Thoroughness vs. Incompleteness Thoroughness is carrying out each task in preparation for God’s personal inspection and approval.
Definition When David prayed, “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:2), he used the Hebrew word rabah, which occurs seventyfour other times in Scripture as multiply. He was asking God to cleanse him over and over so that there would be no trace of sin or iniquity left. Thoroughness in cleaning is not accomplished by a “quick onceover” but by a deep cleaning and complete washing to make sure every bit of dirt or uncleanness is removed.
Thoroughness in Work We have a tendency to do work as thoroughly as is necessary to pass the inspection of those who assign us the job. However, true thoroughness is motivated by the awareness that each job we do will be personally inspected by the Lord. This is the message of Colossians 3:22–24: “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
The Greek word psuche, translated heartily in Colossians 3:23, is translated as soul in fiftyeight other New Testament passages, and forty times as life. This means that thoroughness requires putting our whole souls into our work, including concentrating with the mind, directing the emotions, and using the will to do a complete job with excellence. Since we are actually working for the Lord and not just for an earthly employer, we are to do a job that is consistent with God’s character and standards, which will no doubt be higher than those of an employer. Therefore, if we pass the Lord’s inspection, we should certainly exceed an employer’s expectations.
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ttention to detail is the difference between mediocrity and excellence in the work we do. God’s commitment to thoroughness is illustrated in His insistence on the fulfillment of every “jot and tittle” of His Word. (See Matthew 5:18.)
Thorough Cleansing God’s chief concern for our thoroughness is in the inward cleansing of our hearts. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Corinthians 7:1). After listing sins that need to be cleansed from our lives, Scripture states: “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (II Timothy 2:21).
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job is never really done until it is done right. “There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it thoroughly be finished yields the true glory.” —Sir Francis Drake
Thoroughness
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o a job as if you will never have another chance to do it right. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” —Ecclesiastes 9:10
“People forget how fast you did a job—but they remember how well you did it.” —Howard W. Newton
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orking harder when the boss is watching is convicting evidence that you are a manpleaser rather than a pleaser of God. “Not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” —Ephesians 6:6
The American alligator prepares a nesting spot that is not too high and not too low, not too wet and not too dry, not too hot and not too cold. Its nest is perfect in every respect.
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Thoroughness
Based on the need for inward thoroughness, we should pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24). When God thoroughly searches our hearts, He will reveal to us the hidden areas of sin and uncleanness. “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12).
Outward Cleanliness When thorough cleaning is not maintained, clutter and dirt accumulate. That was the case in the days of King Hezekiah, when “the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron” (II Chronicles 29:16). God also gave strict instructions to His people that they were to have no raw sewage in their camp when they went out to war, because it would breed disease and destruction among the soldiers. Their thoroughness in keeping the camp clean was also to be motivated by the fact that God would personally inspect it. “For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee” (Deuteronomy 23:14).
Thorough Reformation Thorough cleansing of our hearts and of our surroundings is not sufficient unless we also thoroughly change our ways to please the Lord. This was one of the requirements given by God through Jeremiah. “For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbour; If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in this place” (Jeremiah 7:5–7).
Personal Evaluation How thorough are you? • Are you committed to thoroughness in all you do? • Would God be impressed with your thoroughness in hygiene: brushing teeth, washing hands, etc.? • Do you picture God inspecting the jobs you do? • Do you thoroughly examine your heart before taking communion? • Do you clean around items as well as under them? • When you paint, do you make adequate preparation, including providing drop cloths to protect floors and carpets? • Do you complete all the necessary details of a job, or do you leave things for others to do, such as cleanup?