Approving the Things That Are Excellent
Topic: Foundation

Standard Excellence is all about finding and approving "things that are excellent." This is a very biblical venture, and the concept can be found throughout scripture.

 

"That ye may approve things that are excellent..." was part of one of Paul's prayers. (Philippians 1:10)

 

The goal of any referral agency is to recommend and approve companies in their particular field that excel at their job. There are entire corporations whose sole purpose is to review and rate products. People pay for these services -- as a matter of fact, so do you. Part of the price of that service is passed on to the end user at point of sale.

 

Why not incorporate that type of process into the everyday life of a Christian? As a matter of fact, many people have mistaken the Christian life for an exercise of disapproving things! The overwhelming instruction in the New Testament is in the spirit of finding and endorsing good. Light removes darkness. Truth removes lies. And the pursuit of excellence will bring your life to a new standard. Standard Excellence seeks to point out particular aspects of a Christian's walk, find ways to improve it, and if necessary, when a dark corner is found, a light might need to be pointed more directly at it.

Standard Excellence
Topic: Foundation
Excellence is the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. An excellent performer stands out among others, and may be noticed easily. In older times something could be referred to as “an excellence,” that is an excellent quality or feature. We get the English word from Latin, where the word meant originally “to surpass.” Something that is excellent surpasses what would otherwise be compared on the same level. Products that surpass set market trends. People that surpass become icons and show up in history books. Excellent ideas win arguments, stifle competition, sell books, and improve lives. Excellence makes the difference between ordinary and luxury.

Most vehicles ordinarily come with a certain array of equipment. Generally speaking, the brand name dealer won't sell a vehicle without some essential parts, such as an engine, transmission, tires – the usual. After all, by definition a car needs to have at least four wheels and an engine. In modern culture, we have come to expect certain features on our everyday transportation that perhaps the Flintstones would have envied. However, even with all this comfort afforded, a few less functionally important items form a sharp contrast between transportation and luxury. Power windows on a Pinto might have been an option at some point, but a Mercedes far surpasses that level, coming standard with power just about anything you can think of.

For vehicles, yesterday's options have become today's standard equipment. It seems that these high-class brands pave the way for tomorrow, but somehow manhood is seemingly bound for the other direction. Days gone by have held such chivalrous expectations like a man holding the door for a lady and youths addressing their seniors as “Sir” and “Ma'am,” but today, these manners are scarcely even heard of in some places. No one would tolerate a vehicle whose engine started 70% of the time or didn't break down four out of five trips, but somehow a D+ in manners has become impressive. Still, there is a class of men in this world that seeks to surpass his fellow. Sometimes they are referred to as gentlemen, well-mannered, noble, but whatever you call them, they aren't hard to spot, because with these outstanding individuals, excellence comes standard.