“Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.” Daniel 6:3
Daniel was a Jew who was brought to Babylon with thousands of other Jews after King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and vanquished all of Judea. Daniel and his three Hebrew brothers were soon recognized above all the magi, governors, and princes of the Empire. The King even said that, “…in all matters of wisdom and understanding, he found them ten times better than all the [learned] magicians.” The secret to their excellence
wasn’t complicated. They simply honored the Word of God above people, customs, priorities, values, and standards of this world. In other words, they knew God, and no other standard but God’s Word was acceptable to them. Thus, the excellence of the Spirit of truth exuded from them – especially Daniel.
Five centuries later, Jesus entered the earth and began teaching us about the power of words. He said, “…the words I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Words are more than sound waves that we hear. Words carry life forms because they are spiritual in nature. Jesus referred to words as spiritual seeds; seeds that reproduce after their own kind; and, in this fallen world there are two primary spiritual forces that words carry – they are death and life. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” So, we understand that words are seeds that produce fruit.
Many of us have been in the presence of people who have an excellence about them that just seems to be undefinable. It’s beyond the usual stock drones that the life-coach gurus produce. When you’re in the presence of excellence there is a sense of awe. They exude something that goes beyond a good education or upbringing, it goes beyond the hip catch phrases of the day, or the ability to win arguments. Instead, genuine excellence comes from the spirit of man and manifests wisdom, understanding, and knowledge that others don’t possess. A young man named Elihu exposed Job’s comforters in Job 32:8, when he said, “…there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. Excellence is of the spirit and exudes from the spirit of those who have fed on the Word of God and have ‘worked’ the Word. That’s when the life of the Word releases its qualities of excellence in a grace that the world doesn’t have to give. Excellence is what the Spirit of God works into our hearts as we honor His Word above people, customs, priorities, values, and standards of this world.
God honors those who honor Him (I Samuel 2:30), and He exalts those who exalt Him by giving them a spirit of excellence!
With Love,
Pastor Tom
Kingdom Business is Eternal, as are the rewards that come from God. If this ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us in prayer, as the Lord leads you, or in financial support. Please visit our website at www.testamentoflove.org to learn more about this ministry! Luke 6:38