You Can Be Better
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,”
(Col.
3:23).
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things
which are head, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of
God in Christ Jesus,” (Phil. 3:13,14).
Statements like these in the Bible convince me of this simple thing: Anything
we do that is right, we can do better. Several of the parables of Jesus convey
to us the value of excellence. I’m reminded of the man who gave three of his
servants a different sum of money to use (Matt. 25:14-29). When the master
returned, two of the men had used the money wisely and had a return. The third
man simply put his money in the ground, unwilling to do the best he could with
what he had.
Or in
the story about the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:45,46). The merchant was
not content to find an artificial pearl or an average pearl. His quest of
heart was for a “beautiful pearl,” and when he found it, he “sold all that he
had and bought it.” These parables may have multiple lessons. One underlying
thread is excellence. Anything we do that is right, we can do better.
Doing
better requires commitment, change and action that is sustained in daily life.
But the one who has a right heart toward God and is forgiven by Christ can
push through the fears and challenges and do better. Think about it.
You
can be a better Bible reader and student
You
can be a better individual worshipper
You
can be a better husband or wife
You
can be a better parent
You
can be a better son or daughter
You
can be a better brother or sister
You
can be a better employer
You
can be a better employee
You
can be a better leader
You
can be a better friend
You
can be a better citizen
You
can be a better church member
Make
your own list, take this thought of excellence and growth into your life this
week.
By Warren E. Berkley
The Front Page
From Expository Files 15.9; September 2008
https://www.bible.ca/