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Any person or organization that provides a service and is interested in enlarging its service to others must strive for excellence. The striving for quality and dependability in the service rendered, coupled with courtesy and friendliness in delivery of the service would save many a floundering enterprise. It is amazing that excellence in these elementary matters is within the reach of everyone, yet they are overlooked by so very many.
Excellence cannot be achieved by an organization unless its people strive for excellence. After all, the character of an organization is no more or less than the sum total of the characters of its respective members. In other words, a business that would ever strive for excellence must have people who appreciate quality, dependability, courtesy, etc., and who will settle for nothing less in themselves and in others.
Do these principles have any spiritual application? Most certainly! In the first place, the Lord’s church is a “service organization.” It was built to serve the spiritual needs of the world by preaching the Gospel of salvation. The greater our quest for excellence in providing this service, the more people will seek it and be saved.
The quest for excellence is innate in God’s nature and it ought to be what His people constantly strive for. Solomon long ago urged: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecc. 9:10). Paul exhorted: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 The. 5:21). He also taught: “Approve the things that are excellent” (Phi. 1:10). Do you see God pointing us to do our very best, to not be content with half-hearted, slip-shod, “get-it-over-with” approach to His work?
Whatever your place might be in the world, remember, you represent the church of God to somebody. Whether you be seamstress or salesman, farmer or football player, plumber or preacher, strive for excellence! Do it with your might! Or, as Paul said, “Work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men” (Col. 3:23). And as you serve in special capacities in the kingdom, make quality your guidepost. If you lead singing, lead a prayer, make a talk, wait on the table, or teach a class, do your best. If you fix hair, work on a bus, or make a visit, do it well. If you bake a cake for a grieving family or serve as an usher, do it with excellence.
[Note: I wrote this article for, and it was published in the October 6, 1977, edition of the Granbury Gospel, weekly bulletin of the Granbury Church of Christ, Granbury, Texas, of which I was editor.
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
