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Joyce Meyer once said, "Excellent people exceed expectations." In other words, they go the extra mile, they do more than is asked, and they take extra steps in
ensure the highest quality. If people were to describe your work, would excellence come to mind or simply mediocrity? Meyer declared that "You can
run into mediocrity accidentally but you have to purpose to be excellent." Thus, exercising minimal effort will lead to a mediocre performance at best, but really
going above and beyond the call of duty takes a conscious effort.

Colossians 3:17 says, "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus . . . " and later Paul writes, "Whatever you do, work at
it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward" (Colossians 3:23-24).
Therefore, we are called to strive for excellence in order to be the best testimony for the Lord that we can be. Non-Christians are watching to see what kind of a
difference Jesus is making in your life, and you can point others to Him by being diligent in your tasks and being above reproach in your ethics. Daniel exemplified this spirit during his service as a highly regarded administrator in a secular environment. The Scripture says that "he distinguished himself among
the administrators . . . because of his exceptional qualities" so much so that "they could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent" (Daniel 6:3-4).

Excellence does not necessarily mean the absence of mistakes, but it does mean the presence of faith and determination. To be excellent at whatever God has called you to do, you must first ask for His strength to accomplish the task and then, secondly, His endurance to complete it. Daniel was met with obstacles in his endeavor to serve the Lord wholeheartedly, but he remained steadfast to the course of action he believed the Lord set for him to take.

You must also recognize that there is a difference between striving to be perfect versus endeavoring to be excellent. Achieving perfection is an impossible task
because it never makes allowances for errors or missteps. Consequently, condemnation and discouragement often follow one's pursuit of perfection
because these unrealistic expectations lead to feelings of worthlessness and a sense of inadequacy.

A person who strives for excellence doesn't give up when he makes mistakes, and he doesn't avoid tasks for fear of failure. Helen Keller once wrote, "Be of good cheer. Do not think of today's failures but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you
persevere; and you will find joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost."

The true goal of excellence is to do the best you can with what you have at every moment. Jim Elliot once said, "Wherever you are--be all there." Make it your
ambition to live out your gifts and talents to the fullest. Andrew Carnegie said that "An average person puts only 25% of their energy and ability into their work. The world takes its hat off to those who put more than 50% capacity in, and stands on its head to those few and far between souls who devote 100%."

Ask the Lord today to help you walk excellently before Him in speech and in service so that you may be more effective in your ministry to others. Who knows--people may even stand on their heads in amazement at what they see!