Excellence IS evangelism. Here’s proof from Jesus & parents of adult Christians.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)

Last week, we saw Jesus’s description of the “blessed” citizens of the kingdom of God. In the next section of the Sermon on the Mount, he outlines the mission of those citizens.

Contrary to what some modern readers might expect, Jesus does not say, “Now that you’re citizens of my kingdom, it is time to quit your job and become a ‘full-time missionary.’” Instead, he calls his people to be salt and light, engaging the rot and darkness of the world.

Commenting on today’s passage, pastor John Piper says, “The Bible makes it plain that God’s will is for his people to be scattered like salt and light among the whole range of secular vocations.” 

And to engage in those vocations with excellence! Jesus didn’t call us to “work” but “good work.” And while the Greek word for “good” here (kalos) certainly connotes technical excellence, it also alludes to moral excellence. In other words, we are called to work that is good in both craftsmanship and character.

And Jesus says that when people see “good work” like that, they will “give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” In short, excellence is evangelism.

There’s a trend I’ve noticed that illustrates this truth. Any time I meet a parent who has adult children seriously walking with the Lord, I ask what they think God used to cultivate that resilient faith in their kids. The most common answer by far is this: “My kids had other Christian adults in their lives whom they respected personally and professionally.” 

In other words, the “good works” of these Christian professionals made Jesus winsome and attractive to those kids. You want the children in your church and your co-workers in your company to follow Jesus? Be so good they can’t ignore you.

To make this a bit more concrete, let me leave you with a mental image to carry with you today. I got it from Rick Rubin, the legendary music producer, who says this: “So often we sleepwalk through our lives. Consider how different your experience of the world might be if you engaged in every activity with the attention you might give to landing a plane.”

I love that picture.

Whatever task you’re turning to after reading this devotional, engage it with the level of focus and precision you would as if you were landing a plane. Because Jesus says something far more important than aircraft safety is at stake. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven,” today.