There’s a traffic jam on the freeway of the extra mile because the average exit after the first mile and only a few cars travel extra mile.

In Genesis chapter 24 we read the amazing story of Rebekah – whose spirit of excellence positioned her to be a part of the genealogy of Jesus.

When Abraham sent a servant to find a suitable wife for his son there was a standout quality that the servant looked for among all the women – excellence.

Rebekah was a young girl who had traveled to a well to collect water for her family, when asked by the servant for a drink, she offered to collect water for his camels also.

I was once heard someone describe this story with amazing detail – there were 10 camels, they’ve just come 500 miles, they each hold 40 gallons, that’s a total of 400 gallons of water and Rebekah’s probably not older than 16.

There is only a well, no hose or pump, so Rebekah has to draw water using a pitcher or bucket.  Going on the basis that her pitcher holds five gallons, water weighs seven pounds per gallon, which makes it 35 pounds she has to pick up each time.

At that rate of consumption that’s 80 draws from the well, which works out to be four hours, minimum, if she doesn’t take a break.

Essentially Rebekah said to this servant, “I’m going to inconvenience myself so I can make a difference in your life.”

Rebekah didn’t have to go that extra mile and feed his camels but she did.  It was her extra effort that changed her life.  People who live an average life only give what’s expected of them and nothing else.

When you die you should be able to look back and say, “thank God I gave more than I received.”  I heard it said that you’ll only be remembered for two things, the problems you solved and the problems you caused.

As far as Rebekah knew all she was going to get that night was a sore back and to be home late for dinner. She didn’t know that on those camels was gold, silver and linen that was a tribute to her from a wealthy father who was looking for a bride for his elect son.

Go the second mile.  That little extra effort could be the step that turns you to the fulfillment of your dream.

A small leak can sink a big ship.

The mentality of “it’s good enough” is settling for average. Don’t settle for average.

When Michael Angelo was painting a hidden part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome – a part that would not be seen from the ground – a friend visiting with him asked why he was giving such minute detail to an obscure part that nobody will see.  Angelo responded, “God will see it – I’m not painting this for the pope I’m painting it for God.”

If you take that kind of excellence into your work you’ll have better output and better testimonies, as people want to know why you are like you are.

What’s your attitude? Are you doing everything you put your hand to for the glory of God? Are you doing it with excellence?

Paying attention to detail is the key to being extraordinary in an ordinary world.

Daniel’s reputation had preceded him.  The following chapter reveals that the governors could not find fault with Daniel, as he had distinguished himself above all Babylon. Good news travels fast in the world of average.

In horse racing, a horse that can run one second faster than all of the other horses is worth millions of dollars.

Years ago the story was told how French down hill skier, Jean Claude Keeve who won the Olympic gold; he won by just three tenths of a second.  That tiny margin made a big difference – the following year his pay cheque was over $3 million while second place earned just $30, 000 as a ski instructor.

Just a little extra can distinguish you remarkably above average. Conformity is the shortest distance to acceptance in the crowd.

Proverbs 12:26 tells us, “The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduces them”.

Our God is an excellent God and we ought to be people of excellence.

First, value excellence. When you value something you put a worth on it.  Jesus said your heart is where your treasure is.  He was highlighting how we spend our resource on things we value.

If you value excellence, give your absolute best to everything you do.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 begins, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might…”

When you fail to give your best, instead taking short cuts, you only cut yourself short.  You will pay eventually.  Value excellence in your life and it will outwork in all you put your hands to.

Psalm 8:1

The name of a person in the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, denotes their personality or character.

Psalm 8:1 tells us that God is an excellent God and everything He does is excellent. He doesn’t do anything wrong, He does it right the first time.

God didn’t make the earth an average place – He made it excellent! He made man excellent.

God went beyond average. And that’s what excellence is about; it’s about going beyond the average.

If, as Ephesians 5:1 tells us, we are to be imitator of Him, then we too should be people of excellence.  Excellence should be the lifestyle of His people.

The word “EXCELLENCE” is derived from the word “excel” which means to go beyond average.

Leaders of excellence are those people who refuse to settle for the status quo. They are the people who see average as a place they want to keep in their rear-view mirror. They are the people who continually look for ways to stretch themselves, to get better and to do better! They are the people who set their sights on goals others haven’t even thought of. They are the people who shoot so high, even if they miss; they still go higher than everyone else. This is what sets them apart.

Where 100% is average you need to go beyond that if you are going to be a person of excellence.

Seize the day and go beyond average. 99.9% is not good enough. Some time ago I heard of some things that would happen if we settled for 99.9%

• 22, 000 cheques would be deducted from the wrong bank account in the next 60 minutes.
• 12 babies would be given to the wrong parents each day.
• 268, 500 defective tyres would be shipped this year.
• 2, 488, 200 books would be shipped with the wrong covers.
• 2 airliner landings each day would be unsafe.
• 18,322 pieces of mail would be mishandled in the next hour.
• 291 pacemaker operations would be performed incorrectly this year.

Excellence is what puts the extra in ordinary in an ordinary world.

So, how do we achieve the extraordinary in an ordinary world?

Find out next post.

In Genesis we read the story of Joseph. He was a man with a dream from God.  It was a dream that one day he would become the nation’s leader.  But before he had that dream, the only trouble in his life was that his brothers despised him, because his father favoured him.

Then he tells his brothers of the dream he had and they plot to kill him.
But rather than kill him they sell him off.
He’s then wrongly accused of sexual assault and thrown in jail.

And it all started with a dream from God that he was going to be the nation’s ruler and now he’s in jail.  Does it get any worse?

Between the conception of a dream and its birth there will always be a variety of seasons that bring many challenges that must be overcome.

But despite the difficulties and the trouble that he went through Joseph never gave up on the dream.  He discovered that the pursuit of a God-given dream is not an easy one.  Many dreams go unfulfilled because people cannot cope with all that comes with the pursuit of a dream.

And tonight I want to give you three things that you must go through as part of the pursuit of your dream.  No one ever sees the fulfilment of their dream without experiencing these three things.

1. YOU HAVE TO KNOW THE SOURCE OF THE DREAM
Some have inherited dreams from people who want to live out their unfulfilled dreams through you.  And if you are trying to be something that God didn’t create you to be then you will end up resentful and frustrated trying to fulfill something that others have imposed on you.

We hear about it so often with child sporting stars who, despite having some level of success are miserable in a sport to which they have been imprisoned by their parents.

As long as you are trying to live out someone else’s dream you remain a prisoner to the person whose dream it is you’re trying to fulfil.  You might have achieved many things in life, but when that dream finally comes to pass, you will be miserable and resentful and take one loo at it and hate it and suddenly realise that you have waisted a lifetime pursuing something that never belonged to you.

Where did your dream come from?

2. YOU MUST BE PREPARED FOR TROUBLE
As much as we idealise the easy and hold on to a fantastical hope that everything is going to be easy in the pursuit of your dream you will come to know that no one ever achieved greatness because everyone agreed with them.

The first thing that Joseph discovered about his dream was that he was going to have to do this alone.

Between you and your dream there will be controversy and conflict.  Your dream, that very thing God gave you, will get you in trouble, but you have to keep going.

If Joseph had of waited until his family liked the idea of his dream then he would have died empty unfulfilled of his life’s purpose, never had seen the miraculous work of God in his life.

The dream that God gives you is the very thing will bring trouble into your life, but you must remember that, that trouble will also bring you new things that God has for you. That trouble is the sifting of the old and the establishment of the new.

3. YOU MUST BE PREPARED FOR CHANGE
Everything about Joseph’s life changed. Absolutely everything.

Every time anybody starts going to a new level, instead of honouring them and praising God for them, they are shot down. They are ostracised, criticised and ridiculed.  You can’t do anything or say anything without your critics scrutinising every little look, every little murmur.

There is something inside the carnality of humanity that it doesn’t like what it can’t control and that’s just the work of the flesh.  The flesh doesn’t like what it cannot control.  That’s why we have such a problem with violence, sexual immorality, lust and doing what they shouldn’t be doing, because it’s motivated by the flesh and fed by the flesh and the problem is you’re trying to control it by the flesh.  But the flesh cannot control what it doesn’t like.  It has to work the other way around.  It’s the Holy Spirit who must rule and reign over your flesh.

And the problem the dreamer must overcome is the challenge of the flesh not to change, to remain small, maintain the status quo. They’ll love you while they can control you, while you’re still within their reach, while you haven’t broken new ground.  But the moment, you go up a level, the moment you break new ground, the moment you begin to change is the moment they’ll shoot you down.  But you must continue to change.  The pursuit of your dream requires you to change.

In the pursuit of your dream don’t let the very thing God gave you become the same thing that destroys you.

© Mark Sceriha

It’s easy to believe in people once they have proved their success.  However, a good leader, I believe, is one who believes in people before they succeed.  I thank God I have a senior pastor who actively practices this.

Believe in them before they succeed.
Everyone has gold in them.  Often it’s buried beneath a pile of dirt but it’s still there.  If you want to instill a winning attitude into those under you, believe in them before they succeed.

Emphasise their strengths
Focus your attention on their strengths.  This will motivate them also.  It also helps them to believe they possess what they need to succeed.  Praise them privately and publicly for what they do well.  Tell them how much you appreciate their positive qualities.  Any time you have the opportunity to praise them in the presence of family and friends, do it.

List their past Successes.
Consider David and Goliath.  David looked back on past successes, he had confidence in his future actions and of course, when he faced the giant, he overcome.    He said….”Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear…”

Not everyone has the ability to do this.  They may need help.  If you can show others they’ve done well in the past they’ll be better able to move into action.

Visualize their Future Success.
A person can live 40 days without food, four days without water, 40 minutes without air – only 4 seconds without hope.  Each time you cast vision and paint a picture for others you build them up, motivate them and give them reason to keep on going.

1    As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following.  By flying in V formation the entire flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.  – So together they cover more ground, more distance have greater impact than being alone.

2    Whenever one goose falls out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into the formation to take advantage of the bird immediately in front of it.

3    When the head goose gets tired, he rotates back in the wind and another goose flies in the front (it pays to take turns doing the hard jobs with people at church).  They also honk their encouragement from behind to encourage the ones at the front to keep up their speed.  What are honking from behind?  (Stupid this, I don’t like that or Good on you, fantastic come on).

4    When a goose gets sick or is wounded by a gun shot and falls out, two geese fall out of formation and follow him down to help and protect him.  They stay with the fallen goose until he’s able to fly or until he’s dead.  And then they launch out on their own or with another formation to catch up with the original group.

There is a great blessing that comes from agreement.  When you decide that you are not going to go it alone but instead you’re going to join with others in the name of Jesus, then you can expect God to show up and be in your midst.  And when God shows up the spiritual atmosphere begins to change over your live.

When to join in agreement with others for provision from God then you can expect that it will come to pass.  Whatever you ask, God will do it when you agree together – just hold tight.

As you join yourself with others and in agreement with Heaven you can operate in power that will change things in your life.  You can see things bound and others loosed.

I’ve made the mistake of thinking that because someone is a good friend, they will make a good leader – boy was I wrong.  And the worst thing is, when the individual’s leadership crumbles and correction is needed, it can often have an affect on the friendship.

It’s an undesired fact that, in church life, people will always come and go.  Having been at the one church for over a decade I have had the privilege of building lasting friendships, even with people who have since moved on.  But I’ve also witnessed people who have mixed the distinction between friend and leader.  When the leaders, who are your only friends, move on, you’re left a lonely person who has lost a friend and a leader – a perfect recipe for a wounded soul.

I encourage you to always seek to develop a good relationship between you and your leaders, but leave the core relationships for your friends who are not a following your leadership.