Thursday, May 14th, 2026
The God of Excellence
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)
God reveals Himself through many attributes. Scripture tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and that He is faithful: “For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does” (Psalm 33:4). Another distinct attribute of God is excellence.
Few people demonstrated this attribute more clearly than King Solomon. Having inherited from his father David the responsibility of building the temple of the Lord, Solomon approached the task with extraordinary diligence and excellence. He first contacted Hiram, king of Tyre, to secure cedars from Lebanon (1 Kings 5:5–6). He then appointed “seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills” (v.15). At the king’s command, large blocks of high-quality stone were quarried and prepared to provide a strong foundation for the temple (v.17).
When construction began, Solomon spared no effort. “The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high” (1 Kings 6:2). The work was done with such precision that “only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built” (v.7). The interior walls were lined with cedar boards, the floors covered with juniper planks, and the sanctuary overlaid with pure gold (vv.15–21). Every detail reflected beauty, order, and excellence.
After seven years of meticulous work, Solomon completed not only a promise passed on to him by his father, but also a masterpiece worthy of the Lord. The lesson Solomon leaves us is clear: whatever we do for God should be done with excellence, dedication, and wholehearted commitment, because we serve a God of excellence.
Prayer Today:
Lord God of Abraham, Maker of heaven and earth, I pray that in all I do, I may pursue excellence, because excellence reflects Your very nature. Help me to serve You faithfully and wholeheartedly in every task entrusted to me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
