“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
REFERENCE:
Daniel was a young man of princely lineage carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. From the day Daniel stepped into the foreign land, the trajectory of his life was nothing short of a miracle. It began with a decision not to defile himself with the idolatrous culture of Babylon but to keep his love and fear of God above other things. God honored him.
Daniel was gifted with divine abilities to interpret dreams, explain enigmas, and resolve riddles. Although there were three government changes, Daniel was relevant and respected by the various rulers of Babylon. When Darius the Mede captured Babylon, he divided it into 120 provinces with 120 satraps (administrators) ruling over them. King Darius appointed 3 Governors over the 120 satraps as direct assistants to him; Daniel was one of them. He intended to promote Daniel to the office of Vice-Monarch because he distinguished himself above the other Governors. Sadly, this earned him the envy of his colleagues.
The description of Daniel as ‘distinguished’ was not a title but an expression of his exceptional service and commitment to duty. He outperformed his peers in administration, supervision, accountability, probity, and organization. Our text says it was because an excellent spirit was in him. Daniel did everything well and took time to develop and improve himself through prayer (Daniel 6:10) and consistent study (Daniel 9:2). Aristotle said, “Excellence is never an accident, it is always the result of high intention, sincere efforts, and intelligent execution.” Daniel did nothing half-heartedly that needed to be done well in the first place. He involved the Holy Spirit in his personal and civil responsibilities; that was why he had phenomenal results.
Are you just one of the ‘Governors’ in your field, or are you distinguished from the rest? It is not enough to say “I also ran”, it is better to win or make an impact. You will be distinguished and noticed if you use Daniel’s combination of godliness, study, and prayer. Give every assignment your best, constantly improve yourself, and take the Holy Spirit from the church into all your secular engagements. Decide to be highly intentional, make sincere efforts, and give intelligent execution to all you do. You will arrive at excellence and distinction; God will promote you above your peers and it will be said of you, “She distinguished herself above her peers.”
PHOTO QUOTE
ADDITIONAL TEXTS:
Proverbs 22:29, Proverbs 12:24 & Philippians 1:9-11
PRAYERS:
+ God, help me to take my prayers, study, and dependence on/fellowship with the Holy Spirit more seriously.
+ May my effort at excellence increase my relevance and cause me to be distinguished amongst my peers.
+ Protect me from envy when excellence begins to promote me above my peers.
Amen 🙏🏽</strong
Lord, help me to put in the effort to be diligent and eventually distinguished in the things I do.
Thank you Father for inspiring examples of men and women who raise my sights and show me what is possible.
I’m uncomfortable with average, I’m a representative of Christ therefore I operate in excellence of character, communication and skills. I study, I upskill, I get better with every effort I put in and I lean on the Holy Spirit for he’s my advantage. Amen.
Lord help me to be a shining light for you wherever you place me, bringing your glory and drawing people to you. May I always distinguish myself as one who has an excellent spirit, the Spirit of God
ONLY APPROVE THINGS THAT ARE EXCELLENT!
…If its worth doing, then do it excellently. Father help me to be conscious of this fact.