“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
In our world, excellence is a highly sought-after trait that is always rewarded as this shows someone possessing outstanding qualities. Contrary to popular opinion, Excellence is not an inborn attribute; rather, it is a habit that anyone can cultivate.
The Bible describes Daniel as an excellent man. He stood out in all the ways that mattered and would not compromise for anyone, not even the king. It is not surprising that the king set him to be a ruler, as we see from our anchor scripture.
The importance of excellence can not be overemphasized because of the sensitivity of our assignment as believers. We are God’s representatives on earth and souls depend on the work we do. If other people are excellent in different areas of life for rewards like money or fame, as a believer, you should work to be more excellent because you are working for souls!
We can learn commitment and faithfulness from Daniel. He was committed to keeping his convictions and he showed dedication to the duties assigned to him. This commitment could also be seen through his integrity as we see in Daniel 4:6, when the leaders tried to find fault with him to no avail.
In addition to his commitment, Daniel was also competent in several areas. Being competent means having the capacity to function or contribute the right skills. Daniel’s competency made him relevant in his time and made him highly sought after, due to the great wisdom he showed (Daniel 5:12).
Excellence made it easy for Daniel to serve under different administrations. Think about it this way; Daniel served different kinds of kings from Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar, to Darius all the way to Cyrus. With every one of these leaders, Daniel always seemed to move to the top of the organization.
This helps us see that what you may receive by favour once in a while, you receive by excellence every time. 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.
So, just like Daniel, you must constantly strive to be excellent in the expression of your gifts and talents. God is counting on you to be committed to excellence in all that you do.
Bible Reading Plan: Isaiah 31-34