Influence Through Excellence 

from You Version
Matt. 5. 13-16

As followers of Christ, we are called to a life of excellence, not just in our spiritual lives but every aspect of our lives. This includes our work, relationships, and daily interactions with those around us. The key to living a life of excellence is to adopt the right mindset, one that is focused on bringing glory to God in all that we do. Our Lord Jesus has mandated us to be a powerful influence wherever we are placed by being the Salt and the Light of the world. Being in the thick of the corporate world, I struggled with the question of how I could be an influence for Christ and still be excellent in the task He entrusted me with. 

When we live a life of excellence, we become a powerful influence for Christ. We bring in the hidden and visible components of excellence that make us the salt and light of the world. We add divine flavour, bring healing, create a thirst for Christ, serve as preservatives, and permeate the system. We also illuminate the good, dispel darkness, and radiate His light.

When we are the Salt of the earth, we bring in 5 hidden or invisible components of excellence: 

· Add divine flavour and pleasant taste to an otherwise unpalatable world. 

· Bring healing by boldly rebuking and correcting how salt stings an open wound. 

· Create a thirst for Christ, displaying His transforming power in and through our lives. 

· Serve as preservatives, stopping the moral decay in our infected world. 

· Permeate and spread into the system so we will be sorely missed when people like us are absent. 

When we are the Light of the world, we add three visible components of excellence: 

· Illuminate or make the good in the system visible by bringing transparency to how we live. 

· Dispel darkness in an evil and corrupt system. 

· Radiate His light, not our light, the reflection of the Light of the world, Jesus Christ Himself, so that people will see Him in and through us and give glory to God the Father. 

These qualities of salt and light changed my perspective and demystified the concept of excellence. Now, I can continue to be in the world, yet not of the world. 

Living a life of excellence is not easy, but it is essential. It requires a commitment to doing our best, no matter what the task at hand may be. Whether working on a project at our job or spending time with our family, we must strive to do our best, keeping in mind that we are representing Christ in all, always keeping what we do. It is all about adopting the right mindset. When your life is over, your legacy will either be that you lived your life to the fullest and had a maximum impact on those around you Or that your life was okay. You were a good person, but there is not much to say about your accomplishments or how you impacted the people around you.

The impact of living a life of excellence is immeasurable. It allows us to make a difference in the lives of those around us and to bring glory to God through our actions. We become a beacon of hope in a dark and hopeless world.

As we go about our daily lives, remember that we are called to be the salt and light of the world. Let us strive for excellence in all we do, knowing that our actions can have a powerful impact on those around us. May we always bring glory to God through our excellence, and may others be drawn to Him through our example.

How are you influencing the world with your excellence?

Lord, enable me to bring You glory by being Salt and Light in this world. Amen