158. Bible Questions: Where does Scripture urge Christians to excel?

E158:  Bible Questions:  Where does Scripture urge Christians to excel?

In the last episode. I asked if Christian should strive for excellence in all things. I answered that no we're finite. And that means we have to make hard choices to get a good grade on the courses that matter on God's report card, we need to be willing to get C's or F's, or even drop some of the courses on the report card of the world. Around us. That's hard to convince my driven high energy students. So I tell them this little story in 2005, an Australian professional football player decided to have one of his fingers amputated. It was his attempt to improve his game. Brett Backwell suffered from pain and restricted movement since he broke his left ring finger three years earlier to chop off a finger, that's a big drastic back, told the Australian broadcasting commission, but I love my footy and I love playing sport.

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00:00:58

And if that's going to help me to succeed at this level, well, it's something you just got to do back well. Was the first athlete known to have amputated an appendage simply to enhance his performance, to raise his game in one area of life. At first glance, that seems a bit eccentric, but as we look at it a little closer Backwell is a poster boy for our culture. He may well be a poster boy for you, your family, or your church, and pursuing excellence to be your best or even be the best in one area of life. Are you chopping off other important parts of your life in the process?

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00:01:40

Which leads to our question in what does God want me to Excel? What are the core courses? God wants me to take in my life. Scripture gives us much help for years. I've used my hand as a visual aid for myself to help me remember five courses that scripture appears to make a part of the core curriculum for a believers' life. These come through the principles that scripture teaches and the priorities Jesus modeled parting company with Brett. Backwell our footie player. I urge you not to allow any of these five critical appendages to be lopped off your life in the pursuit of excellence elsewhere.

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00:02:22

Unless you're driving, hold up your hand and look at it. As I give you these five areas, we should pursue excellence. First, the pinky, this little finger represents the little, the least and the left behind in our culture throughout scripture. God has a deep, passionate heart for the littles, the least, and the left behind from calling his people in Micah to love mercy, to commanding the Israelites, to leave the corners of their field. Unharvested so poor folks could glean two offerings commanded for their support. When we get to the new Testament, Emmanuel God with us, Jesus is repeatedly tattled on by the gospel writers.

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00:03:06

As having been moved with compassion for the least than the left behind he scolds the disciples for trying to keep children away from him. He teaches that providing for the needs of those most in need is like doing it unto him at the back of the new Testament, his little brother, James and his blunt waste says that this way you want to know a true religion is it's visiting widows and orphans in their distress. Wiggle that pinky God cares for the littles, the least the left behind the stranger and alien among us, the sick and special needs and downcast the lonely and isolated though, the less the least and the left behind may not be the consuming mission of our life.

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00:03:53

We cannot honor God and be like Jesus, without laboring hard for an A-plus here. Even if it means a C minus on other subjects, esteemed by the world, which leads us to the next finger, the ring finger, the ring finger represents those loving relationships. God has wrapped around you. Those in covenant community, your parents, your spouse, your children, your siblings, and, and the new Testament adds believers close to you in spiritual community. Jesus says my brothers and sister and mother are those who do the will of my father. Or as we learned in a recent episode, those to whom we are roped Jesus scolded, the Pharisees for a tradition.

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00:04:39

They had that dishonored their parents. The apostle Paul adds the warning. Any believer who doesn't take care of his loved ones, his family is worse than an unbeliever. God is a God of keeping commitments. Love commitments should be kept. We need to pursue excellence here. Don't be like Brett, Brett lopped off his ring finger scripture urges us. Don't do that with your loves those in covenant community, around you, the third finger, the one in the middle, and usually the longest represents your legacy. I'm trying to keep all ELLs here. So you'll remember it by legacy.

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00:05:19

I mean that significant contribution God has assigned you to make on this planet. Why are you here instead of in heaven? Now, when I say significant contribution, I'm not talking about changing the world. I'm talking about what's on your heart. What experiences do you bring forward? How has God gifted you? And what drives you? The new Testament letters explain to us, God has a specific task for you to do, to build up your brothers and sisters in your local church. And to reach the world around you. As I said, this doesn't have to be world changing. I like to mess with my students. I pick on the girls. I say, let's imagine you bring home your boyfriend from college.

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00:06:02

You believe he could be the one on Friday night after dinner there at the table. Your father or mother says to Mr. Wonderful. So what is it that you plan to do with the rest of your life? This young Christian college man smiles and says, well, sir, or ma'am I want to lead a quiet and simple life, working with my hands and not being a burden on anyone. I asked my girl, students after the weekend. What do you think your parents would say to you about that young man? They smile and say, well, he's not very ambitious yet. That lead a simple, quiet life. Working with your hands is directly what Paul commanded the Thessaloniki in his first letter to them.

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00:06:46

My local NFL team is the Minnesota Vikings. How many are on the Minnesota Vikings team? Football savvy. People might say 53. That's the maximum roster. But on the Minnesota Viking team today, there are 454. That's their entire staff. Each of them performing a necessary function so that team can function. And that's what scripture means by that middle legacy finger. We each have a specific function. God has left us on this planet to do. And honestly, that significant contribution question is what triggered me, recording these word, picture podcasts.

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00:07:27

Let me ask you, what's your significant contribution. Pray over that. Ask people around you, what they think God has called you to do. And once you know what that is, work for an a plus on that one next, the index finger. We use that to point and that's precisely what scripture tells us to do that finger represents pointing the lost to the savior. Peter summarizes this function in his first letter, chapter two, verse nine. He says, God has called us as his special people. Why to go to heaven? Nope, at least not yet. He said to proclaim the excellencies of the one who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light, you could just as well, translate that to point to the excellent one.

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00:08:17

Who's called us out of darkness. Jesus called his apprentices sent ones. Then as Jesus left our planet, he called his followers to be witnesses of what they'd experienced later in the letters. Paul adds, we are ambassadors and we are ministers of reconciliation. That's a big title for the privilege of taking a loss person's hand and the hand of God and being the instrument to help join them together. Man, what a privilege we want to get a good grade here. Building bridges, prayerfully, looking for opportunities. And when God opens those doors, pointing people to the savior, by sharing the gospel, how to go all in on Messiah, Jesus, which brings us to the thumb.

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00:09:05

It gives strength to all the others and it separates us from the other beasts. The thumb represents spiritual intimacy with God in the gospels. A man came to Jesus one day where the question, his question essentially was this in what subject of life above all others must. I raise my grade. Jesus answered without hesitation. Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. Jesus borrowed that from the old Testament cover to cover. That's what God's people have been called to do love the God who loves us. Fiercely Christianity ultimately is about a relationship.

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00:09:46

Jesus repeatedly pointed us back to this. Mark tells us he called 12 disciples that they might be with him in Matthew chapter 11. Jesus invites us into a yoke beside him in a daily intimate apprenticeship. Before he left, Jesus said, I'm going to prepare a place for you and I'll come and get you that where I am there. You may also be again, Christianity is about a relationship with God. The thumb represents passionately pursuing that relationship every day. It's that relationship that gives strength and purpose to all the others.

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00:10:27

My students look forward to their report cards. If they come out late, we hear about it. Scripture speaks about a final report card and I hope you're looking forward to it from scripture. I'm suggesting that report card could have five subjects. How you treat the littles leased and left behind how you've cared for those. God has wrapped around you in the covenant of love, how you've done your part on the team, your legacy. Have you been faithful to point the loss toward the light, the savior, and have you cultivated your first love with God. Now, if you think I've missed some important subject, Hey, you got a whole nother hand over there.

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00:11:08

You come up with more. These are five areas. The daily I want to consider pursuing. Well, I want to get a well done here. And since my students are driven and probably so are you who are listening? I want to encourage you to sprinkle around these every day, those little grace gifts, God gives. Jesus said, I came that you might have life. Have it abundantly while we're prioritizing these five things in our lives. Let's not forget to enjoy the journey to take those hobbies and other activities and to sprinkle them in there and throughout, and be thankful to God for each of them.