Week 5 Day 1: If There Is Any Excellence

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 NASB

Excellence refers to something that is unusually good and surpasses ordinary standards. It's used as a standard when judging performance. It is estimated that people achieve excellence by practicing roughly 10,000 hours over a period of 10 years. To ancient Greeks, excellence meant being completely qualified and ready for the chosen purpose.

Excellence for Christ followers is a lifelong pursuit. The standard for excellence is not a comparison to others, it’s in comparison with Jesus. God makes each of us a totally unique fingerprint for the world. We touch people in different ways, at different times and in different places. How we affect others is distinctly ours and ours alone. When we try to compare ourselves to what someone else can do, does or has, it is unhealthy and toxic.

We have desires to be like everyone else and yet we want to be special. It’s this conflict that makes us want to be part of a team, but only if we’re the star. We want the sense of belonging, but we also want to stand out for the world to see. Competition was never intended to be taken personally between two people, within teams, companies, etc. It was meant to sharpen what’s within, like iron sharpens iron. It was meant to cause us to compare who we are today with who we want to be tomorrow.

The greatest teams have unique individuals that work hard to sharpen their special talent. During practice teammates push each other to be the best version of themselves. Recognition for one is really recognition for all. Even the greatest players cannot be great without good teammates. Teamwork is a circular and symbiotic relationship. That's what our relationships should look like.

Our excellence is less about what we do and more about Whose we are. As Christ followers our goal is to be like Jesus. Our real work is to intimately know Him and cultivate the unique gifts and opportunities He gives only to us; to love and do good to those around us. We can’t all sing, dance or have the spotlight. But we are each uniquely gifted to do things no one else can do.

“We need to recognize our value and understand that we are a gift—an expression of who God is—and the world needs what He has deposited in us.”—Christine Caine

Excellence does not just happen. It takes time, effort and a lot of hard work. When we give our life over to Jesus, He doesn’t automatically “reprogram” us. He works with us and teaches us how to think in healthy and positive ways. He shows us how to live and thrive in the universe He created. Every day we make choices that take us closer to excellence or closer to destruction. Excellence is attained by choosing to walk with Jesus.

Do you see how comparing yourself to Who Jesus created you to be takes the pressure off relationships? What steps can you take on a daily basis to start reaching for the excellent version of you?

Meditate on “if there is any excellence" today.