The Spirit of ExcellenceSample

THE EXCELLENT SPIRIT OF DANIEL

INTRODUCTION

Today our world is crying out for excellence! Too many people are living in a life of mediocrity, trying to stroll through work and life by doing the bare minimum, avoiding commitment, accountability, and responsibility wherever possible. Our God however does all things perfectly. Everything He created is good. Every detail from the greatest to the least, from the biggest to the smallest, is taken into consideration and completed in excellence. It was never God’s intention to create people just to live a life of mediocrity, not putting the special gift of talents which were given by God to each individual to good use.

In the Old Testament, one of the examples of a man having an excellent spirit is none other than Daniel. Daniel’s spirit was the result of the way he handled himself, and the way he treated other people, and most of all, the manner in which he served his God. These are all key factors in the development of Daniel’s character and nature. Perhaps if we could pick out those characteristics that made Daniel into a man with an excellent spirit, then we could develop that same kind of excellent spirit too.

SHARING

Daniel’s story begins in scripture when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded and conquered Judah and captured Jerusalem. He was taken in captivity to Babylon while he was still a youth. But in the midst of exile and foreign control and hostilities, he shone brightly in the darkness. He stood tall and served four different kings, from King Nebuchadnezzar to King Belshazzar (son of Nebuchadnezzar) to King Darius and finally King Cyrus. How was Daniel able to excel in the midst of adverse circumstances and hostilities, maintaining the same excellent spirit?

1. A Man Greatly Loved by God

Daniel was a man of great faithfulness. From his youth, Daniel was determined to live by the laws of God, even in a foreign and distant land. He was a man of true devotion to God. In his moments of crisis, he turned first to God in prayer before turning to the problems. His enemies used his dedication to God and his regular prayer times to trap him and turn the king against him but the grace of God protected Daniel. Because Daniel loved God dearly, God loved him dearly. In three passages in the Scriptures, he was called a man “greatly beloved” by God (Daniel 9:23; Daniel 10:11; Daniel 10:19)

2. A Man Who Didn’t Defile Himself

In the midst of high society living, Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine. Daniel made up his mind to eat and drink only what God had approved for His people to eat. Therefore, he asked the king’s chief official for permission not to eat the food and wine served in the royal palace. How could Daniel be defiled by just eating the king’s food? There were basically two main reasons:

• The Babylonian food might not be prepared in accordance with the Jewish dietary laws. They might not be kosher.

• There was a high probability that the food taken by the king had first been offered to idols.

Many of us think that God would understand if Daniel compromised and ate the food. After all, he was in captivity, and he didn’t really have a choice. But Daniel did have a choice. He made the choice to take a stand for God, no matter what the consequences would be, even if it meant to die. This commitment was evident throughout all his years in Babylon.

3. A Man Who Didn’t Compromise

In Daniel 6, Daniel was serving King Darius the Mede, who had conquered the Babylonians. Darius divided his kingdom into 120 provinces, each under a satrap. The satraps were accountable to three governors. Daniel was one of the three. He soon proved himself to be more capable than the other two governors. However, this angered other governors, who plotted his death by convincing the king to issue a decree against praying to anyone except the king. In spite of the decree, Daniel continued to pray to his sovereign God. As a result, he was condemned to die in a den of hungry lions. However, God intervened and saved his life by shutting the mouths of the lions (Daniel 6:22). David prospered in the reign of Darius. He didn’t compromise even at the cost of his life. He knew the principle stated in Matthew 10:39: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

4. A Man Who Allowed God to Work Through Him

Daniel’s qualification for prophetic ministry was his delight in the Lord. He was willing to spend quality time with Him in times of prayers and worship. He was available for His Master’s use. Even though he was a high-ranking official with loads of heavy responsibilities and busy schedules, his heart was always turned to God. He was able to hear His voice in the midst of many other noises! He didn’t allow his position, work, or pride to get in the way of becoming an effective instrument of God. He recognized and acknowledged the Lordship of his God. He ministered first to Him before ministering to others! He had direct access to the King of kings, the Lord of lords.

When Daniel was summoned before King Nebuchadnezzar to interpret a dream, he answered in the presence of the king, and said that “this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living.” It was not because Daniel was more intelligent than others that God chose him. It was because he was humble before God and man. He knew that God was using him to reveal the pride in the heart of the king that would eventually cause his downfall! Daniel allowed God to work in him, and through him to be a blessing to those around him.

5. A Man of Integrity

Looking at the various dreams and visions that Daniel interpreted for the different kings, there was one common feature that stood out prominently. In each of them, the messages and interpretations that Daniel received from God were not something that the kings would love to hear. However, instead of hiding the truth, Daniel simply told them the truth. He was faithful in proclaiming the very words that God had spoken to him. It was this level of honesty and integrity that set Daniel apart from the rest. All the four kings were impressed by Daniel. They could always count on Daniel to tell them the truth, and to do the right thing. They knew that Daniel would not garner their favors by telling lies.

REFLECTION

1. Do you have an excellent spirit in you? Are you striving to obtain that excellent spirit? 

2. In what other ways can you excel in the midst of adverse circumstances and hostilities, maintaining the same excellent spirit?

CONCLUSION

Daniel served in high positions of the pagan government for more than sixty years of his life. This was an incredible accomplishment for a child of God! In ancient times, a new king would kill all the advisors of the previous king so that there would not be any possible upheavals or revolts. In spite of that, Daniel was chosen to serve four successive kings. The Bible even recorded that at least three of these four kings promoted Daniel to one of the highest positions of authority and trust. Why? Simply because Daniel had excellence and lasting quality. As Daniel grew older, he did not become useless and ineffective. He maintained his cutting edge by renewing his mind in the Spirit, and not conforming himself to worldly standards. He remained faithful to God and man. There was no error or fault found in him. When the kings wanted something done, they could count on Daniel to deliver the goods. Daniel did all things with an excellent spirit. An excellent spirit is a humble spirit. An excellent spirit obeys the leading of the Holy Spirit. God loves to exalt an excellent spirit.