Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10
In his book, Excellence Wins, Horst Schulze spells how he did it. As co-founder of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, he tells how we took it to the top of excellent and respected hotels. He spells out a no-nonsense guide to becoming the best in a world of compromise. An enjoyable read, it tells not just how to build a hotel brand, but how we all should manage our lives.
Though not a spiritual book, as I read it, I couldn’t keep from putting a spiritual spin on it. God wants us to live excellence in our spiritual lives. Like Schulze, who says to put the hotel guests first, God wants us to put Him first in our lives.
Excellence is the quality of excelling, of being the very best at something. Human beings have an intrinsic desire to see excellence. In every people group across the world, excellence is prized and rewarded. Whether it is a tribe celebrating excellence in hunting or a Wall Street accountant promoted because of his excellence in finance, our appreciation of excellence comes from our Creator. To be made in God’s image means that He imparted some of His character qualities to us (Genesis 1:27). We crave justice because He is just (Psalm 9:16). We love because He is love (1 John 4:16). And we strive for excellence because He is excellent in everything He does (Deuteronomy 32:4).
Many things get in the way of human excellence, including apathy, carelessness, and laziness. Our sinful nature is that part of us that is unlike God and is in fact in opposition to God and His excellence. We are all born sinners, and that sin manifests itself in a thousand ways. We cut corners, we shirk, we settle for second best (or third or fourth best) if the effort to achieve excellence is more than we’re willing to give. God’s cure for our careless ways is to remind us that He is our ultimate judge. We must answer to Him for how we spend our time, our resources, and our energy (Matthew 12:36; 1 Corinthians 3:13–15). Striving for excellence should be a part of all we do: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” Colossians 3:23–24.
Aware that it is Christ Himself we are serving, we don’t want to present Him with anything but excellence. Whether it is sweeping streets or running a country, we should strive for excellence in work ethic, in character, and in craftsmanship. No one is good at everything, but we’re all good at something. God expects us to develop the skills and gifts He’s given us in order to serve Him and others better.
Are you striving for excellence in your spiritual life?
by John Grant
used by permission
FURTHER READING
- Growing Pains – A devotional on Spiritual Growth
- Meditation for Spiritual Growth
- Developing Spiritual Maturity
- Marinated in the Word