Introduction
God desires the best out of His children. He does not take pleasure in people who settle for the least. Mediocrity should not be an attribute of believers, but they are encouraged to strive for mastery in all their endeavors.
Desiring to be Approved
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2Ti 2:15). A believer is expected to expand himself or herself in whatever business s/he is capable of doing. One has to push himself or herself forward, accept the challenge, and work against all odds to be what God has created him/her to be. Paul writes that he has not already attained but one thing he does is that he stretches himself forward to capture the reason for which he has been captured by Christ Jesus (Php 3:12-13).
Timothy is to study the word of God to receive God´s approval. You may not be required by God to study to show yourself approved, but you may be required to show yourself approved as an entrepreneur, a businesswoman or a businessman. You may be required to show yourself approved as a policeman or as a military personnel. God expects you to demonstrate excellence in whatever gifts or ability He has endowed you with.
Excellent Spirit
When God gives gifts to a person, He gives that which is excellent. This was a case with Daniel. It is testified of him, that, “..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. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him” (Dan 6:3-4).
What distinguished Daniel from all others was his excellent spirit. A person would definitely remain unrecognized if s/he performs averagely. Believers should focus on achieving excellence. Mediocrity should be rejected outright by the people of God. We must work beyond the expectations of men and live to please God. Daniel was an immigrant young man but he had no equal among the royals. He was unique and spectacular. He operated at a higher level than the rest of his contemporaries. Believers are not to succumb to the threats of the established giants neither should they yield to the pressure from within. The children of God are supposed to fetch from the godly deposits on the inside of them, lean on the righteousness of God, and accelerate on the grace of God to maximize their potential.
Conclusion
God has deposited some seed of greatness and excellence in all of us but we need to invest time, efforts and commitment to discover and rediscover that potential as we conscientiously and continuously develop that potential and maximize it for public consumption, and to the glory of the Father.
Prayer: Lord God, help us to discover our passion, and potential and lead us on the path of excellence. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN!