1 Kings 8

One of the best lessons I learned from my father was that if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing all the way. I don’t think this was anything he ever sat me down and told me. Rather, I learned it from watching him. Whatever he undertook, no matter what it was, he did to the very best of his ability. There was no "halfway" with him. There was no mediocre. Everything he did, he did it to the fullest and the finest. Even the little things, the kinds of things that most people would do halfway and then say That’s good enough.

I try to be like that, although sometimes I feel the pull of the "halfway" mentality.

But I was so pleased, from this chapter, to see that this trait in my father was but another reflection of the image of God within him. For our God doesn’t do anything halfway either: "When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple." (vs 10-11)

This verse made me chuckle. God doesn’t do anything halfway. When He creates something, He creates it right. And, as seen in this chapter, when He shows up, He really shows up. He doesn’t just put a foot in the door. Apparently, He showed up to His temple in such a way that there wasn’t room for anything else! His glory filled the entire temple.

So, whatever your hand finds to do today, do it outrageously. Especially if it’s a small thing that seems insignificant, set your mind to do it as if you were doing it for the President or even for God Himself. For that’s what He is like. Everything He does is marked with excellence!