Excellence: The state or quality of excelling or being exceptionally good; extreme merit; superiority.
Mediocrity: of only or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate.
(both references obtained from Dictionary.com)
Wow, which word describes you? We each would like to think that we function at a certain level of excellence, having excelled at whatever area of life we have chosen to follow. Unfortunately, laziness, procrastination and other factors have left most of us at the mediocre level, not just in our areas of talent but also with our Christian lives. Today, I'm going to deal with excellence in art.
God doesn't like mediocre. In Revelation 3:15 in reference to the Laodicean church it states: "I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!" Wow. The word lukewarm implies a level of mediocrity. It's not hot, but it's not really cold either. Just somewhere in the middle. Have you ever had a cup of lukewarm tea? I don't know about you, but I find it disgusting. Tea tastes great as a hot beverage and just as good as cold beverage served with ice. In the middle; it's not so great. The same way we feel about cold tea is the way God feels about mediocre Christian behaviour.
Unfortunately, in many Christian churches we have begun to applaud mediocrity. We have dropped our standards and now celebrate the "just ok". The quality of what we produce is not horrible, but it's not so great either. We toe the line and our lives are just barely adequate. We use excuses like, "it's a process" to explain away our bad attitudes and ineffectiveness. We talk about being great with wishful thinking as if it's something that should happen in the distant future.
God requires excellence from us now. Today. Excellence in our art-forms excellence on our jobs, and excellence in the way we live. We are the light of the world, i.e. we stand out. That means that the world should be able to look to us to set the standard for excellence, not the other way around. For years, the church has been lagging behind. It has gotten to the point where, when a Christian does excellently, we're surprised "You mean a Christian wrote that?" or "A Christian painted that?" or "A Christian manages that business that is doing so well?" As Christians we are privileged children, yet we have allowed ourselves to become so comfortable with that fact that we expect our mediocre product to do well simply because we are Christians. It's an attitude of entitlement that we usually find in spoiled children. We expect our Christian brothers and sisters to support us even though our stuff isn't so great. Wow.
Would you walk into a store, examine the goods on the shelf and pick out the one that appears to do the job only half way? That's what we present to the world. Stuff that only does the job half-way, yet we complain when we don't do so great. "God, how come everybody else is selling, getting the great jobs and doing so well, yet I can't get a break." Mediocrity, that's why. It's not because we're not talented, or intelligent. It's because we approach life with the outlook of a spoiled brat, "God says it's mine, so I'm not going to do any work, I'll inherit it anyway." Yes, the earth is ours to inherit, yes the wealth of the unjust is stored up for us, yes, the cattle on a thousand hills belongs to our father. But be reminded that our father is a very just God. He gives us favour, but there are principles He has set in the earth that He will always honour.
In 2 Corinthians 9:6 it states: "Remember this - a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop."
I challenge you today to put just a little bit more effort into whatever area you have chosen to follow or serve. You may not be a writer, singer or other artiste, but you may have a job. Maybe it's not one that you like very much, but if you do it excellently, then you have a case for a promotion. Promotion will not come when we treat what we already have with a mediocre attitude. Promotion comes when we are diligent with what we have and approach it with excellence. God sees that excellence and rewards it.
Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future, Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo
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