Excellence: A Continuous Journey in Christ

Devotional

Day 1: Excellence as a Bridge

Excellence is not about achieving perfection or adhering to legalism; it is about carrying God to people and bringing people to God. This principle applies to every aspect of our lives, including our homes, churches, and businesses. Excellence is a bridge that connects us to God and others, and it involves consistently being and doing our best with what we have and what we know. By striving for excellence, we create opportunities for others to see God's love and grace through our actions and attitudes. This continuous pursuit of excellence helps us to remove obstacles that hinder us from presenting God to people and bringing people to God. [01:53]

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV): "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

Reflection: Think of one area in your life where you can improve to better reflect God's excellence. What specific steps can you take today to make that improvement?

Day 2: Holiness as a Witness

Living a holy life is not about earning God's love, which is unconditional, but about being a testimony to others and putting a restraint on the devil's influence in our lives. Our actions and attitudes can either draw people closer to God or push them away, so we must strive to be the best versions of ourselves in Christ. Holiness involves setting ourselves apart for God's purposes and living in a way that reflects His character. By doing so, we become living testimonies of God's love and grace, and we help to create an environment where others can encounter God. [07:35]

1 Peter 1:15-16 (ESV): "But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'"

Reflection: Identify a habit or behavior in your life that does not reflect God's holiness. How can you begin to change this habit or behavior to better witness to others about God's love and grace?

Day 3: Continuous Pursuit of Excellence

Excellence is not a one-time event but a continuous pursuit. It requires a commitment to consistently evaluate and improve our actions and attitudes. We must strive to remove every obstacle that hinders us from presenting God to people and bringing people to God. This involves maintaining high standards in everything we do, from the quality of our sound systems in church to the way we conduct our businesses. By continuously pursuing excellence, we demonstrate our dedication to God and our desire to be effective witnesses of His love and grace. [04:34]

Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV): "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent project or task you completed. What could you have done differently to achieve a higher standard of excellence? How can you apply this lesson to your next project or task?

Day 4: Four Key Disciplines

To achieve excellence, we need to focus on four key disciplines: clarity, simplicity, evaluation, and improvement. Clarity involves understanding and constantly refining our purpose and goals. Simplicity means making things as straightforward as possible to avoid unnecessary complexity. Evaluation requires honest assessment of our performance and identifying areas for improvement. Finally, improvement is about learning from our mistakes and continuously striving to be better. By focusing on these disciplines, we can achieve excellence and be effective witnesses of God's love and grace. [12:10]

Proverbs 4:7 (ESV): "The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight."

Reflection: Choose one of the four key disciplines (clarity, simplicity, evaluation, improvement) and assess how well you are currently applying it in your life. What specific actions can you take to strengthen this discipline?

Day 5: Excellence in All Areas

Excellence should be evident in every aspect of our lives, from the quality of our sound systems in church to the way we conduct our businesses. By focusing on clarity, simplicity, evaluation, and improvement, we can achieve excellence and be effective witnesses of God's love and grace. Excellence is not confined to one area but should permeate all that we do, reflecting our commitment to God and our desire to honor Him in every aspect of our lives. This holistic approach to excellence helps us to be consistent in our witness and to create environments where others can encounter God. [10:55]

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV): "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Reflection: Think about your daily routine and identify one area where you can strive for greater excellence. What practical steps can you take today to improve in that area and better reflect God's glory?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we delved into the concept of excellence and its significance in our lives as followers of Christ. Excellence is not merely about achieving perfection or adhering to legalism; it is about carrying God to people and bringing people to God. This principle applies to every aspect of our lives, including our homes, churches, and businesses. Excellence is a bridge that connects us to God and others, and it involves consistently being and doing our best with what we have and what we know.

Excellence is not a one-time event but a continuous pursuit. It requires a commitment to consistently evaluate and improve our actions and attitudes. We must strive to remove every obstacle that hinders us from presenting God to people and bringing people to God. This involves maintaining high standards in everything we do, from the quality of our sound systems in church to the way we conduct our businesses.

We also discussed the importance of living a holy life as a witness to God's love and grace. Holiness is not about earning God's love, which is unconditional, but about being a testimony to others and putting a restraint on the devil's influence in our lives. Our actions and attitudes can either draw people closer to God or push them away, so we must strive to be the best versions of ourselves in Christ.

To achieve excellence, we need to focus on four key disciplines: clarity, simplicity, evaluation, and improvement. Clarity involves understanding and constantly refining our purpose and goals. Simplicity means making things as straightforward as possible to avoid unnecessary complexity. Evaluation requires honest assessment of our performance and identifying areas for improvement. Finally, improvement is about learning from our mistakes and continuously striving to be better.

In conclusion, excellence is a journey that involves a commitment to being our best in Christ and consistently improving in all areas of our lives. By focusing on clarity, simplicity, evaluation, and improvement, we can achieve excellence and be effective witnesses of God's love and grace.

###

Key Takeaways

1. time event but a continuous pursuit. It requires a commitment to consistently evaluate and improve our actions and attitudes. We must strive to remove every obstacle that hinders us from presenting God to people and bringing people to God. [04:34]
4. Four Key Disciplines: To achieve excellence, we need to focus on four key disciplines: clarity, simplicity, evaluation, and improvement. Clarity involves understanding and constantly refining our purpose and goals. Simplicity means making things as straightforward as possible to avoid unnecessary complexity. Evaluation requires honest assessment of our performance and identifying areas for improvement. Finally, improvement is about learning from our mistakes and continuously striving to be better.

5. Excellence in All Areas: Excellence should be evident in every aspect of our lives, from the quality of our sound systems in church to the way we conduct our businesses. By focusing on clarity, simplicity, evaluation, and improvement, we can achieve excellence and be effective witnesses of God's love and grace.

### [04:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Introduction to Excellence
[01:53] - Excellence as a Bridge
[03:23] - Excellence in Worship
[04:34] - Consistency in Excellence
[05:43] - Judging God by Us
[07:35] - Holiness as a Witness
[08:57] - Competing for Souls
[10:12] - Pursuing Excellence in Personal Lives
[10:55] - Excellence in Business
[12:10] - Four Key Disciplines: Clarity
[13:55] - Defining the Why
[15:39] - Evaluating Success
[17:54] - Jesus' Example of Excellence
[19:41] - Simplifying Excellence
[23:07] - The Enemy of Excellence
[24:58] - Godly Jealousy
[27:01] - Keeping It Simple
[30:23] - Culture and Excellence
[32:03] - Evaluating Performance
[35:28] - Training for Excellence
[37:18] - Asking the Right Questions
[40:36] - Importance of Debriefing
[44:19] - Improving Through Evaluation
[46:13] - Conclusion and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to the sermon, what is the true meaning of excellence in the context of our faith? [01:53]
How does the sermon describe the relationship between holiness and being a witness to others? [07:35]
What are the four key disciplines mentioned in the sermon that help us achieve excellence? [12:10]
How does the sermon explain the concept of "excellence as a bridge" between God and people? [01:53]

Interpretation Questions

How does 1 John 3:8 relate to the sermon’s message about the purpose of Jesus' coming and its connection to excellence? [21:16]
In what ways does 2 Corinthians 11:3 warn us about the dangers of complexity in our pursuit of excellence? [24:58]
How does the transformation described in 2 Corinthians 3:18 align with the sermon’s emphasis on continuous improvement and excellence? [46:13]
What does the sermon suggest about the impact of our actions and attitudes on others' perceptions of God? [06:50]

Application Questions

Reflect on your daily life. Are there areas where you are not striving for excellence with what you have and what you know? How can you start making changes today? [04:34]
Think about a recent situation where your actions or attitudes might have influenced someone’s perception of God. Was it a positive or negative influence? How can you improve? [06:50]
The sermon emphasizes the importance of clarity in our purpose and goals. What steps can you take to gain more clarity in your personal or professional life? [12:10]
Evaluate your current approach to tasks and responsibilities. Are there ways you can simplify processes to avoid unnecessary complexity? [23:07]
How often do you take time to honestly evaluate your performance in different areas of your life? What tools or methods can you use to make this a regular practice? [33:41]
Think of a recent failure or setback. How did you respond to it? What can you learn from it to ensure continuous improvement? [44:19]
Identify one specific area in your life where you can apply the four key disciplines (clarity, simplicity, evaluation, and improvement) to achieve excellence. What practical steps will you take this week? [12:10]

Sermon Clips

1. "Excellence is not about us or me. It's about carrying God, transporting God to people, and transporting people to God. And it applies in our homes. It applies in our churches. It applies in all of our businesses. That excellence in your business is how you get your product, how you transport your product to the community, and how you bring the community to your product. It's called excellence." [01:53] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Excellence is being and doing your best, being and doing your best with what you have and what you know. The reason people put excellence off is they believe one day, well, when I have... More things, I'll be excellent. When I have more money, I'll be excellent. No, if you're not excellent with what you have right now and what you know, you won't be excellent with what you get and what you grow in knowledge." [03:23] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Excellence is consistently being my best and doing my best with what I have and what I know. Excellence is not a one-off. Anybody can be excellent for about an hour. Okay, let me rephrase that. It didn't work. Anyone can be excellent for about a half hour. The key to excellence is, okay, how do we measure that, and was it excellent? Was it our best with what we have and what we know?" [04:34] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "People shouldn't judge God by us, but people do judge God by us. So we want to be our best us in Jesus to not give people an excuse to reject God. There's reasons to live holy. It needs to be taught more and more. I need to teach it more and more because we understand this unconditional love of God. We understand the grace of God and how that He accepts me the way I am." [06:50] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "I live holy, listen, as a witness of God's love for me. I live holy to put a restraint on the devil because he's real and he came to steal, kill, and destroy. And if I, in sin, yield to the devil, then all the good that God has done in my life in Christ gets corrupted. I live holy again to be a witness. You'll never lead anybody to Jesus in unholiness." [08:16] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "Excellence is I'm going to be a better version of me in Christ today than I was yesterday. And can you imagine raising up in a church? A staff with that understanding of excellence. Can you imagine having a business that every employee wants to be a better them tomorrow than they are today? And today they're a better version of them than they were yesterday. Welcome to excellence." [09:37] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "Why are we here? Why are we a part of God's kingdom? It all starts with the why. You not only have to define the why constantly, the purpose, you have to refine the why and the purpose. Did everybody get that part? It's not even enough anymore to define our mission statement, define our purpose. Keep it before everyone in clarity. We are here to transform lives by Jesus." [12:10] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "The enemy of excellence is complexity. If you make things too complicated, you frustrate people, you frustrate staff, you frustrate elders and deacons and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, life group leaders. You can frustrate a staff if you don't make it and keep it. I want to, I want to say that. So if you're taking notes, you've got to make it and keep it simple." [23:07] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "A person of excellence doesn't self-destruct in condemnation when they fall. A person of excellence gets back up, and evaluates, why did I fall? How do I keep from falling again? And what did I learn in the fall? Welcome to improvement. That I'm not going to self-destruct. I am. I'm not just a human, but I am human, and I failed, and I own it. A person of excellence owns when they fail." [44:19] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "Excellence is clarity, simplicity, evaluate, and now improve. Welcome to a life of excellence. God bless you. I approve this message." [46:13] (14 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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