By Afam Eruchalu
Excellence is the quality of being the very best, being outstanding, being distinguished and it puts the possessor in an exclusive class and on top of the pack. It is a quality that God Himself has and desires His children to have. Unfortunately, today, many people including God’s children celebrate mediocrity. This is particularly the trend among youths. This is eloquently shown in the result sheets or score cards of many students in schools. You will see that what the generality of students aim for today are ‘Cs’ in different subjects. ‘A’ is excellence; ‘B’ is good; ‘C’ is average; ‘P’ is merely a pass and ‘F’ is failure. Many today are contented with a ‘C’ and even celebrate, especially if they also got a ‘C’ in Mathematics. This is terrible because it was not so with us in the past generation when we went to secondary school. In those days, you either got a grade one or grade two or grade three in your O-levels. Everyone aspired for a grade one and would want nothing else. So, it is a great surprise when I see the generality of students nowadays who aim for a ‘C’ and celebrate when they obtain a weak ‘C’, like C6. It is a wonder to see a generation that does not aim at excellence and pursue it. You will usually get what you aim at. Also the good can become the enemy of the best. When people are contented with the good then they will not strive for the best. Excellence is the best and to become the very best you can become. It does not come by mere wishful thinking but something to desire and pursue.
Note that excellence is in different areas of life. There is moral excellence (virtue) which translates to an excellent character. There is also academic excellence, vocational excellence and excellence in every other area of life and human endeavor. An excellent person strives to be best and distinguished in every area of life and in whatever he undertakes. To strive to be excellent in one area, e.g. academics, but be morally bankrupt will rob you of being really excellent. A person that has very good grades in his exams but is proud and boastful has spoilt his good grades with a bad character. Once you are very good in some areas but have problems in even a few, that ‘but’ may have robbed you of the testimony of being excellent. An excellent person strives to be excellent all round and in every area.
An Excellent Spirit
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 6:3 KJV)
We were introduced to Daniel in the Book of Daniel Chapter one when he was among the captives brought to Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar. He was then an adolescent probably about 17 years old. By the time Darius took over the Kingdom he was already in his eighties. It was at this time that Darius wanted to elevate some 120 men to be in charge of his empire. Three (3) presidents were to be appointed to be over the 120. And among the 3, Daniel was to be the first. The reason the Bible gave for this was because an excellent spirit was in him. Since we met Daniel at about 17, he had been extraordinary. Every regime sought his service and input. Even when Belshazzar tried to retire him he had to be called back into duty when trouble came. At 85 he should have retired but Darius seemed not to be able to do without him if his Kingdom would not suffer damage. Daniel was simply outstanding and seemed indispensable. Everybody wanted his service, whether you liked him or not. Daniel brought something to office which no one else seemed to have. His ability was unquestionably superlative and he could achieve what others could not, even the Chaldeans and other renowned people. What did Daniel have that others did not have? What could he bring that others could not? Actually what made Daniel excellent was God the Almighty, Who was the embodiment of Excellency. Everything about Him is excellent. The way it is put here and the reason Daniel would bring His Excellency, the Most High, into every situation was because he had an excellent spirit or that an excellent spirit was in him. Now take note that one cannot really be excellent without God. A but will intervene to spoil that testimony. The way I see Daniel’s testimony of an excellent spirit is that Daniel had a mind of excellence; an attitude of excellence. He was excellent minded and thought excellence. Right from when we saw him as a teenager, that had been his spirit and “as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:” (Prov. 23:7). Daniel would not think of anything less than the best and so never settled for anything less. Nothing but the very best would satisfy him. So, for all his years, even when he became an old man that was the way he was minded and his way of life. When Daniel scored 90/100 he was still not satisfied.
Now, excellency is a spirit, an attitude; the way a person is minded and so thinks. It is a driver within which drives a man to seek the best results and the highest standards in whatever he does. It gives a man the ardent desire (lust) to do his best and do excellently. Please take note, even at this point that lust destroys lust and fire destroys fire. What do I mean by this? Lust is a passionate and strong desire for something that will not stop until it gets what it wants. It is a fire that is not easily quenched until it is assuaged. It can either be positive or negative. One can have lust for the opposite sex, pornography, partying, etc. One lust will destroy the other. Lust for pornography and watching some kinds of firms will destroy lust for Bible study and prayer. Lust for excellency cannot go with lust for evil. Sometimes you see drug addicts, womanizers, cheats, etc., who want to excel in academics or in a vocation like tailoring, carpentry, etc. What you will discover is that no matter how skillful such people are, they do not make it because people do not trust them. See the way the Holy Ghost instructed Timothy on this through his spiritual father, Paul: Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Tim. 2:22). If ever Timothy (and you too) must pursue righteousness, faith, charity and so on, he (and you too) must first flee youthful lusts. You cannot be attending wild party and praying inside the party. One must give way to the other. So if you must strive for excellence, godliness, peace, etc., then you must be done with every negative lust and fire.
Please take a cursory note of “with them that call upon God out of a pure heart”. Those you go along with in this matter is very crucial. To help your life, especially as a young person who cares too much about the opinion of others, you must be careful in what ship-relationship, friendship, etc.- you are travelling. If you must strive for excellence you must also seek people of a kindred spirit and go with them. Daniel did not consort with just anybody but with likeminded men like Shedrach, Meschack and Abednego. Such young people may be scarce in your school, Church and neighbourhood but you must find them. People whose hearts are pure, not those full of impurities and so cannot see God, for only the pure in heart can see Him.
Again, please take note that this mark of distinction that distinguished Daniel – an excellent of spirit – had been in him right from his adolescent days. While others were eating from the king’s table and joining the crowd of mediocres who were celebrating being invited to wine and dine in king’s banquet hall, Daniel was more concerned about defilement and his connection with God and purposed in his heart not to defile himself. He rigidly stood firm on his convictions and refused to shift no matter what would be the consequence because nothing was to be allowed to come between him and the One that made him excellent. The first point to make here is that genuine and wholesome excellence comes from the Excellent One – the Holy God. Secondly, it is best cultivated when one is young and in the flower of age. Again, it needs to be an attitude to be maintained and kept growing all the days of one’s life. Several people began with this spirit but ‘cooled off’ as time went on and settled for mediocrity in their latter days. This must not be your portion. Pray to be like Daniel who started with this spirit as a youth and still maintained it and got deeper even in old age.
Additives to Your Faith
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:5-11 KJV).
We want to point out that the matter of excellence is not an option but a command. Though one is born again and has received God’s precious promises and have become a partaker of His divine nature we are still asked, on our own side to add certain things to our faith. The first of these is virtue, goodness, moral excellence. Following these, there are other additives also that talk of developing character. The Living Bible renders verse 5 like this: But to obtain these gifts, you need more than faith; you must also work hard to be good, and even that is not enough…yes, you must work hard and develop these additives by study, learning prayer, practice of the Word of God, etc. Faith is not enough to become godly, goodly and excellent. As you strive for excellence and grow strong spiritually, you will see that you will also begin to strive to excel in academics and other areas. The fruit of virtue and other fruits of character will distinguish you and make you useful to our Lord Jesus Christ. A man who has repented and put his faith in the Lord Jesus but continues to wobble and keep sinning and rising and falling is described as blind and at best shortsighted. Such may even keep doubting his/her salvation. But whoever diligently pursues excellence and other additives, confirms his calling and election, makes it sure and is making progress and will not likely stumble and fall but will have the gates of heaven opened widely unto him/her. So friend, do not just be content to be born again. Refuse evil and strive to be the very best you can to add excellence (virtue) and other additives to your faith as you grow steadily to become like Jesus. Take His yoke and learn of Him in the Word of God and prayers and submit to every dealing He will subject you to.
Means of Pursuing Excellence
Note these few instructions, and some others you will discover, as a means of pursuing excellence:
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
(1 Cor 9:24-27 KJV).
Just reading this passage will quickly give you the impression that becoming outstanding in any field of human endeavour is not a joke. It is not a novelty race or football match. Even for those who want to be the best and win the first place in a race, they train strenuously and run to win. They are not just in the arena to be one of the competitors, their mind set is to excel. If those who run for physical and corruptible accolades go to extraordinary lengths to do so, what of those who are engaged in more profitable, noble and truer issues of life?
So, in this passage, you will see what those who want to excel and get the first and best prize must do:
Such must run to win. They must have the attitude to win, not just to compete. They must be purposeful in every step and press on to the finishing line.
Such must be temperate in all things. Such must be self-controlled and disciplined, and must deny themselves of anything that will keep them from doing their best. They should also pray that the Spirit will help them to do what they find difficult to do; like waking up early in the morning. Such do not live like everybody else. They have a timetable and keep to a strict regimen with the help of the Holy Spirit. Their lifestyle is not necessarily drab and dull but focused and result oriented. They stick to their core values and priorities. They are consumed and are about their heavenly Father’s business and what will please Him.
Such must identify with Paul’s testimony that he runs straight to the goal purposefully and fights to win. Paul recognized that a man’s body is the real problem so he said he does not pamper his body but treats it roughly and trains it to do what it should do and not what it wants. Paul’s fear was that if he allowed his body to have what it wants – food, drink, sleep, indulgencies, etc., he would be disqualified after he had preached to others. You also must not allow your body to dictate to you but you must make it do what you want it to do.
In a nutshell you cannot afford to be general and live just like everybody else does. You must be purposeful and press on to excel in every area of life.
And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
(2 Tim 2:5 KJV).
You must take these instructions seriously. Except you follow the rules of a game, you will be disqualified even when you seem to have won. God is the excellent One and excellence is His quality. And you know that there is no darkness or wrong in Him at all. You cannot be striving for excellence in a wrong way. That will not be genuine excellence. For example you cannot be striving for academic excellence and be involved in exam malpractice. You cannot be doing the Lord’s work and be approved without following His rules. God’s work must be done in God’s way to receive Divine commendation and approval. You cannot excel genuinely with cheating. There is no crown except you strive lawfully. So make up your mind to stick to righteousness and never to cut corners. Even when others are cheating and doing wrong things for good grades stick to righteousness and refuse all unrighteousness. At last, God will vindicate you and show you forth as one who has excelled and use you as an audio-visual to others.
Friend, there are so many more instructions you can glean from the Bible and from godly books and godly men to help you to keep on track and excel. If you abide by these and do not derail, you will excel in this life and be crowned by heaven. The Bible is the book of principles and the book of excellence. God is the God of excellence and has put therein testimonies, principles and examples of men who excelled. If you dig inside the Bible, the Holy Spirit will open it and show you these instructions and the men who practiced them and excelled in their time. We have seen Daniel and there are many others in the different ages who have a testimony that they excelled.
Above all is the Lord Jesus Himself who has no equal, a man approved of God. He is the One the Father, above all others, lifts up before us as His beloved Son and commands us to hear and follow Him. As a man He excelled at every stage of life and in all areas. He is our example as a child, a young person and an adult. He excelled as a child at home, excelled as a student; excelled as carpenter and excelled as a servant of God. He is called the Author and Finisher of our faith and God the Father says we are to look unto Him and run our own race after Him. If you learn Him and follow in His footsteps, you will surely be helped of God and excel at every stage of life and every department of life. May God grant you the spirit of excellence.