Be Excellent

Col. 3:17 “and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Col. 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

Eph 6:8 “Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not men.”

What do those scriptures say to you? In short, to me, they say "Be excellent". At work, at home, as a Salesman, as a Father, as a Minister, as a Husband... You get the idea. We're called to do these things to the best of our abilities. Some of us (really, all of us... just some choose to not respond) are called to certain things. Pastors, ministers, singers, politicians... well, maybe not politicians...heh. But those of us who respond to the call, are called to do that specific thing in excellence.

This is one of my biggest beefs with "Christians" as a whole. As long as someone says they're doing whatever it is they're doing, for "the Lord", they're given a pass. Ever hear this one...?

"Well bless her heart, she's singing for Jesus"...

But she's the last person who should ever touch a microphone? Why is Sister Cantsingalick given a pass? I think there's a couple of reasons, but it mostly boils down to a lack of discipline. On the part of the person trying to operate in a gift they don't have, and on the part of the church encouraging people to "keep doing it for Jesus!".

If you're called to sing, then sing. If you can't sing, get lessons. Train, pursue your calling with the intention of being excellent at it. If it turns out you're tone deaf, or physically unable to sing, re-evaluate your call. It's possible you weren't called to be a singer after all... It's possible you just wanted to be a singer.

Does this mean if you're not good at something, you can't be called to it? Not at all... Often times God calls us to do things outside of our comfort zone. God knows we're capable of doing these things as He enables us, but we have to step out in faith. My pastor is a very good preacher. He's great at it, actually. He's funny, he's well spoken, he interacts with his congregation, and draws people in. 12 years ago he was horrible, and he'd tell you that himself. He pursued his calling, and God grew that gift because it was his calling.

In the Hip-Hop industry, I have seen many people operate in what they call their "gift" of rapping, but they're simply terrible at it. They simply say "I'm doing it for the Lord" and it's a ticket to freedom. Truth is, they probably aren't called to be a rapper, they just love the music and the culture, and wanted to be a rapper. Know how many people I've heard say "I've always wanted to be a singer..." or ________ (insert random talent here)...? Everyone wants to do something they're not good at. I'd love to be a guitar player, but I can't play a chord to save my life. If I said I was "playing for Jesus" and then couldn't string together two notes, would you question my call? I certainly would...

It's important to evaluate our position every so often. Are we operating in our gift pursuant to our call? Or are we doing something we want to do because we think we're good at it, but we're really not? Do you have people in your life who are free to tell you so?

I'm anticipating the emails from my friends telling me to stop rapping now.... haha