According
to Webster’s Dictionary the word “excellence” is a noun and it means “having an
outstanding or valuable quality”. Some
synonyms that would help describe it further are: choiceness, distinction, first-rateness,
greatness, perfection, preeminence, primeness, superbness, superiority, and
supremacy. If you live in a country that
has a reigning king or queen you are acquainted with calling him or her “Your
Excellency” because it is a sign of respect due to their title and position. In some countries the mayors or dignitaries
of cities and townships are addressed in the same way, again it is a sign of
respect to their title or position.
In
the United States we are not as well as acquainted with these customs unless we
watch such TV shows as “Game of Thrones” or movies such as “Charlemagne”, “Richard
III”, or “The Last Emperor”. In any
case, using the word excellence was meant as a showing of respect to someone
who was supposed to rule or guide others in excellence. One monarch that was very well respected
around the whole world was Great Briton’s Queen Victoria. Why was she so respected? Before taking the throne she was shown a
chart of the line of succession of the Kings and Queens of England and she
pondered it a moment then she said, “I will be a good queen.” It was at the height of Great Briton’s power
and “generally speaking, Victoria was a monarch who felt the affections of her
people and was respected by the majority as a Queen who understood. Perhaps it
was because ‘Victoria embedded herself so firmly in the history of what she
herself called the ‘people’ that she has seemed indistinguishable from them’”
(see www.allempires.com
and search Queen Victoria).
“But
we can thank God continually for you, brothers, whom the Lord loves. He has chosen you from the beginning to
save you, to make you holy by the work of his Spirit and your own belief in the
truth. It was his call that you followed when we preached the Gospel to
you, and he has set before you the prospect of sharing the glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ. So stand firm, and hold on! Be loyal to the teachings we passed
on to you, whether by word of mouth or in writings.” -1
Thessalonians 2:14-15 PHILLIPS
God
has called us, each believer, and set us apart to excellence. It is not a job we have to “work up” but
rather our responsibility is to believe and yield to the Lord so that His Holy
Spirit can work it out on our behalf.
Yield what? Yield to Him what His
Spirit directs us to yield. I know that
you have sense His prodding in areas of your life that have hindered your walk
with Him because I have sensed this prodding myself. For years, even as a believer, I have
struggled with being a compulsive over-eater.
You put food in front of me and I would eat it, going for seconds and
even thirds. I sensed the Lord prompting
me to yield this area of my life to Him and I thought I did as I went on diet
after diet and exercise programs, liquid cleanses, etc. You name it and I have probable tried
it. The thing is, I would lose some
weight – sometimes even a lot of weight – but then go back to my normal eating
habits and gain it all back and then some.
I abused my body for 48 years with this yo-yo cycle but then I finally
just came to the realization that there was no way I could do this on my
own. I asked God to heal me of
compulsive overeating. That is when I was
directed to look into gastric surgery. I
learned it was not a panacea for healing from obesity but rather a tool to use
to lose and maintain weight. I had the
surgery and have maintained a 100 lb weight loss. Am I healed from compulsive overeating? Every time I am tempted the Holy Spirit
reminds me of where I used to be, how very uncomfortable it is to eat more than
my small pouch of a stomach can hold, and of whom He is directing me to
be. That makes it easier to step into
that excellence He has called me to.
So,
my sister or brother in the Lord, what has the Lord been prodding you to yield
to Him? Remember it is His job to make
the change; all you have to do is believe and yield. Yield and lay it at His feet and see what
excellence you will step into by the power of His Spirit.
“For
our fathers used to correct us according to their own ideas during the brief
days of childhood. But God corrects us all our days for our own benefit, to
teach us his holiness. Now obviously no “chastening” seems pleasant at the
time: it is in fact most unpleasant. Yet when it is all over we can see that is
has quietly produced the fruit of real goodness in the characters of those who
have accepted it in the right spirit. So take a fresh grip on life and brace
your trembling limbs. Don’t wander away from the path but forge steadily
onward. On the right path the limping foot recovers strength and does not
collapse.” –Hebrews 12:10-13 PHILLIPS
