𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱?

Some of us were taught, quietly, that ambition is carnal. That wanting to be excellent is pride in a suit. That the humble thing is to stay small and let the world have the top.
Scripture never taught that. We did.
"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." Proverbs 22:29. God wrote diligence into the path to the palace. Excellence is not a worldly value we borrowed. It is a kingdom value the world copied.
Look at the record.
Daniel was not merely faithful in Babylon. He was "ten times better" than every expert in the empire. Daniel 1:20. Joseph was not just a good slave. He was the best administrator in Potiphar's house, then in the prison, then in Egypt. Bezalel was filled with the Spirit specifically to be the finest craftsman in Israel. Exodus 31:3
None of them aimed low to look holy.
𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. It is poor stewardship wearing humility's clothes. The servant who buried his talent and gave back exactly what he received was not praised for being modest. He was called wicked. Matthew 25:26
So yes. Aspire. Be the best in the room. Learn more than your peers. Ship better work. Take the hard problems nobody wants.
But watch the motive, because the same verse that sends you to kings can send you to idols.
𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 says: He gave me this, I will return it multiplied. 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 says: I will be seen, I will be first, I will be enough. Same output. Opposite altar.
The test is simple. When you are the best in the room, who gets the glory? Daniel interpreted the dream and said, "there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets." Daniel 2:28. The excellence pointed up.
Be ten times better. Then point up.
"Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord." Colossians 3:23. Heartily does not mean adequately.
#InNotOf #Faith #Excellence #Work