Ministry

Excellence that serves the world

As we have worked through Pursuing Excellence with God this year, we now come to Term 4 where the point of excellence becomes clear: That we use it to serve others, to serve the world we live in.

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus said this:

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Salt makes things better. 

Light makes things brighter. 

The excellence God gives us is to help us make things better and brighter for others. 

When we pursue excellence with God, we make a difference for others. But more than this, we are called to intentionally shine our light for others, not hide our excellence, so that

people will notice it and get a picture of what God is like.

We all know people in our own lives who do this for us. Every day, we have people who seek to be at their best and use it for others.

Endeavour is full of examples of young people who do this. One might think they only shine amongst other young people. But every day, we witness them shine beyond their age bracket. 

They set an example in their attitudes and actions, in their choices and morals, in living out their faith and in being a blessing to others.

There is a scripture passage that speaks of this:

2 Timothy 4:12

12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

I am sure you have your own examples of people who make things better. 

People who make things brighter. People who, even while young, use whatever it is that is excellent about them to serve the world around them, or perhaps even have taken their excellence well beyond their immediate circles in order to make a difference beyond themselves. 

These people, by their lives, inspire us all to become better, to pursue excellence with God.

Chris Mann

College Pastor