I recently saw a television commercial for Mercedes Benz automobiles which featured their slogan, “The best or nothing”. It made me think how fitting this saying would be for all who aspire to follow Jesus. No matter what we do, we should always give Him our best. That means no matter how tired we are, how inconvenient the circumstances might be, or how grueling the task, we will always give our best. If Jesus doesn’t deserve your very best on His behalf, then nobody does. As ambassadors of Christ we are commissioned to always be on mission and on target. Our focus must never wane.
I would venture to say that not many of us would be comfortable loafing around or giving a less than stellar effort in the company of Jesus. Undoubtedly we all would want to show off in His presence, desperately wanting to hear Him tell us, “Well done good and faithful servant.” It’s ironic that we would be trying to get Jesus to affirm our worth, when His very presence with us should be all the affirmation we ever need. How often we forget that He is indeed with us every second of every hour of every day. He never leaves our side (Hebrews 13:5).
Even with this knowledge, we often neglect to recognize His presence within. We live our lives as if He is nowhere near. While God watches from Heaven above, His Son dwells inside us and is there for every breath we take. We are surrounded and consumed. Yet too often we give, at best, a half-hearted effort to follow Him. We are too selfish, the task is too difficult, or we simply don’t care. Whatever the reason, the Church is plagued with lazy Christians, of whom I am the worst of all. We confess Him with our lips and extol His glory, but give little more than lip service to His commands.
How can it be a car manufacturer is determined to strive for excellence in everything they do, but we who serve the God of the universe accept a far lower standard? Our mission is of ultimate importance and has eternal consequences. No company or cause of man could ever compete with that. Our commitment must rise above that of those who dedicate their lives to temporal and ultimately worthless endeavors. Our cause is too great, our purpose too important to give anything less than our best at all times.
Do you consistently give your best for Jesus, or do you more often than not do just enough to get by? Following Jesus is not about checking things off a list; it’s about being different by manifesting the love of God in everything you do. It means living a life of excellence and being intentional in everything we do. Anything short of our best is a slap in the face of our Creator. He perfectly designed you for a purpose, and who are we to waste the gifts that have been given us by God Himself. When it comes to serving Jesus, He’s either worth our best or He’s worth nothing at all.