I believe that God is far more interested in whether we are choosing to follow Him in how we live - by loving Him and loving other people - than whether we are pursuing the appearance of 'excellence' in our lives. Obedience then is of much greater importance than excellence.
Yes, I believe that we are to do our best with what we have been given. Jesus, after all, talks along these lines in the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25). But his main point in this text seems to focus around how we respond in obedience with what He has entrusted us with, not whether or not the results appear impressive from the outside looking in.
This kind of perfectionism misses the point. It focuses on the outward appearance instead of the inner motivation or the power of God, something that Jesus continually warns us against doing in the gospels (eg. Matt 5 & 6). Jesus' life shows us that what is powerful in God's eyes is often profoundly unimpressive in human terms.
What is of far more consequence to God, in my opinion, is what the motivation of our hearts is. If we are doing things because He has led us in a certain direction, then more power to us. But we must beware of getting to a place where we think that our excellence can compensate for God's power.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Good post...
I like to think of 'excellence' as being a consequence of 'obedience'....
If God's called me to do something, He probably wants me to do it well.
dg
Great point DG and one I had not really thought of.
Nice one.
JH
Post a Comment