tuesday nov 19

Work: Exceed What is Expected

If you want your work to be blessed by God, you need to exceed what is expected of you. No matter what you do, whether you're a truck driver, an attorney, a cook or a teacher, do more than the minimum. Don't just get by.

God wants you to go beyond the normal and surpass what is required of you. Our verse today tells us to exceed the expectations of your boss, exceed the expectations of your customers. That is the kind of work God blesses.

We live in a culture of mediocrity. How many times do we complain about shoddy workmanship or poor service or inferior quality? Americans used to take pride in their craft, but today it has become about just getting by. So many people just put in their time, do the minimum that's required of them and cut corners, getting by on as little effort as possible.

That's the bad news. The good news is that this makes it very easy to stand out at work. Any time you take pride in your work and decide to do more than expected, you'll rise to the top.

Another reason we should exceed in our work is because we represent Jesus Christ. And Jesus said, "If someone demands that you go one mile, go with him two miles." (Matthew 5:41) Exceed what's expected of you and watch God bless it.

mixed feelings about this... because it really depends for me. usually i feel the need to be above average but for some things i barely try at all and i simply dont care. its hard for me because now i actually have things to occupy my time so i dont want to spend time doing things i dont want to do when i could be doing other things that i find more important. admittedly, sometimes im not the best judge of whats important (netflix>homework) but in my heart i know what i should be doing as opposed to what i want to be doing. i should try harder in everything i do instead of "just getting by"

I have to admit, when it comes to work, I try to do the minimum of it so I can just be finished and do whatever I want. However, I shouldn't do that, as I wouldn't be seen as a person in the top in people's eyes, especially God's eyes. So, I shouldn't be just doing the minimum of the work, I should be doing the work above expectations. That way, people will notice me as someone in the top. If I do God's work above expectations, that means that I am having the pride to do it. Then God will notice that no only am I doing his work very well, but I am doing it willingly. As a result, I would be a step closer to becoming like him. So, not only should I not be doing my work beyond expectations, but with the will to do it. That way, God will notice that I am not pretending to try to be like him.

If we look at this academically and school-wise, we Koreans, usually strive for A+++ in everything, which exceeds the school expectation of 70s.
Because of that, we're recognized and a stereotype exists because of our striving to exceed expectations.

Today's devotional really spoke to me because I felt that I was barely meeting the expectations, and definitely not exceeding them,
as a pianist in the PT. I know that I haven't done my best and tried to exceed the expectations as a pianist, and I feel that God spoke to me through this devotion that although he is proud of me being on the PT- he isn't completely blessing my part of the worship.

"Exceed what is expected of you". It's easier said than done. However, it's so worth it, because it allows you to grow with God by persevering to always give your best. If we do our best, it'll show. If we only put in half of the effort into something, and expect to attain outstanding results that could only be produced by giving your best, our expectations will greatly fail us.
Whatever we do, it's always for God. We may not see how it directly affects our relationship with God, but over time these actions that appeared to be so minute will accumulate and produce a greatly profound effect.
When we give our best, it will show. It may not show in the most obvious way possible, but it will show. Hard work and effort doesn't go to waste, especially if you do it with a genuine heart for God.
Although a majority try to do the minimum to get by, there's not much growth or progress that could arise from that. Not only must we put in our complete effort into our work, we must also do it with dedication. We can't expect a permanent result to occur from a temporary change.
I think it's important to have a mentality where we acknowledge that whatever we do is ultimately for God and for Him only. When we work hard to serve God, and His Kingdom we spark the intrinsic motivation that leads us to do everything to our best extent to honour God. We shouldn't do things halfheartedly, especially since all we're doing leads back to God. God gave us his all wholeheartedly on the cross for us. Show God how much we're willing to give for him.

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24

I really feel encouraged by this devo with the quote that we are representing Jesus. This one fact alone is all the reason we need to strive to do everything in life to the best of our abilities as if doing it for the Lord. In an indirect way, we are doing it for Him as we are representing Him to others. In school I see people "getting by" and cutting corners all the time. This only goes to show how that today's society has the simple goal of just getting by with mediocrity. As Christians we should exceed what we are expected to do and give our all, as it is for God.

A lot of people, myself included, have the tendency to do things just until they're good enough. I know that I could be doing more or doing better, but I end up being satisfied with just doing enough.
Schoolwork is a good example of this. For example, when I do textbook questions, instead of trying to understand the actual question and doing what I can to really learn about the answer, I just scan the pages for key words and phrases that I can copy down.
This also applies to us as praise team and as Christians. Are we practicing the set list just enough to get by? Are we praying and reading God's Word "just enough" to seem like a good christian? Are we following what He has told us to do in our lives "just enough"?
I guess it's all about the heart and effort in which we do things. If we only put in 50 percent of our effort into something, the maximum outcome is half of what you could have had. But if we go the extra mile in the things that we do, it will gradually show. And the reason why we need to exceed this level of mediocrity is because everything we do is for God in one way(,Jesus) or another.

In whatever you do, give your full effort. Good things come out of it. I remember in a sermon a whole ago, it said that doing the unexpected gets you far.
In any job given, you are serving someone and that means that they deserve your full heart.
Although this is something that is very difficult to do, it benefits everyone. You will help yourself and along with others you have served.
Don't go and do work if it is for money or community hours. Work may give you that, but is that what you really want? Isn't there something more behind all of the rewards?

"No matter how big or small, always give your all!"
~Audrey~

To be quite honest, I have an issue with over doing things, trying to do more than required - at least it's like this for school related things.

If you ever see me online/stand by on Facebook at like 3AM - that's me working on some project making "finishing touches" that aren't required. All of my friends call me a "perfectionist" and classmates always roll their eyes at me when I say something about starting over, adding something or even if the topic of "going above and beyond" is mentioned. This isn't me trying to brag or anything - this is actually a problem for me. I wouldn't say I have OCD because it isn't that extreme, but I'm just know for exceeding expectations - I guess many Koreans or asians in general do this, thus the stereotype of smart asians as Julie already mentioned.

However, I feel like God is speaking to me through this, telling me that I'm focusing on the wrong things. Although this topic is telling me to put all my effort into our jobs (and because I'm a student this would be referring to schoolwork), I feel like this isn't quite relevant to me in that sense. I think God is telling me to put more effort into lets say worshipping him, praying to him, spending time with him, spreading his word, etc. Doing good things and having a positive attitude can show that we are like this through Christ - I believe that trying our best in these things are also very important.

I know that this isn't exactly related to the topic, but this is how it spoke to me.

****Also, I would like to make a prayer request: my uncle back in Korea has been having a rather difficult time for over 2 years now - he's been sued for making a mistake (he's an accountant) that wasn't his fault, but the bank itself. However, so far there isn't enough proof to prove that he's not guilty & although I'm not even sure what's happening, I know he's innocent. Apparently the bank stole some money and recorded it so that they wouldn't get caught. My uncle is the person who checks the system to make sure nothing is wrong but he, as well as the government officials who checked didn't find anything. So now the opposing side is saying my uncle looked over it on purpose. This case has been dragging on for so long I'm sure he and his family are having a very hard time. He could lose his job and be revoked of his license for 3 years+ if he is found guilty at the end of all the trials - so far in the first trial he has been found guilty. ANYWAY so if you guys could PLEASE pray for him - the next trials is on December 11. Thank you

Hooooooooooooooooey. This is one heavy devo, mainly because the curriculum for Christians alone is very difficult to follow up on. Not to say it's impossible, as Jesus set an example while being human, but it's simply difficult to be alike to Jesus in terms of mannerisms and whatnot. I think that beyond the surface, Jesus isn't the expectations, but rather what's beyond the expectations.

In a sense, I guess what I'm saying is that a lot of what the Bible heeds us to do and avoid are what can be considered as "icing on the cake". What God ultimately looks at is who we've accepted as our one and only savior. But the commands he sets for us are for our protection, which ultimately serve to make God happy through our own well being. The point of this devo is to not only accept God as our savior, but to return whatever of the favor we can return.