I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. Daniel 5:4
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
The Bible tells us that Daniel had a reputation for having an excellent spirit. Before he stepped into the palace, Daniel was excellent. Having an excellent spirit is very different than being perfectionist or performing to get a reward.
In our culture, we very much operate on reward system. We reward our children for doing something right, and we sometimes bribe them to get their cooperation. We look for rewards in schools as well. We want our children to be highlighted at school and be rewarded for their achievements at school or sports by trophies and accolades. The children are excited about being highlighted, and we are proud of their rewards and accomplishments.
We look for rewards and benefits at our jobs for doing a good job, and we also expect it in the church for following and serving Christ. People work hard, so they can be rewarded a promotion at work or gain a ministry position at church.
Rewards in and of themselves are not a problem. Many times new believers and especially young people need encouragement to keep going and doing the right thing for a while. However, at some point the reward system in the form of prize or being highlighted must diminish if we want to develop the character of the individual. We need to allow the person grow above and beyond being rewarded for the right actions and the right behavior.
The problem with a continual reward system is that the person’s character doesn’t fully mature because their goal is to be rewarded before they choose to do the right thing. Their focus is: ”What’s in it for me?, What will I get out of it?, How will this help me to be seen or to get ahead?”
If we are going to develop as people of character, rewards cannot be the motivating factor to stretch us into excellence! There needs to be a deeper conviction about who we are and whose we are that causes us to live differently and operate at a higher standard and code of conduct.
Daniel was one of these individuals, and I will share about his character qualities that made him excellent!
