Expecting Excellence

So all the work on the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the LORD commanded Moses. Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses... The Israelites had done all the work just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the LORD had commanded. So Moses blessed them. Exodus 39:32-33a, 42-43

We expect excellence from everyone we are around. If we are an employer, we expect our employees to work with excellence. If we lead a ministry, we expect our ministry team to minister with excellence. And for heaven's sake, we all expect our children to do everything with excellence! But, what gives us the right to expect this excellence? Is is because we have taught or encouraged others with our words to do everything with excellence? Or is it because we have mirrored excellence in our own lives?

Moses could expect excellence from the Israelites because he had live a life of excellence. He could expect the Israelites to do everything "just as the LORD had commanded" because he had done everything "just as the LORD had commanded".

We cannot expect things to be any different in our lives. If we are not behaving with excellence, those we lead will not either. For example, we cannot expect our employees, ministry team, or our children to be punctual if we are always five minutes behind. We cannot expect our children to talk respectful to us and others if they hear us talking disrespectful to or about our spouse.
Those who are led by us, tend to take on many of our characteristics - good or bad.

We see from scripture that the Israelites truly cared about what Moses thought of their work. They brought all of their work to Moses to be inspected, and Moses blessed them. Because Moses had displayed excellence in his own life, the people truly valued his opinion. I know that when my children are grown, I want them to value my opinion. I do not want to run their lives or tell them what to do as adults, but I hope that they will have seen consistent excellence in my life and in my walk with Christ and therefore value what I say.

Today, ask God to help you serve Him with excellence in whatever area of service He has placed you. Whether you are the head of a company or ministry or just the CEO of your household and children, God desires that we serve Him with excellence. And others are looking for it in their leaders.