The Way to Excellence
“But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” (1 Corinthians 12:31 NKJV)
What a joy to receive praise for your work! Especially when it comes from someone important.
It’s like grade-school days when you longed to get your paper back with the word “excellent” scribbled in red pencil at the top. I can so identify with Ralphie in the movie “A Christmas Story” when he daydreams of his teacher peppering the chalkboard with A+ marks for his BB gun paper.*
We all wish for recognition when we’ve done an excellent job. Better yet, a perfect job.
Maybe you’re that “No. 1” on the Enneagram scale—the kind of person who’s born to be a pharmacist, air traffic controller, or wallpaper hanger. We need you for those jobs. Or maybe you’re one of those scary-smart people who made a perfect score on the ACT or SAT achievement tests. Maybe you’ve hiked the entire 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail…more than once.
For the rest of us, you drive us crazy. Overachievement is not our “gift.” Only Jesus ever lived a completely perfect life. Thankfully, we can praise Him because He died on the cross for us, and we don’t have to earn our place in His heavenly home—He has already paid for it.
Yet…we’re nonetheless called to “excellence” as Christians. What does that look like for those of us in the ragtag crew of far-less-than-perfect souls, nowhere near superstar status?
Your version of excellence might be getting up in the morning, working hard at your job, and getting back home to fix dinner for your family and help the kids with homework. I would consider that a major accomplishment.
Maybe you spend your days taking care of a bedridden family member…painting a house…driving a busload of schoolchildren safely to their homes…or flipping burgers at a fast-food restaurant. It doesn’t matter if you’re a sanitation worker, a physician, a police officer, a rocket scientist, or a silly writer like me. We can all strive to do our jobs with excellence.
Look at the story Jesus told about the estate workers who were left at home with talents (money) from their master before he left on a long journey. When he returned, he rewarded the faithful stewards who had invested his money well, bringing him a profit. The master responded with praise for their excellent work—“Well done, good and faithful servant….Enter into the joy of your lord.” (See Matthew 25.)
But Jesus never looks only at the superficial. He presses deeper to uncover the intentions of our hearts.
In the rest of His narrative in Matthew, Jesus says that when He comes in glory with all the angels, He will sit on His throne and separate us into sheep (His righteous ones who helped the hungry, thirsty, estranged, naked, sick, and imprisoned) and goats (the ones who didn’t). These are wake-up words for all of us. He exposes what’s most important in our work—the One we serve.
Are we working to please God or men? Are we looking for our value in our performance, or using our skills to further His kingdom? Do our goals and objectives line up with His? Are we serving the “least of these” in our families and community? If we do, are we seeking self-credit or to give God the glory?
Friend, we need to ask ourselves these questions every day. Paul nails the perfect response to the believers in Philippi: “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11 NKJV)
The way to excellence is love. Love for Christ, love for others. It’s that simple. If we follow His example, our work will be an effort to love well, serving as His hands and feet in all we do, emptying ourselves to be Jesus to others.
May each of us be good servants this week, striving for excellence in all we do…going above and beyond for Him. I hope you hear your Savior whisper in your ear, “Well done.”
Lord Jesus, make me faithful in my job efforts this week, seeking to please You and not myself. Fill me with Your love and Your Holy Spirit, that I may pour it out as an offering to help the least in Your kingdom. Equip me with the talents and resources I need to fulfill Your purposes for me. Help me now as I go about Your business, that I may hear Your words “Well done!” when You greet me in heaven. In Your name, Amen.
Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom.
© Copyright 2025 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #excellence #perfectionist #enneagram1 #perfection #praise #achristmasstory
*Watch this Christmas classic movie scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeYxkULH-tQ
