8 Reasons Why “Just OK is not OK” in God’s Work

Maybe you remember some of the old AT&T commercials that pointed out why “just ok is not ok.” The point was that there were plans that were much better than “just ok.” These commercials don’t speak about the church, but the principle’s the same: “just ok” is not adequate in God’s work – even though too many churches tolerate less than their best in much of what they do. Here’s why: 

  1. God deserves our best. That’s simply because He’s God. Nobody’s greater than He is – and to give “just ok” to Him is to diminish His magnificence. 
  2. We give more than “just ok” in other areas of our lives. Athletes give their best. People who want to succeed in their business give their best. For some reason, we tolerate “ok” for God when we wouldn’t tolerate it in other arenas. 
  3. “Just ok” presumes upon God’s grace. That is, we assume that because God is a gracious God, He’ll be happy with our “just ok.” After all, God never expects us to work our way to salvation. 
  4. “Just ok” is seldom a good witness to the world. Mediocrity doesn’t catch the attention of non-believers, especially when “just ok” is also sloppy, disorganized, and poorly done. 
  5. We can do “just ok” without prayer and the power of God. Most of us can meet the standards of “just ok” in our own ability; that is to say, we can do “just ok” church without God’s help. It’s the work beyond our capabilities that requires prayer. 
  6. “Just ok” misses the point of taking up one’s cross and dying to self. Nothing about giving our entire life to God—including literally dying as martyrs if that’s God’s call—allows “just ok” to be acceptable. “Just ok” doesn’t place our lives on the altar. 
  7. Giving our “just ok” doesn’t cost us anything.     When we give God that which costs us nothing (2 Sam. 24:24), our gifts to God are hardly gifts at all. We can give “just ok” out of the excess of our lives. 
  8. Doing better than “just ok” requires that we seek God’s help in prayer. If we can do ok without Him (see #5 above), we surely need Him in order to do better than that. 

“Just ok is not ok” in God’s work – so let’s not settle for that standard.