We are saved by grace no doubt, but if there's anything the grace of God should result in, it's to inspire us to work harder and to be diligent in loving others and laboring for God. The grace displayed to us through Jesus and His finished work should never be an excuse for us to slack off.

In your work place, are Christians the most diligent and hard working? If it's Christians who make the most excuses, have the worst tardiness records and miss quotas the most, something is wrong. While God does not oblige us to excell, He gives us His unending grace so that we will become examples of His excellence.

The God we serve is an excellent God. When He created the world, He made it to be very good. When He blesses us, He blesses us abundantly and graciously. And when it came time that He would give the sacrifice that would justify the whole world, He gave His very best -- His only begotten Son.

As God has given and served us with only His very best, who are we to withhold our best from God? If we truly understand God's grace, we will respond in giving excellent service and grace to God and to others. Here are eight scriptures that will encourage us to always be excellent in all we do.

Genesis 1:22. "And God blessed them, saying, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.'"

Psalm 150:2. "Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness."

Proverbs 10:4. "A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich."

Proverbs 12:24. "The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor."

Proverbs 16:3. "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."

Philippians 4:8. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

James 2:18. "But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

Titus 3:8. "The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people."