Just Enough? Or More Than Enough?

Jesus always gave more than enough. He gave more than people expected. He also had a way of bringing more out of people than they expected for themselves. It is evident throughout His earthly ministry. But it did not then and does not now stop there.

He gave more than expected in His sacrifice for us. He gives us more than we expect in our lives today–if we will receive it. And why do we not receive it? I think one reason is that we cannot conceive of His capability to cause us to be more than enough for His purpose.

So, my brother, as a follower of the Lord please do this favor for me. It would be such a great encouragement to me as your brother in Christ. I write this letter knowing that you will do what I ask, and even more than I ask. (Phm 1:20-21 ERV)

Today’s Scripture passage is a simple verse in which Paul says to his friend, Philemon, that he is confident that he will do more than Paul asks. How can Paul be so confident in him? He can because he no doubt has seen Philemon do this. He has experienced this with him before. This is Philemon’s way of life.

I want to be known this way. I want people to be able to have confidence that I will do what they need or what I can with a “more than enough” attitude. I want them to know that I care that much. There is only one way they can be certain of this: They need to see me being this way. They need to see this behavior exemplified in my life. Then, if I consistently act this way, they can grow to be confident that I always will act this way.

Is this not what we see in Jesus? He always keeps His word. He always does what He says He will do. And He always did more than was expected of Him then, or that we today expect of Him now. In some cases, He does more than we believe He can or will do.

Too many times, we are in the place of His disciples when He rebuked them, saying, “Oh, you of little faith!” I want to believe He will do what He has proven by previous action that He will do.

Jesus does things with EXCELLENCE. This is His way. He always acts this way. Many years ago, I came across a definition of excellence that I saved. It so impressed me that I set my intention to make my “way”. It goes like this:

Excellence is:

The result of caring more than others think is wise;
Risking more than others think is safe;
Dreaming more than others think is practical, and
Expecting more than others think is possible.

I believe this is how Paul saw Philemon. He said as much. He trusted Philemon to act this way. I want this to be the way people see me. I also want this way of excellence to be the way people see you. Although this can be so in your life, be assured that it will not happen by accident or random occurrence. It must be intentional.

There is another quote that fits here: “Without an intentional decision and corresponding action, most things in life tend not to happen.” Think about that! Excellence will not “just happen” in your life. It must be decided. Then it must be acted upon. And acted upon. And acted upon. (You get the idea, I’m sure.)

And as much as I want people to trust me to do more than they expect, I even more want God to know that I will act with excellence in my relationship with Him. I want Him to be able to trust me. This is my goal and purpose. It is intentional, and I know that I must reinforce it every day I live.

What about you? Do you live with excellence? If not, today is a good day to begin making excellence your “way” too. Know, however, that it must be intentional because excellence does not occur randomly. Make an intentional decision and follow it with corresponding action. Jesus did. Paul did. Philemon did. You can too.