Redefining Excellence: Heartfelt Work in Faith

Devotional

Day 1: Excellence in Attitudes and Relationships

True excellence in the Christian life is not limited to technical skill but includes attitudes and relationships. God values patience, forgiveness, and love as much as He values technical proficiency. [02:27]

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a relationship in your life where you can practice more patience or forgiveness. How can you take a step today to improve that relationship with God's help?

Day 2: Undistracting Excellence

The concept of "undistracting excellence" emphasizes removing obstacles that hinder our relationship with God. Our focus should be on facilitating genuine encounters with Him, rather than showcasing our skills. [03:15]

"Therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother." (Romans 14:13, ESV)

Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you might be focusing too much on perfection. How can you shift your focus to ensure it facilitates a genuine encounter with God?

Day 3: Authenticity in Work

Authenticity in our work means serving sincerely, not as people-pleasers. Our ultimate accountability is to Christ, and our reward comes from Him, not from human recognition. [06:54]

"Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord." (Colossians 3:22, ESV)

Reflection: Consider your current work or responsibilities. Are there areas where you are more focused on pleasing others than serving Christ? What changes can you make to align your work with serving Him sincerely?

Day 4: God's Perspective on Effort

God considers the broader context of our efforts. When we act with integrity and sincerity, even if our work is not technically perfect, it is not sinful. Our intentions and the heart behind our actions matter to God. [10:18]

"For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent task or project where you felt you fell short. How can you view this situation from God's perspective, focusing on your intentions and heart rather than the outcome?

Day 5: Defining Our Best Effort

Excellence is about doing our best within our circumstances, considering factors like health, family, and other responsibilities. We are called to trust in God's grace and forgiveness as we strive to honor Him in our work. [12:07]

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going." (Ecclesiastes 9:10, ESV)

Reflection: Evaluate your current circumstances and responsibilities. What does doing your best look like in this season of your life? How can you rely on God's grace to help you honor Him in your efforts?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of faith, the question of whether falling short of excellence in our work is sinful is a profound one. Drawing from Colossians 3:22-24, we are reminded that our work should be done heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. This principle applies to all aspects of life, whether we are businessmen, stay-at-home parents, students, or volunteers. The essence of this teaching is not about achieving technical perfection in every task but about the sincerity and integrity of our efforts.

Reflecting on an experience from my ministry, we once grappled with the idea of excellence in music during worship services. Some believed that only technically flawless music was worthy of offering to God, citing 2 Samuel 24:24. However, I gently pushed back, emphasizing that God values excellence in our attitudes and relationships just as much as in our skills. True excellence in the Christian life encompasses patience, forgiveness, and love, not just technical prowess.

We coined the term "undistracting excellence" to capture this idea. The goal is to remove obstacles that prevent us from knowing, meeting, loving, and treasuring God. Whether it's music, preaching, or any other aspect of worship, the focus should be on facilitating a genuine encounter with God, rather than merely showcasing technical skill.

Paul's exhortation in Colossians is a call to authenticity. We are to work sincerely, not as people-pleasers, but with a heart that truly seeks to serve others and honor Christ. Our ultimate accountability is to Jesus, and our reward comes from Him, not from human recognition. This perspective should influence the quality of our work and the attitudes we bring to it.

In addressing whether any work not done in excellence is sin, it's important to recognize that God considers the broader context of our efforts. If we choose to paint our own bedroom to save money for a missionary friend, God sees the heart behind the action, not just the technical outcome. However, if we misrepresent our abilities for personal gain, that would be sinful. Excellence is about doing our best within the constraints of our circumstances, trusting in God's grace and forgiveness.

Key Takeaways

1. True excellence in the Christian life is not limited to technical skill but includes attitudes and relationships. God values patience, forgiveness, and love as much as He values technical proficiency. [02:27]
2. The concept of "undistracting excellence" emphasizes removing obstacles that hinder our relationship with God. Our focus should be on facilitating genuine encounters with Him, rather than showcasing our skills. [03:15]
3. Authenticity in our work means serving sincerely, not as people-pleasers. Our ultimate accountability is to Christ, and our reward comes from Him, not from human recognition. [06:54]
4. God considers the broader context of our efforts. When we act with integrity and sincerity, even if our work is not technically perfect, it is not sinful. Our intentions and the heart behind our actions matter to God. [10:18]
5. Excellence is about doing our best within our circumstances, considering factors like health, family, and other responsibilities. We are called to trust in God's grace and forgiveness as we strive to honor Him in our work. [12:07]
** [12:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:12] - Introduction to the Question
[00:37] - Feeling Guilty About Work
[01:04] - Illustration from Ministry
[01:45] - Pushback on Technical Excellence
[02:27] - Excellence in Attitudes and Relationships
[03:15] - Undistracting Excellence
[04:39] - Preaching and Excellence
[05:12] - Spiritual Goal of Removing Obstacles
[06:09] - Application of Colossians 3
[07:09] - Authenticity in Work
[08:00] - Serving Christ in Our Work
[09:23] - Is Lack of Excellence Sinful?
[10:18] - God's Perspective on Effort
[12:07] - Defining Our Best Effort

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Colossians 3:22-24
- 2 Samuel 24:24

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Observation Questions:

According to Colossians 3:22-24, what is the motivation behind working heartily, and how does this relate to serving Christ rather than people? [05:43]
In the sermon, what example was given to illustrate the concept of "undistracting excellence"? How does this concept apply to worship services? [03:15]
How does the pastor describe the balance between technical skill and attitudes like patience and forgiveness in the context of Christian excellence? [02:27]
What does 2 Samuel 24:24 imply about the cost of offerings to God, and how was this applied to the discussion of excellence in music? [01:20]

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Interpretation Questions:

How does the idea of "undistracting excellence" challenge the traditional view of excellence in work and worship? What might this look like in a practical sense? [03:15]
In what ways does the sermon suggest that God values attitudes and relationships over technical perfection? How does this align with the teachings in Colossians 3:22-24? [02:27]
How does the pastor's story about painting a bedroom illustrate the difference between technical excellence and the heart behind our actions? What does this say about God's perspective on our efforts? [10:18]
How does the sermon address the potential sinfulness of not achieving technical excellence in our work? What factors are considered in determining whether an action is sinful? [09:23]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on your current work or responsibilities. Are there areas where you focus more on technical perfection than on the sincerity of your efforts? How can you shift your focus to align more with the concept of "undistracting excellence"? [03:15]
Think about a recent task or project where you felt you fell short of excellence. How did you handle it, and what was your attitude? How might you approach similar situations differently in the future, considering the sermon’s teachings? [09:23]
Identify a relationship in your life where you can practice excellence in patience, forgiveness, or love. What specific steps can you take this week to improve in these areas? [02:27]
Consider a time when you felt guilty about not meeting a standard of excellence. How can you apply the understanding that God values the heart behind your actions more than technical perfection? [00:50]
How can you ensure that your work, whether at home, school, or your job, is done with sincerity and integrity, serving Christ rather than seeking human approval? What changes might you need to make in your daily routine to achieve this? [05:43]
Reflect on a situation where you might have misrepresented your abilities for personal gain. How can you seek forgiveness and make amends, and what can you learn from this experience to prevent it from happening again? [11:24]
How can you incorporate the idea of "doing your best within your circumstances" into your daily life, considering factors like health, family, and other responsibilities? What practical steps can you take to balance these aspects while striving to honor God in your work? [12:07]

Sermon Clips

In the Christian church, God not only cares about whether we are excellent musicians but also cares about whether we are excellent forgivers, that's the way I stated it, whether we are excellent in patients, excellent in long suffering for example, patience and forgiveness, if someone's musical effort was not flawless. [00:01:59]

When it comes to excellence in the Christian life, we dare not ever limit it to the way a person does a skill or the way a person does a craft, but we must always take into account excellence in attitudes, excellence in emotions, excellent in relationships. [00:02:25]

The aim here is to know God, meet God, love God, treasure God, trust God, enjoy God, those are all acts of the heart and mind, everything else is subservient to that in this service helping people get to that, including the excellence of our performances whether it's music or sound system or lighting or heating or air conditioning or preaching. [00:03:25]

We captured that goal by putting the adjective undistracting in front of the word excellence it implied that not only might shoddy work distract from meeting God if a person continually makes mistakes everybody's going to be embarrassed, they're going to be distracted, that's not going to work, but also excessive finesse might distract from the spiritual reality of encountering God. [00:04:15]

The criterion ceased to be a kind of abstract view of technical excellence and became a spiritual goal of removing obstacles from people's seeing and savoring Christ. [00:05:05]

Don't just try to be outwardly pleasing to people while your heart doesn't care about the people and doesn't care really about what quality of work you do as long as they think it's good it's i i service that's man pleasing in other words don't be a hypocrite. [00:06:42]

Whatever job you have and whomever it is that you are working for as a Christian, always think of Jesus Christ as the one to whom you will give an account for the quality of your work and the quality of your attitudes in the work. [00:07:42]

If you decide to paint your own bedroom rather than hire a professional painter because you think God wants you to give the several hundred dollars you might pay the painter to some missionary friend, and yet you're not a very skilled painter, how will God look upon the exactness of the line between the beige wall and the white ceiling? [00:09:43]

God will not view my wavy edges as sin, he won't, even though they are not technically excellent like a painter could make them bigger things are at stake in other words, but if I advertise myself as a painter with my present skill and I go into somebody else's bedroom and I paint their wall with wavy edges. [00:11:00]

It's not sin to make a B in algebra class instead of an A that's not if you work hard do your best it's not sin to make five sales this week instead of ten if you're doing your best, and I would define your best like this that's the last thing I'd say I think your best is defined as a fallible effort. [00:11:45]

Your best is defined as a fallible effort to take into account all relevant factors like sleep I need sleep and health and family and my age and energy and gifting and other relationships that need to be tended to and then when all is said and done you entrust yourself to the grace of Christ. [00:12:09]

You entrust yourself to the grace of Christ who died for you so that you could enjoy his excellent forgiveness. [00:12:56]

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