Starting Your Best Life Now: A Guide for New Adventures and Stages on Your Journey (6 page)

Subtle compromises of excellence will keep you from God’s best.

EXCEL IN INTEGRITY

I heard about a guy who left early from work one day to go to his grandmother’s funeral. The next morning at work, his boss came up and said, “Do you believe in life after death?”

The employee looked puzzled and finally said, “Well, yes; I do.”

The boss said, “Boy, that makes me feel a whole lot better.”

“Why? What are you talking about?”

The boss said, “Well, yesterday after you left to attend your grandmother’s funeral, she stopped by to visit you.”

ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE TO DO THE RIGHT THING?

For many people, mediocrity is the norm; they want to do as little as they possibly can and still get by. But God has called us to be people of excellence and integrity. A person of integrity is open and honest and true to his word. He or she doesn’t have any hidden agendas or ulterior motives. People of integrity are the same in private as they are in public. They do what’s right whether anybody is watching or not.

People of excellence give their employers a full day’s work; they don’t come in late, leave early, or call in sick when they are not. When you have an excellent spirit, it shows up in the quality of your homework, and the attitude with which you do it.

If you don’t have integrity, you will never reach your highest potential. Integrity is the foundation on which a truly successful life is built. Every time you compromise, every time you are less than honest, you are causing a slight crack in the foundation. If you continue compromising, that foundation will never be able to hold what God wants to build. You’ll never have lasting prosperity if you don’t first have integrity.

Quiet your heart and receive God’s Word:
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10).

God’s people are people of excellence. Remember: You represent Almighty God. How you live, how you care for your family and do your work, is all a reflection on our God. If you want to live your best life now, whatever you do, give your best effort and do it as if you are doing it for God. If you’ll work with that standard in mind, God promises to reward you, and others will be attracted to our God.

S
TART AIMING FOR EXCELLENCE IN EVERYTHING YOU DO.

Stay passionate about seeing your dreams come to pass.

ENJOY YOUR BEST LIFE NOW

For several years, I noticed Jackie sitting down front at Lakewood Church. Week after week, she participated with tremendous enthusiasm, singing with all her heart, radiating joy. I didn’t know who she was, but when I’d bring the message, Jackie would smile and nod her head, as though she was encouraging me, “Come on, Joel. Tell me more.”

When a staff position become available in our Women’s Ministry, the first thing I said was, “Somebody go find that lady who sits down front. There’s nobody I’d rather have represent us than somebody like her!” We hired her, and she continues to inspire and encourage people.

ARE YOU ON FIRE?

God’s people should be the happiest people on earth! So happy, in fact, that other people notice. Living your best life now is living with enthusiasm and being excited about the life God has given you. It is believing for more good things in the days ahead, but it is also living in the moment and enjoying it to the hilt!

One of the main reasons we lose our enthusiasm in life is because we start to take for granted what God has done for us as well as His greatest gift of all to us—Himself! Don’t allow your relationship with Him to become stale or your appreciation for His goodness to become common. Our lives need to be inspired, infused, filled afresh with His goodness every day.

Make a decision that you are not going to live another day without the joy of the Lord in your life; without love, peace, and passion; without being excited about your life. And understand that you don’t have to have something extraordinary happening in your life to be excited. You may not have the perfect job or the perfect marriage, but you can still choose to live each day aglow with God’s presence.

Quiet your heart and receive God’s Word:
“Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11
AMP
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ON’T JUST GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS IN LIFE.
H
AVE SOME ENTHUSIASM.

If you want to see God’s favor, do everything with your whole heart. Do it with passion and some fire. Not only will you feel better, but that fire will spread, and soon other people will want what you have. Wherever you are in life, make the most of it and be the best you can be. God will take you places you’ve never dreamed of, and you will be having your best life now.