God and the American Dream: Excellence

Can we pursue both?

Do the ideals of the American dream and those of God run parallel or crosswise? Are the ideals we grew up with bringing us closer to God or farther away?

Let’s examine the pursuit of excellence. Excellence is something I want my children to strive for. It’s something I strive for myself.

So, is excellence biblical? The verses below indicate yes:

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. (Proverbs 22:29 NIV)

. . . if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8 NIV)

Yet, in his book, Grace Awakening, Chuck Swindoll warns those of us with a high commitment to excellence: Watch for an attitude of intolerance toward others who fail to measure up.

So how are we when someone tries to help, but doesn’t do it like we would?

How do we evaluate performance? Do we tend to look for what was right or for what was wrong?

How do we react when our way truly is best, but the person who can benefit is not receptive?

I strive for excellence, but I should never strap my personal expectations to someone else’s shoulders, because sometimes my expectations are too much, even for me.

Lord, help me set the example of reaching high, while modeling grace, respect, and unconditional love.

Questions:

Do you pursue excellence?

What is your attitude toward someone who is your opposite?

How do you balance your goals with someone else’s?

Tweetables:

Do the ideals of the American dream and those of God run parallel or crosswise? Are the ideals we grew up with bringing us closer to God or farther away? Click To Tweet
Is excellence biblical? Click To Tweet
I strive for excellence, but I should never strap my personal expectations to someone else’s shoulders, because sometimes my expectations are too much for me. Click To Tweet

1 Comment

  1. barbaric usa on September 13, 2014 at 2:12 pm

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts on architects orange.
    Regards

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