Above & Beyond

1 Kings 19:²¹ “So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plough to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.”

You need to pay particular attention to today’s Scripture reference. I encourage you to read 1 Kings 19. God tells us in His word “to be excellent, to stay positive!” I am aware that for some people, their boss is the one that has the bad attitude. Guess what? God has it covered in His Word. Eccl.10:⁴ (LB) “If the boss is angry with you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit will quiet his bad temper!” What God is saying in essence, is that you can change your boss by changing yourself. A quiet spirit is instructive even to the most obnoxious person.

So, what will people say about your attitude at work? If people will tag you – always negative or mostly negative, you are a one. If people will tag you – mostly positive, it is a ten. If people would say it depends on his or her mood, you are a three. Rate yourself.

RATE YOURSELF:  1 —– 2 —– 3 —– 4 —– 5 —– 6 —– 7 —– 8 —– 9 —– 10

The fifth practice of people that excel is that they Do More Than Expected. To excel literarily means to go overboard. To show up when you are not really expected to but in a positive way. Matt. 5:⁴¹ (Philips)“If anybody forces you to go a mile with him, do more — go two miles with him“ [with emphasis]. A Roman infantry soldier mostly travels by foot and by law, he can pick someone to carry his gear for one mile. After going a mile, the person carrying the load is free to give it back. But Jesus is saying, blow his mind, go the extra mile with him. Wow!

As far as Jesus is concerned, a Christian has to do more than the minimum requirement. If you get this, your life, your work, your finances, and even your walk with God will change. Seeking to do the minimum requirement is to be mediocre. That is not for you. To be excellent, you are to go beyond the call of duty. Jesus expects you to put in extra effort. Elisha did and he got a double portion of Elijah’s anointing [please read 2 Kings 2]. If you give more than you are asked to give, you will receive more than you can ever expect.

Prayer [hymn]: Take my hands and let them move –at the impulse of Thy love. Take my feet and let them be –swift and beautiful for Thee. Amen!