2 Chronicles 12:1-13:22; Ezekiel 35:1-36:15; John 13:31-14:14
Seek that ye may excel. 1 Corinthians 14:12
Michael Phelps excelled at swimming. He won 28 Olympic medals (23 of those being gold), all before he retired at the ripe old age of 31! But the Lord has called His people to “excel” at something of far higher importance: “Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church” (1 Cor. 14:12). Notice, the command is not to just be “engaged” in the building up of the church, but to “excel”. Doing the bare minimum renders us unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10). When asked why he was willing to sacrifice so much, Phelps pointed to his medals and said, “It was worth it”. What motivates the Christian to excel unto the building up of the church? We point to the Lord and declare, “He’s worth it”. —Brian Cretney
Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane;
But the Church of Jesus constant will remain. —S. Baring-Gould