Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Humility and Excellence

Is it possible to be humble while striving for excellence? In one of my Bible classes today the professor talked about avoiding the habit of complacency. It is so easy to do what is easy. Why put forth the extra effort? But in our relationship with the Lord, there is no plateau. That is to say, there is no point where we can say that we've reached a high enough level, so now we can coast. Paul urges us in Philippians 3:13-14,

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

In the process of sanctification, of becoming more like Jesus through God's working in our lives, we must continue forward and upward. We must always be willing to grow. But can we desire excellence and still maintain humility? Of course! Our efforts should be fueled by God and for God.

In chapel today our campus pastor discussed the wrongs of self-righteousness and our need to surrender to God. As we continue in doing our best for God, the point is that we couldn't do our best without God! We shouldn't strive for excellence to bring glory to ourselves; rather, in humility we should do our best through God's strength to bring glory to Him.

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." Colossians 3:17

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." Colossians 3:23


As a side note, the book I am reading right now is Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon. Since I still have the month of April left for this semester, my reading may not be done as quickly as I would like! However, I hope to post a review of this book by early next week, so stay tuned!



Have a blessed day!

9 comments:

MaryLu Tyndall said...

Excellent post on humility, Amber! It's so hard yet so important to remember that all of our good qualities and accomplishments are only a result of God's grace and not achieved by any part of us. Nice Blog!!! Hugs, MaryLu

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

You are off to a terrific start Amber! Yay! This was a great post and I hope you enjoy LFYI Sisters, Oregon!

XOXO~ Renee

Amber Holcomb said...

MaryLu,

Thank you so much for visiting my blog!!! Even with this blog, I have to remember that it is God who can bring any good out of it, not me. I'm so glad that He gave me such wonderful supporters to help me get started and to keep going! :)

By the way, I love the new book cover posted on your blog! I cannot wait to read your latest book!!! Do you think maybe I could review it for you when it comes out? ;)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Renee!!!

Thank you for checking in on my blog! Your encouragement has meant more than I can express! :)

As for LFY in Sisters, OR, so far so good! I think the idea for the whole series is so intriguing, and it's fun being transported to all these different places in the USA!

~Amber

Ariel Wilson said...

What is the book about? It sounds good :)

Amber Holcomb said...

Ariel,

I plan on posting a review on the book next week, so I'll also include the back cover blurb along with it. :) But the short and sweet of it is that it is a love story set in Sisters, Oregon. Of course, there's more to it than that, and I'll let you know more soon!

Also, the books I'll review on here will be Christian fiction, so they should all be clean and inspiring! :)

~Amber

MaryLu Tyndall said...

Amber, of course you can review my next release on your blog! I'd be honored. Send me your address and I'll add you to the list of people who receive a free copy. Hugs,
MaryLu

Ashley (Ibreath2read) said...

Thank you Amber for a great and uplifting post! It's easy to forget that, without God, we couldn't do anything right.

Anyways, I love the LFYI series. Their so interesting to read cause, most of the books are about out-of-the-way, small towns, that really do exist. I love learning about new places like that. Can't wait for your review of LFYI Sister OR!
Love Ya,
Ashley

Amber Holcomb said...

Ashley,

Good to see you again! :) I'm so glad you liked the post! God is so amazing, and I'm so glad that He can work through us to accomplish His purposes!

And yes! The LFY series is great! I also like how they take places at different times (some contemporary, some historical). Each book is so unique!

By the way, I looked into a couple of the blogging for books programs, so we'll see what comes of that. I'm hoping that I'll be able to host some giveaways soon... I always love when other blogs have them, and it would be so much fun to share that excitement with my readers!

Thanks again for stopping by!

~Amber