Colossians 3:17 ESV And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:23 ESV Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
I enjoy being around people of excellence. If we are going to do something, why not do it right and with our whole heart? This has served me well in my 45 years as a believer.
I watch certain "continual life-style" traits of believers and it tells me a lot about their personal discipline and their walk with the Lord. One such example would be those who are ALWAYS late. I'm not talking about an occasional situation were circumstances dictated lateness and it was out of their control.
I am speaking about the kind of tardiness that has become a lifestyle and causes others to distrust their word about when they would be available. Continual tardiness speaks of being personally undisciplined and a self-adsorbed selfishness that basically says not one else's time matters but yours. This is not excellence as a believer.
I was raised in a non-Christian home, yet there were things my father taught me that has served invaluable in my life. The first being a strong work ethic. Excellence says that you don't need to stand watch over me in order to receive a day's work that will exceed what you expected. The second is the value of time. In all of my many appointments over the past 40 plus years, I have maintained one simple code of conduct. I would rather be one hour early than be one minute late.
I have made a list of what I believe to be Christian marks of excellence. Each can be found in the Scriptures and I'm sure this list is incomplete and many more could be added. If we are going to do all things "as unto the Lord" then we should do them well and with excellence.
THE 9 MARKS OF CHRISTIAN EXCELLENCE.
1. BIBLICAL FAITH: That which we trust
2. GODLY CHARACTER: That which we manifest
3. GODLY ACTION: That which we do
4. SINGLE-MINDEDNESS: That which we think
5. GOD'S LOVE: That which motivates us
6. SUFFERING: That which we endure
7. PRAYER: That which we relate to God with
8. WISDOM: That which we seek over wealth
9. STAYING POWER: That which anchors our soul
I believe that we should be a people that display the life of Christ in all that we say, do, and think. We are the only Bible that some will read and we are the only example of Jesus some will see.
2 Corinthians 3:2-3 ESV (2) You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. (3) And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.