Excelling Above Your Equals

By Carllister Ejinkeonye 

Dan. 1:1-21; 2:1-23.

In this seminar, we are going to have a Case Study of four youths that excelled above their equals in their day.  Those youths of Bible days were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

When King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and Jerusalem in 605 B. C., and other nations, the Babylonian empire grew so fast that he did not have enough of his own educated men to run the government. He then took good-looking, healthy, well-educated young men to Babylon in order to teach them the culture and language of the Babylonians, so as to make them useful in the king’s royal service. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Dan. 1:3-6).

In order to enter into the service of the king, they needed to have Babylonian citizenship, and so were given Babylonian names.  Despite these new names, these four Jewish young captives resolved to remain loyal to the one and true God, their new status  notwithstanding (Dan. 1:7-13). At the final examination after the three years training, Daniel and his three friends excelled above their equals (Dan. 1:17-20). Their castrated condition was never a discouragement to them. Despite their hopeless status, they determined to excel above their equals, such that when they and other wise men of Babylon faced death sentence by the king, for not being able to tell and interpret his dream, they laboured in prayer to get the answer in order to avert the danger. By this, they once more excelled above their equals (Dan. 2:14-19), proving the unfailing promise of the Living God (Deut. 28:1,13)..

What was the secret behind the excellent performance of these four young men? 

                                                                                                                                                      

         *  their reverential  fear of God (Dan. 1:8; Pro. 1:7; 9:10; Ps. 119:97-100).    

 *                              * their trust in the God that answers prayer (Dan. 2:14-20; Ps. 65:2).    

               * their trust in the God that is faithful to His promises (Dan. 1:10-20; Deut. 28:1,13).

What lessons have the youth in this seminar learnt from these four castrated Jewish young men?

In addition to reverential fear for God, prayer and faith in the unfailing promises of God, the youth of these last days who wants to excel must have strong determination. He or she has to prove it through hard work, doing what his or her equals don’t do, that means going the extra mile.

Can you give some examples? 

What The Student Must Do

Lack of practical experience is the problem with many Nigerian graduates. Our higher institutions lack equipments (in some courses) for practical training.

The student who wants to excel under these circumstances, must do something to help himself to acquire some practical knowledge (that are outside the school curriculum)  but  are relevant to his or her course of study. This additional knowledge will make him or her have an edge over his or her equals at, and after graduation. For example, the Mechanical Engineering student can acquire practical knowledge by attaching himself to a road-side welder or auto-mobile mechanic; the electrical and electronics engineering student can attach himself to a road-side electric-motor re-winder, or a radionic. The BUSAD student can go and learn how to operate the computer, or help a brother in his business, at week-ends or during holidays or breaks. Students that are not in the categories we have used as examples should think of what is or are suitable for them and do them. The secondary and Commercial School students can follow the same example after they might have discovered (either through prayer, counseling or from their personal experience) what they want to be (cons. Pro. 15:22; 22:6). While doing this, you should be humble, obedient and wisely inquisitive.

What The Youth In Business Must Do

In the next ten years if Christ tarries, beginners in business who do not have enough education will find it very difficult to cope. It takes seeing ahead to plan to cope with the future (cons. Prov. 22:3; 29:18).

Apart from working hard through opening your shop or office early, regular study of the market, and wisely investing your money, the youth of today that wants to excel in business has to up grade himself academically, in the areas of book-keeping so as to keep records of the stocks of goods and sales made, and to write simple letters of order for goods through the Internet, in addition to proper learning of the business. In this jet-age, many youths jump into business without learning it at all, or properly. This is one of the reasons why many fail after starting a business (Eccl. 10:15).

If you are not keeping records, you may not readily know the state of your business.  Assuming the business is going down, you may not adjust or take some measures on time that will recover the business from collapsing.

If you are in a haste to be rich, you may consider the issue of up dating yourself a waste of time, but at the end of the day, you will find yourself very poor (Pro. 28:22). Let not poverty be your portion in Jesus’ name.