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“Why 99.9% Just Won't Do”
Categories: Daily LivingWhy 99.9% Just Won’t Do
Jarrod Jacobs
Is it truly necessary that we go for “zero defects” in things that we build, or in other areas of life? Why isn’t 99.9% defect-free good enough? Please look at the list below. According to Jeff DeWar, Quality Consultant at QCI International, this is what life would be like if things were correct or “defect-free” only 99.9% of the time.
If We Settle for 99.9%, We Have to Accept:
- One hour of unsafe drinking water a month.
- Two unsafe plane landings per day at O’Hare International airport in Chicago.
- 16,000 pieces of mail lost by the U.S. Postal Service every hour.
- 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions per year.
- 500 incorrect surgical operations each week.
- 50 newborns dropped at birth by doctors.
- 22,000 checks deducted from the wrong bank accounts each hour.
- 32,000 missed heartbeats per person per year.
(Source: Inc. Magazine, Article by Martha Mangelsdorf)
I first saw this list a few years back, but I think its overall theme is a valid one. Please reread those points. Hopefully, we can see that in addition to physical problems that are caused by only accepting “99.9%”, so also there is a spiritual application we can make. When we are not intent on giving God 100% in His service, we are asking for problems!
I want to be clear that I am not saying that there is a way for man to “earn” his way into Heaven. That is not the point or purpose of this article. No man can “earn” such a gift (Rom. 6:23b). At the same time, we need to recognize that God expects folks to give their all (100%) in service to Him (Lk. 17:10) daily! The Bible reveals that since Christ died for us, we need to live for Him (II Cor. 5:14-15; Rom. 12:1-2)! Christ gave His all; why do we think we can be accepted with any less than our all? The apostle Paul understood this and declared that he was, “crucified with Christ,” and that he lived his life, “by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Friend, are you living for Christ and living by faith? If not, why not?
When one becomes a Christian (Mk. 16:16), this one becomes a bond-servant to Christ (Rom. 8:16-18). As such, this means that we love and serve Him totally — 100%! Sadly, Satan wants folks to lower their standards and be negligent in the work of the Lord, even if it is just a “little bit.” When we are tempted to do this, I hope we will look back to this little “checklist” and see the dangers posed when we settle for even 99.9% rather than 100%. If such danger is posed in our society when we settle for less than 100%, how much more spiritual danger do we expose ourselves and others to when we settle for less than 100% in our commitment and faithfulness to God (I Cor. 15:58)?
