: [he is] excellent in power, and in
judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.
Psalm 36:7 How excellent [is] thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put
their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
Psalm 150:2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness
Is your offering/service acceptable?
Q: why does it matter what we offer to God in terms of our ministry?
Answer: All through the old testament God made it clear that whatever was offered to him in
sacrifice should be without spot or blemish. The book of Leviticus has dozens of sacrifices
specified but all without blemish.
Q: What kind of sacrifice/ministry does God want?
Lev 19:2 This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying: ‘Speak to
the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without blemish, in which there is no
defect and on which a yoke has never come.
Jesus’ excellence of ministry
In the New Testament, Jesus (the Lamb without blemish) will present his Church
Ephesians 2:5 That he might present it to himself a glorious church not having
spot, or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Jesus offers only excellent ministry to his Father.
We should emulate Jesus. Amen
Implications for us
- Anything that we give to God whether spiritual, material or service it should be
excellent in every way.
- We should never offer anything that is a reject, or substandard or second quality nor
damaged in any way,
- Everything we offer to God should be excellent in nature, not defective in any way, not
sloppy, ill prepared or executed
Do not panic - Remember God’s grace will make up what we lack
If you have 3 weeks, 3 days or just 3 hours to prepare a bible study God will give you the grace
to make up the difference in what you can achieve. However. if we have plenty of time, we honour God by making excellent preparations.
Do you remember the old Keith Green song lyrics- do your best, pray its blessed and He will take care of the rest.
Remember that Christian excellence is not about striving!
Amen
Personal Prayer