Many Christians these days think that they can live life however they please because they’re covered by the blood of Jesus. And while we are saved because of Jesus, we can’t act anyway we please. We are called higher and He expects better from us. I have to wonder sometimes if people are actually reading their Bibles or just listening to feel-good sermons. And if it is your heart’s desire to act and think the way that God wants you to, then sometimes you need to do a little self-reflection to see if you’re still on the right path.
While I was thinking about this and watching people and myself, I realised that I want to do a post about this. This post is not only to help others to do a little self-reflection to see if they are acting the way God wants them to act but also for me to have something to refer back to when I do my own self-reflection. We all need little reminders sometimes because we’re all human. When I started this blog post, I thought I would be able to fit it into one post and it would just be a long post but as I went along and found more and more things to touch on, I realised that this will have to be a two-part series so that I don’t lose you guys, haha! So, without further ado, let’s begin.
First off, I heard a very good sermon by Joyce Meyer (well, one of many) and she said that as Christians, we are expected to live with excellence. This became my theme for the second part of last year and it’s my theme for this year and probably every year thereafter. And if you would like to know where it says it in God’s Word, one of the places is in 2 Corinthians 8:7, which reads: But just as you excel in everything, [and lead the way] in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in genuine concern, and in your love for us, see that you excel in this gracious work [of giving] also. The verse uses the word ‘excel’, which means to be exceptionally good at or proficient in an activity or subject. I then searched if excel is similar to excellence and I found this explanation from www.keywords.pitt.edu and it says: The OED offers the following definition for the core current sense of excellence: “The state or fact of excelling; the possession chiefly of good qualities in an eminent or unusual degree; surpassing merit, skill virtue, worth etc.; dignity, eminence.” Etymologically, excellence, excellent, and excel are closely related, all derived from similarly related French models. You will also find in Daniel 6:3 that the Word talks about Daniel having an excellent spirit in him and that’s why he was promoted above others.
Now, looking at all of this, you can see that excellence is definitely not mediocre or sub-standard. The dictionary meaning of excellence is the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. So, keeping that in mind, let’s see the other attributes that God wants us to have, which are written in His Word. I’m going to do a lot of point form here because my brain likes a list, haha! I will also add which bible verses it’s taken from before the list. At a later stage, I will put this in more modern-day activities to give us an idea of what it actually means to live with excellence nowadays.
Taken from 1 Thessalonians 4:6,11, & 12 (AMPC):
– Never harm or cheat a brother by violating his wife. In other words, don’t commit adultery.
– Never defraud your brother in business (Ooo, this will be an ouchie for some).
– It must be your ambition and you should definitely endeavour to live quietly and peacefully (another ouchie because these days there’s a lot of hate and strife in the world).
– Mind your own beeswax (‘business’ for those that didn’t grow up in the same era as I did)!
– Work with your hands.
– Behave yourselves suitably and attractively.
– Be free from error (be correct).
– Be honourable. Meaning: Being of high respect, great esteem, the quality of knowing and doing what is morally right, integrity, etc.
– Command the respect of the outside world.
– Be dependent on nobody, being self-supporting and needing nothing. So don’t live your life mooching off others all the time. Yes, sometimes we need help but don’t make it a habit.
– You need to remember that you are God’s personal representative. There are many ugly, dark and mean people out there and if you stand out by being nice, joyful, loving, friendly and kind, it won’t be long before people start wondering why you’re different. This will give you an opportunity to share the Good News with them of how Jesus saved you and helps you to follow His Word.
– God expects us to walk by His Spirit and according to His character. As Joyce Meyer said, “People think it’s okay to sign up and not show up.”
– Don’t tell someone that you’re going to call them or that you should get together for coffee just to get rid of them. If you’re going to say that, then you need to keep your appointments and promises. We represent God by doing what He would do in a situation.
– If you start something, then you need to finish it. So you need to make sure that when you do step out, you are going to do it to the best of your ability.
– Being wrong is part of life; don’t let it get you down. This is how you learn.
– What are you looking at and listening to? He didn’t give you your eyes and ears to watch junk on TV and listen to rubbish.
– Dedicate everything you have to God.
– Serve the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100:2). We as Christians might be frustrated that we are not getting to know what the will of God is for our lives, but we are not even doing the most basic thing that the Bible says we must do, like serve the Lord with gladness.
– We need to be content.
Taken from Ephesians 4:21-32 and 5:1-5 (AMPC):
– Strip yourselves of your former nature, (The meaning of strip is to remove all coverings) which was corrupt with lusts and desires that spring from delusion.
– Have a new nature created in God’s image. Being righteous (in right standing with God) and holy.
– Stop giving false testimony, gossiping and lying.
– Do not sin when you’re angry and never let your wrath/fury last until the sun goes down, as this gives the devil a foothold.
– Stop stealing, rather work and make an honest living with your own hands. Unfortunately, this also goes for downloading movies, music, computer programs and such that you have not paid for and that is usually not free. This even goes for you taking a paperclip from work that they didn’t say you can take, or using your work computer to go onto your Facebook, or using their work phone for personal use or taking anything that they didn’t approve you taking (yes, yes I know…another BIG ouchie!)
– Give to those in need. This one is simple and yet many have an issue with even giving a R2 to a car guard who is at least trying to work and feed his family.
– Don’t swear or talk about evil, unwholesome, or worthless things (Oh boy! We’re stepping on lots of toes today)
– Only speak things that are good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others that it may be a blessing and give grace to those who hear it (hiding my face in shame).
– Do not grieve, vex, or sadden the Holy Spirit because He is living in you and you are branded as God’s own. Wow! I’m BRANDED as God’s own. That definitely makes me want to make sure not to make Him look bad.
– Don’t be bitter, indignant, bad-tempered, resentful, quarrelling, abusive and evil-speaking (slandering), as well as spitefulness. Yes, yes, it does say that. It’s scary, isn’t it?
– Become useful, helpful and kind to one another. The world definitely needs a lot of this lately because the hate in this world is palpable at the moment.
– Be tender-hearted, compassionate and understanding. More of what the world needs right now.
-Forgive readily and freely as God in Christ forgives you. Oh, but God, how can You expect that from me? They really hurt my feelings? Really? Did they crucify you by NAILING you to a cross? No? They did that to Jesus and still asked God to forgive them.
– Be like well-beloved children that imitate their father and be imitators of God. Trust me when I say this…you will definitely need God for this one!
– Walk in love. Delighting in one another. Wow! Imagine how beautiful this world would be if people did that?
– Do not have any immorality, impurity, or greediness in you as that is not befitting for a saint. Mmmm, just going to leave this here and let it marinate.
– Do not talk with indecency, foolishness, or with sinful, silly, or corrupt words. In other words, don’t tell rude jokes or be mean, or be mean thinking that you’re joking, as these are not fitting or becoming of a saint.
– Rather, use your voice to thank God. Amen!
– Do not practice any sexual vice or impurity in thought (an ouchie to all the Johnathon Caine fans on TikTok haha) or in life. And do not covet someone else’s spouse or property, as this makes you an idolater. Otherwise, you will not have any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. Oooo, I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one.
One of our lead musicians in our church said this about Ephesians 4 (I added a few of my own points to his statement) – We can’t choose what we go through sometimes, but we as believers can choose how we respond. And we, as His children, have to respond differently to how the world responds. If there’s panic around us, we have to be people of faith; we have to be the calm and the light in the darkness, because He has given us His Spirit to dwell in us. We don’t have to do it in our own strength. By His grace, He empowers us to do the right thing. We’ve got to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit and let Him work through us. This should challenge and encourage you to live the right way with God’s grace. Let us be the difference.
Remember, in Proverbs 18:21 it says that ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. And in Matthew 12:37 it says, ‘For by your words you will be justified and acquitted and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced. So, don’t speak death over other people or yourself. Always speak life into other people, yourself and situations.
I will be cutting it off here for today and part 2 will be available next week Wednesday. I hope this is helping you so far, like doing the research for this post has helped me.
Please show me some love and comment below. If you enjoy what you see, please follow me for more features.
I pray you have a blessed and beautiful day further. May your cup overflow!
(This blog contains affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases of their products, but only when you use my link. This is at no extra cost to you. This helps me keep my blog afloat. Thank you for your support.
Love my content?
You can find more on my YouTube channel.
You can support my blog on Patreon by searching for Patreon/OndeaneLourens.
If you are looking for a brilliant hosting company that offers you value for money and very good customer service, then look no further than HostAfrica. I refer all my clients to them and love working with them. Their back-end system and email systems work wonderfully and if you need any assistance, they are eager to assist you. They can also help you move your hosting from another company to theirs and they do it all for you. I cannot brag enough about this company, so I jumped at the chance to be an affiliate for them. You can click the picture with their logo below in order to be taken to their website and to sign up.
Ondeane Lourens 