By Russ Atmore
Excellence, of course, has its moorings in the character of God. The
Christian has a clear concept of the character of God, and His standards
for His people. This is clearly articulated in Leviticus 19:2 and 1
Peter 1:16 “Be holy, because I the Lord your God, am holy.” Jesus said
it just as clearly in Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your
Father in heaven is perfect.” These verses proclaim with clear sounding
power one principle. The Christian’s standard of excellence is nothing
less than the character of God Himself.
What an incredible standard! We can never hope to attain such an
unreachable standard by using our natural capabilities. The holiness of
God is the controlling and central characteristic of God’s character.
All that God does is holy. His love is holy love. His power is holy
power. His anger is holy anger. God’s holiness simply sets Him apart
from the rest of His creation. God is transcendent and glorious. There
is no imperfection or impurity in Him. God’s holiness is His moral
excellence.
Robert Murray McCheyne (1813-1843), the great Scottish preacher wrote
these words, “In great measure, according to the purity and perfections
of the instrument (person), will be the success. It is not great talents
God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an
awful weapon in the hand of God.” McCheyne lived these words. He died at
the tender age of 29, an awful weapon in the hands of God, only because
He desired likeness to His Lord.
Excellence is possible in all areas of life. The new birth enables the
believer to be like Jesus. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit
in conforming us to the image of God’s Son (Romans 8:28,29). This
attainment of excellence is to be progressive throughout life. It is not
how many people that you witness to, or how much work you are doing for
God that counts. Those things are important among many others. The only
question, however, to ask yourself is this, “Am I like Jesus?
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