As a young girl, one of my chores every Saturday was to dust the furniture
in our large farmhouse. Often I’d get
sidetracked while dusting and Mom would find me sitting cross-legged on the
floor in front of the family bookshelf, reading a book.
My mother never did things halfway, and she taught me a lot
about excellence. I can still hear her
voice as she quoted this little rhyme to me more than once:
All that you do,
Do with your might!
Things done by half
Are never done right!
What is Excellence?
In preparing to write this post, I looked up the word
“excellent” in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
There are over ten different reference numbers for the meaning of excellent in the Hebrew language where
the English word is translated as “excellent.” Among the definitions were:
“valuable, precious, brightness, reputation, weighty,
abundant, famous, gallant, glorious, mighty, noble, worthy, honorable (in the
sense we’d say ‘top notch’), successful, highest rank, majestic, lifted up, and
preeminent.” These definitions all apply
to God. (Job 37:33, Ps. 8:1, Ps. 36:7,
Ps. 148:13, Ps. 150:2, Isaiah 12:5, KJV).
I find it interesting that the definition of excellent in Hebrews 1:4 KJV “he
obtained a more excellent name than
they,” is “to be fragrant; spice.”
Jesus’ name is a wonderful fragrance!
He is totally perfect, totally excellent, of the highest rank, lifted up
and preeminent. God has highly exalted
Him!
In the scriptures of Romans 2:18 KJV “…and knowest his will,
and approvest the things that are more excellent…”,
and Phillippians 1:10, “That ye may approve things that are excellent…,” the word excellent there means “fresh, cheerful,
rosy, good news, tidings.”
And I love the Hebrew word for excellent in Proverbs 17:27 is “cool, chill, and quiet”. Here’s the verse in KJV: “He that hath
knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent (cool,
quiet) spirit.” I wonder if we get the
expressions “cool,” and “chill out!” from this Hebrew definition. J
Biblical Examples of
Excellence
When I think of biblical examples of excellence, I
immediately think of Daniel and his three Hebrew friends. They resolved to remain true to God and his
commandments even when threatened with the loss of their lives. Daniel was promoted in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom to second highest
in command because he was faithful and diligent in his work, respectful,
helpful, trustworthy, honest, and gave God all the glory. Psalm 75:6 KJV says promotion comes from the
Lord. And Daniel had an excellent
spirit. Daniel 6:3, KJV, says, “Then
this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an
excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole
realm.” (See also Daniel 5:12 KJV)
Excellence is a premium character quality. It means doing what your flesh would rather
not have to do to maintain your integrity before God and man. It means doing things well, not slip-shod or
halfway. It means being honest and
speaking the truth in love. It means
keeping your word, even to your own hurt (Psalm 15:4.) It means keeping a cool head, a quiet spirit,
and chilling out when you feel like “flying off the handle.” Daniel maintained a cool and quiet spirit. A person who remains cool and steadfast in
the face of adversity will command respect because of his character. It includes being faithful and
trustworthy. Indeed, how can one achieve
a reputation for excellence without them?
It means living a life of wisdom.
Proverbs is full of excellent wisdom for all of us.
I think especially of the Proverbs 31 woman and the godly
excellence we see described about her. She speaks well of her husband and doesn’t
embarrass him; others respect him because of her noble character. She takes care of her physical body, and is
strong to do her work. She isn’t idle or
lazy, gives to the poor, looks after her household’s needs for food and
clothing, and carries on a profitable business.
She knows what’s going on with her children and she instructs them
faithfully in the ways of the Lord. She
speaks with wisdom (keeps a cool spirit).
She knows physical charm and beauty is only skin-deep, and she's not
vain. She fears the Lord.
Questions for
Reflection:
How would your personal appearance change if you did
everything with excellence? What would
your daily routine be? What would your
house look like? How would your family
change? If you hold a public job, do you
do it with excellence, or try to get by with as little work as possible? It helps to remember that we are actually
working for the Lord, not man.
Scriptures to
Encourage:
Colossians 3:23 tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with
all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, since you know that you
will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”
I Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my dear brothers,
stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of
the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Copyright © 2013 Elaine Beachy
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