The Choice of ExcellenceSample

Have An Excellent Spirit

“It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.” ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭6:1-3‬ ‭ESV

Have you ever been around people for whom everything about them seemed to be excellent? They had a great attitude. They performed their work at the highest levels. They had a clear mind and always seemed to say the right things. And when they were involved in something, that same spirit seemed to infect the others they were working with. That is the description given to Daniel. He is described as having an excellent spirit.

The word excellent here means extraordinary or exceptional. His excellent spirit had allowed him to rise to one of the highest offices in the land. He was given much responsibility. 

I have found that people are like water to a boat. They either make things float or they make things sink. That often is determined by the spirit in which we approach things. An excellent spirit is not determined by the circumstances. An excellent spirit impacts the circumstances. It is how we have chosen to live no matter what situation we find ourselves in. May we determine today to have an excellent spirit.