I watched a TV show the other night about an exclusive motorcycle company from Italy. The company had a passion for excellence and it showed up in the price. It was one of the most expensive motorcycles in the world. The employees were not called mechanics or designers, but artists. No time limit was given to build a motorcycle, each artist took as much time as needed to finish the bike. If it took a couple of days longer, that was fine. The customer understood each person had to sign off on the quality of work done.

The part that amazed me was the philosophy behind the company. It was to improve a little bit every day. The engine for example was designed by Porsche and produced 140 hp when introduced in 1998. In the last eleven years, it has increased to 180 hp one or two hp at a time. For example, the computer showed a possible increase of hp if the exhaust valve was moved the distance of the thickness of a human hair. The engine team moved the valve and a 2 hp increase was achieved. The whole team was cheering each other and breaking open the champagne. This is the type of quality demanded in each department. Trying to do a little better today than you did yesterday.

The company owner said it was like an orange. When you have squeezed it as hard as you can, you don't think there is any more juice inside. Yet, if you really try, you can squeeze one more drop out. Each day they try to increase quality by one drop.

What a great way to live the Christian life. Instead of looking for radical changes in our life with the Lord, we should try to improve one drop each day. Radical changes indicate you were radically wrong. Once a car is on the highway, only a small movement of the steering wheel is necessary. This is the way it is with our relationship with the Lord. Ask yourself this question: How can I walk a little bit closer to the Lord today than I did yesterday? Can I squeeze one more drop out of the orange?

I watched a show on T.V. last week about a famous motorcycle manufacturer in Italy. They are obsessed with quality and it shows in everything they do, including the price they charge for each bike.

They only manufacture one engine. It has been in production since 1998 and has been fine-tuned every day since it was produced. When the engine first came out, it produced 140 horsepower. Today it produces 180 horsepower. Over a period of ten years it has been increased one or two horsepower at a time. The last increase brought about two horsepower as the exhaust valve was moved less than the distance of a human hair. The owner of the company compared the engine and the motorcycle to an orange. He said about the time you think you have squeezed all the juice out of an orange, you squeeze a little harder and little more comes out.

How often do we think we have squeezed all of the dedication for the Lord out of our life we can yet, when we reexamine our life each day, we find new areas where increase can take place. We also think if we do not make great strides for the Lord, we are not truly advancing. After living for the Lord for many years, we need to focus on the small advances we can make each day. Ask yourself a question: Is there any area of my spiritual life which can be improved? The answer will always be “yes”. With prayer and scrutiny, we can always find a little more spiritual juice to squeeze out to give to the Lord. Why don’t you examine your life today to see where you can squeeze out more for the Lord?