Raising the Bar -- Status Quo....Unacceptable!

God certainly set the bar high for us when He said words like this: "Love your enemies!” “Have peace in the midst of storms!” “Overcome evil with good!” "Be perfect as I am perfect." "Don't judge and you will not be judged." "Have faith and don't doubt." "I've made you MORE than conquerors." He didn't give us much "just-get-by" wiggle room, did He?

God didn't create us for mediocrity. He created us in His image -- He makes the impossible, possible. He makes darkness, light. He makes can't, can. There's nothing mediocre about Him. So, His expectations for us are extremely HIGH! Why should we be satisfied with a just-get-by mindset, when we have a Father who is unlimited and abounding in love and favor toward us? And, if He didn't think it were possible, He would have never set such high standards for us. Everything we do should be done with excellence. When we are asked to go one mile, whether it be in a job, a project, or a service, we should be ready to go the second mile, too. That's raising the bar. Yes, our Father gives to us in above-and-beyond measure, so His lead sets the bar high for us. It means we'll have to stretch out of our comfort zone, but I promise you, the benefits of stretching gives us rewards beyond our greatest expectations.

God didn’t set the bar high so that we would fail. He did it to show how high He can take us! Let's stop being satisfied with the status quo -- let's raise the bar, and be all He destined us to be and do!