“Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm” Daniel 6:3 NKJV
Welcome to the 41st devotional recap of the year. This week, we had lessons on excellence, integrity and mastery. We also learnt how to be excellent and that humility is a path to greatness.
On Monday, in our ‘Lesson on Excellence’, we learnt that excellence is a habit that anyone can cultivate. We considered Daniel who served under three administrations excellently. From him, we learnt the attributes of commitment, faithfulness, and competence which are ways to express excellence. Being excellent will call attention to you and give you access (Isaiah 60:3, Proverbs 22:29). This access provides you with a platform for influence to propagate the ideologies of God’s kingdom on earth.
Tuesday’s lesson was intergrity and Daniel was also our case study for this lesson. From his life, we learnt that it is possible to say no to tempting situations even if it will earn scorn from our colleagues or cost us an opportunity. As believers full of the Spirit, we have the mechanism to lead an upright life living in us (Romans 8:14, Titus 2:11) The Spirit of God will give us strength, wisdom and direction to navigate through tough situations and temptation.
A lesson on Mastery was the topic on Wednesday. Here, we learned from the life of Bezalel and learnt that mastery commands the attention of not just believers but even unbelievers in our sphere of influence. To build mastery, you should be diligent at your work, benchmark and exceed and make the extra effort to be better every day.
On Thursday we learnt some practical tips on excellence. To be excellent, you need to first pick something to be excellent at and then put in the work required. You must consistently strive to go over and beyond in your work. Remember, excellence cannot be arrived at idly or haphazardly. (Proverbs 13:4, 14:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:10b-12)
Friday’s article taught us that grace can be multiplied through humility. We saw the example of Christ in his ministry and learnt that it takes great humility and maturity to wait on God (Philippians 2:5-8). We should follow the example of Christ. We must learn to esteem others above ourselves, honour those ahead of us and build genuine relationships with people.
Take the lessons of the week and apply them in your life. Excellence, mastery, integrity and humility are essential attributes that every believer must build. The good news is you have the Holy Spirit working in you to help you build these so get to work!
Happy weekend.
Bible Reading Plan: 2 Kings 19; Psalms 46, 80, 135