July 4, 2009

• The pursuit of excellence in music

  I was asked to take care of the day opening at the Reformed String Camp yesterday, and include a devotion, if possible. The participants are from all over Canada, they studied and prepared for concerts the whole week, and Friday was the last practice day, with the first concert to be given that evening in Yarrow. I prepared a few words about the pursuit of excellence.
  

  Singing: Psalm 21: 1 (canon)
  Scripture reading: Matthew 25: 14-30
  Prayer
  

  THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE
  

  The colorful, nineteenth-century showman and gifted violinist Nicolo Paganini was standing before a packed house, playing through a difficult piece of music. A full orchestra surrounded him with magnificent support. Suddenly one string on his violin snapped and hung gloriously down from his instrument. Suddenly lots of sweat was on his forehead. He frowned but continued to play, improvising beautifully.
  
  To the conductor’s surprise, a second string broke. And shortly thereafter, a third. Now there were three limp strings dangling from Paganini’s violin as the master performer completed the difficult composition on the one remaining string. The audience jumped to its feet and in good Italian fashion, filled the hall with shouts and screams, “Bravo! Bravo!” As the applause died down, the violinist asked the people to sit back down. Even though they knew there was no way they could expect an encore, they quietly sank back into their seats.
  
  He held the violin high for everyone to see. He nodded at the conductor to begin the encore and then he turned back to the crowd, and with a twinkle in his eye, he smiled and shouted, ‘One string… and Paganini!’ After that he placed the single-stringed Stradivarius beneath his chin and played the final piece on one string as the audience (and the conductor) shook their heads in silent amazement. ‘Paganini…and one string!’
  

  You are preparing for a series of concerts.
  Tonight, tomorrow night and Sunday night.
  You are doing your best. Not just your best – you are doing your utmost best.
  Your practice and performance is of someone who takes the task seriously.
  Some of you traveled great distance, not to just play along – you want to learn, you want to do a good job – no a great job.
  You pursue excellence.

  Now… let’s ask the question: is it okay to pursue excellence?
  Or would it have been okay to do the average job?
  Many people will say “I like your playing” for them it would be good either way.
  What’s then the point of the work of your teachers?
  What’s the point of coming all the way here?
  What's the point of working so hard?

  We often find in the Bible the call to excel in Christian character, keeping with the biblical goal of spiritual growth and greater levels of maturity, especially in the various ways we can express love to one another. Pursuit of excellence is a sign of Spiritual maturity. Without pursuing excellence, life will remain mediocre, very vanilla, and lukewarm at best (Rev. 3:15-16). The pursuit of excellence fuels our fire; it keeps us from just drifting downstream.

  This focus and need becomes clear from Ecclesiastes 9:10 - Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,

  2 Corinthians 8:7 says - But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

  We read in 1 Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

  
  From these verses, it should be clear that God wants His people to excel in both what they are (inward character) and in what they do (behavior or good deeds). It would seem obvious that there is simply no way one can love God with all his heart (Matt. 23:37) without seeking to do his or her best to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Therefore, the pursuit of excellence is both a goal and a mark of spiritual maturity.

  (However, for this to be true, the pursuit of excellence must be motivated by the right values, priorities, and motives. If we go in the wrong direction, the pursuit of excellence can quickly become a mark of immaturity and just another result of your obsession with yourself.)

  Admiral Rickover’s interviewed President Jimmy Carter. Carter writes in his autobiography:

  The admiral asked how Carter had stood in his class at the Naval Academy. “I swelled my chest with pride and answered, ‘Sir, I stood 59th in a class of 820!’ I sat back to wait for the congratulations. Instead came the question: ‘Did you do your best?’ I started to say, ‘Yes, sir,’ but I remembered who this interviewer was. I gulped and admitted, ‘No, sir, I didn’t always do my best.’ He looked at me for a long time, and then asked one final question, which I have never been able to forget—or to answer. He said…. ‘Why not?”
  

  Because of who Christians are in Christ,
  because of our eternal hope, and
  because of the enabling grace of God,
  seeking to do our best and choosing what is best is part of God’s will
  and an evidence of genuine spiritual growth and maturity.

  But, there is one thing we need to keep in mind. As human beings, none of us ever arrive; there will always be room for growth and improvement (Phil. 3:12-14).

  Coming back to 1 Corinthians 10:31 - So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Pursing excellence is all inclusive (do it all) and it is to the Glory of God.  .

  There is much more to say about this pursuit of excellence for Christians.

  Today for you it is crossing the last t’s and dotting the last I’s.
  Soon you will be sharing your God given talents at the concerts.
  Talents that you did not put in the ground, and you didn’t get half out of it: you will be adding 10 to the 10 you already received.
  Work with your musical talents and make them grow.
  Grow them for God!
  And do that after this weekend, in all things of  every day!

  God bless you!
  

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