Cultivating Excellence II

 STRENGTH FOR MY DAYS 

A Daily Devotional by Bishop David

Cultivating Excellence II

Saturday, 12 October

 

That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Philippians 1:10

SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

 

MORE LESSON: Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

 

God wants us to pursue excellence in all that we do because excellence is about doing the best you can and God wants us to do the best that we can. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. There are many more Bible verses that encourage excellence including the Bible reading for today. There are several qualities of an excellent character that we need to consider and pray about.

An excellent man is a reliable person. In the pursuit of excellence, we must be reliable. Excellent people are responsible, using their God-given abilities properly wherever they find themselves. They are disciplined, doing what they need to do whether convenient or not; we must all strive to cultivate the habit of excellence. They are orderly and love things being done correctly, not haphazardly as I Corinthians 14:40 urges us. Remember the scripture that says, Let all things be done decently and in order. Doing things in a shoddy and scattered way is not godly.

Another characteristic of excellent people is being passionate, enthusiastic and energetic in what they do. Sometimes enthusiasm wanes but they keep at it until the job is done; therefore they are also persistent and resilient. Excellent people are go getters and they see a task through, not abandoning it half way especially if it is in their God-given purpose and assignment. May God enable us afresh to be listed among excellent people. Excellent people are definitely productive and relevant wherever they are found.

Benefits of excellence abound, excelling people stand out and are acknowledged for awards and rewards as seen in the life of Daniel (Daniel 1:9:15, 19-20). Excellent people get promoted. (Daniel 2:46-48, 3:30, 5:17;29, 6:1-3). They are delivered from enemies; Daniel 6:4-24. Their lives glorify God. (Daniel 2:47, 3:28-29, 6:25-27). Daniel's life in the Bible is a good case and the benefits of excellence. May we all excel in life and destiny.

 

Prayer/Action

* Ask that God make you excellent in all areas of life.

* Destroy any anti-excellence character in your life.

* List at least 3 areas of life in which you wish to excel and ask for God's help.

 

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: Standing on the promises of God, I decree that everything about me this month is progress and nothing less, in the glorious name of Jesus.