Dan 6:1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
Dan 6:2 And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
Dan 6:3 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.
Dan 6:4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
Daniel is an excellent example of excellence and stewardship. To be a good steward in Christ one must be faithful, focused and fruitful and value the spirit of excellence.
Daniel had the spirit of excellence in all things and in every capacity. Here are some of his attributes:
Excellence- The Bible says that Daniel had an excellent spirit. Which means everything he did, he did it to the best of his ability!
Faithfulness- When you develop the ability to serve faithfully, as Daniel did, you will discover that God will promote and elevate you. This is where the shift happens.
Humility – Daniel was humble and served as unto the Lord in all that he did. All great leaders are humble.
His humility and doing all things in excellence unto the Lord gave way to good stewardship, which requires a great deal of faithfulness and responsibility.
Stewardship- Daniel was a Hebrew in Babylon (modern day Iraq) and Persia (modern day Iran) and they wanted to set him over the whole realm because of his faithfulness and good stewardship!
We must remember that faithfulness will always lead to good stewardship, and good stewardship gives way to greater levels of leadership.
Trustworthy – Daniel was trusted so much they promoted him and wanted to set him over the whole realm. Paul said in “2 Tim 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
WE cannot and must not give opportunities to unfaithful people. Because it is unbiblical! Trusting God is only half of it. The real issue is:
Can God trust us? Daniel didn’t complain or make excuses. He served faithfully and did his job in a spirit of excellence, and he was rewarded!
Daniel didn’t seek after promotion, it happened naturally because he served with excellence and valued stewardship!
A spirit of excellence means paying meticulous attention to detail in every assignment and ensuring the final product represents God in a way that brings Him glory.
Today, we must recognize that we must be good stewards of the opportunities that God gives us to lead His people.
If we are not faithful on one level, God will not give us opportunities at higher levels of service!
In conclusion, we must be convinced that the habits and patterns we develop in excellence, faithfulness and stewardship will be the deciding factor in all the great things that God does in our lives!
God Bless! Pastor Quinn