Be Excellentand Trust in the Lord

Trusting God was never meant to be a cover for mediocrity. It's the freedom to give your very best - and leave the outcome with Him.

I once worked with a Sales executive who would sulk, whimper, and whine over his mediocre sales performance. He presumed those who performed better than he in the industry must have engaged in some sort of underhanded business practice. He would mask his discontentment with that common refrain, "I'm just trusting in the Lord." I would think to myself, "You can trust in the Lord, but you need to buck up and go to work."

01Trust Isn't an Excuse for Mediocrity

This man constantly rehearsed the faults of more successful people in the industry to make himself feel better. I never saw him open a trade magazine or attend a seminar until he was fired. He wasn't motivated to gain a first-rate understanding of our products and develop new applications and ideas for our customers.

He, like many people, only "trust the Lord" to cover up for mediocrity. If any one point of the Bible repeats itself more than the rest, it must be this idea of trusting God. "Trust…and lean not on your own understanding."

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You can trust in the Lord, but you need to buck up and go to work.

02Build an Understanding - Then Don't Lean on It

But does this mean we fly blind and haphazardly through life? Of course not! Implicit in not leaning on your understanding is that you have taken the time to build an understanding upon which you do not rely. We need to be self-aware so we can grow and learn. This will lead to a greater level of personal knowledge - while leaning on God's understanding and not our own.

God doesn't want bumbling businessmen or mediocre homemakers who don't develop the highest level of understanding in their field of expertise. God says to trust Him. He also says don't lean, or depend, on your own understanding. To not lean on it, you must have one.

The idea of accepting mediocrity is a false use of what God is saying. He wants you to build the finest understanding of whatever field you pursue, whether science, business, theology, the arts, music, medicine or anything else.

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To not lean on it, you must have one.

You don't think home-making isn't a major league job to God? Richard Kerr says, "The most creative job in the world involves fashion, decorating, recreation, education, transportation, psychology, romance, cuisine, literature, art, economics, government, pediatrics, geriatrics, entertainment, maintenance, purchasing, law, religion, energy and management. Anyone who can handle all those has to be somebody special. She is. She's a homemaker."

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Be excellent, the very best you can be. God loves knowledgeable experts. They bring Him honor.

03Give Your Best, Then Trust the Lord

The risk is to understand something so well is that we stop trusting God. It's a delicate balance. There can be tension in the understanding. Learn everything you can, but always trust the Lord for direction. Trust Him with 100 percent of your soul, mind, and strength.

Once we use every reasonable effort to understand our situation and give our personal best, then we don't fret one snippet or iota over the outcome. We "trust in the Lord." By looking to God as the source of our supply and not to people, we fulfill the challenge: Proverbs 3:6, "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

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