June 10th

Better Jobs

Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. Daniel 6:3

What motivates you in the workplace? Is it your paycheck? Your work ethic? Your fear of losing your job?

We all know that it is good to be motivated at work. Whatever motivates you, I am glad for it, but I want to share with you the best motivator we can have.

All of the things I listed above can motivate us to produce good work, but they do not have the ability to set us apart from anyone else in the world. We can have these motivations, yet be no different than the non-Christian in the cubical or office next to ours.

The only motivator that can set us apart from the world is our relationship with God. This is what we can learn from our verses today, as they show us what distinguished Daniel above his peers in the kingdoms of Babylon and Persian-the excellent spirit in him.

We have an excellent Spirit in us, and by His work in us and through us we can be distinguished above all those who work around us on a daily basis.

How did Daniel set himself up for being distinguished because of his excellent spirit? He did three things:

First, he looked to God for answers whenever he faced a difficult situation. When his boss, the king, was in a tight place, he prayed to God for answers and then delivered a word of the Lord to the king that exactly fit the need.

Second, he refused to compromise his faith. His faithfulness to the Lord forged a deep relationship with Him on which He could rely in good times and bad. Also, because he was faithful to God, God multiplied what He had given Daniel.

Third, he worked his tail off. In the book of Daniel, we only read the exclamation points of his life, but this short book spans several decades. His faithfulness, hard work, and integrity sustained him in the right place in between the exclamation points so that he would always be in the right places at the right times.

It is also worth noting that Daniel served at least three kings in two different empires, which means that his employment endured drastic transitions. His faithfulness and integrity kept his job safe even during corporate buy-outs, mergers, and transitions of power.

Daniel was set apart because of his excellent spirit, found in his relationship with God. Can you say the same?

Prayer Holy Spirit,

Thank You that You set me apart! Please help me to be like Daniel in my workplace, so that I can glorify You and advance Your kingdom.

Amen