The date was around 430 BC. The place is Jerusalem. the account is told in the book of Malachi. Some years before, the people had returned from exile in Babylon and found the city in ruins. The people of Israel began to rebuild the temple and to rebuild the city walls. However, as the people began to settle into their lives, they forgot the lessons of exile and they began to put their own priorities in front of God’s priorities. The people began to neglect the proper worship of God – even the priests were guilty. Their reasons for doing so were problems similar to our own reasons for not striving for excellence. The reasons we do not strive for excellence generally fall into three categories:1) Expedience – doing things cheap and easy. It was easier and cheaper for Israel to offer a defective animal than a more excellent one. Things haven’t changed much. We trust try to “get by” in life, even as Christians. We think that leftovers are good enough for God. We attempt to give God what is left over rather than what comes first. Then we wonder why God doesn’t bless our lives.2) We simply possess … READ MORE

Excellence is the quality of work that we are called to as followers of Jesus Christ. God is not impressed with a slick program or flashy audio-visuals; what matters to Him are internal things like love, compassion, and humility. God is primarily concerned with our hearts, why He does care about those outward things as an expression of our hearts. The level of commitment we have to doing things well, to honoring God in every area of our lives – reveals what is in our hearts. What does excellence look like?

1) It is offering the best of or time and talent in preparation and execution of God’s service.

2) We do God’s service with a superior quality that reflects the eternal impact of Kingdom work.

3) Our service honors God and inspires greatness in others.

4) It is a proper reflection of God at work in us.

5) It is fitting worship to God.

There are many causes to which we can devote our time and effort. But there is only one cause that is worthy of every ounce of work, devotion, labor, sacrifice, suffering, dedication – Only one cause that is worth giving our lives for every day. … READ MORE

The story is told of a young boy walking along the seashore, throwing in starfish as he encounters them. A man walks up to the boy and asked, “hat are you doing?” The boy responds, “Saving the lives of Starfish.” The man looks at the boy skeptically and says, “Son, there are hundreds of starfish on this beach, you can’t possibly make a difference.” The boy thought for a moment, reached down, picked up a starfish, looked at it for a moment, and then through it back into the ocean. Then looking up at the man, he said quietly, “I made a difference in that one’s life.” We may often wonder if our helping others makes any impact on the world. Yet, if we talk to the few that we help, we will find that our impact is more significant that we ever realized! We need to understand that God will bless our loving service to others according to His plan and purpose. We may not receive the pats on the back that we desire, but those acts do not go unnoticed, and they do bring blessing both to us and to those whom we serve. The true goal of … READ MORE