February 27.
An Excellent Spirit

Daniel 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.

I am always threatened when I read about the life of Daniel. He’s So straight; he is so upright. I’m at home with fellows like Abraham who lied about his wife and said she was his sister. Even that is pretty straightforward because he went down on record as telling a lie. If I could get out of here with nothing on my record but just a lie, I would be doing well. I can understand Moses who got mad, lost his temper, killed an Egyptian and buried him in the sand. I could understand how he would get upset with the complaining, rebellious people that he was leading. I can understand Samson getting his hair cut in the wrong barbershop. But Daniel’s own enemies couldn’t find a fault. You don’t have to be my enemy to find fault in me. You could be my friend and find faults in me.

Daniel is old now. I watched him when he was just a teenager and refused meat at the King’s table because of his beliefs. Daniel discovered then that when you stand for something, you won’t fall for just anything. Now he’s in his nineties and has lived through the reigns of several kings. The Bible gives us some holy helpful hints to tell us how Daniel made it to where he was.

The text says he had an excellent spirit. He was honest, good, humble and careful how he lived. So Daniel was put in charge of all the presidents and princes in the kingdom. Daniel was also faithful. Whatever you’re in be faithful in that, your job, your family, your church, and most of all to God. Develop good habits of being on time, having a good attitude, and being happy for the success of others. Don’t be arrogant, lazy, and self-centered. Daniel learned to be faithful to the Lord in good times and bad and became a powerful example for us all. Maintain an excellent spirit!