Daniel 1:20 “And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.”
Proverbs 22:29 “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.”
I Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not just slightly better than those around them. They were way better than those around them; specifically, they were ten times better than those around them.
God had given them skill, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and ability. Yet, undoubtedly they had carefully cultivated these characteristics through God-given circumstances and opportunities. They fostered these talents such that they rose well above their peers and were able to stand before kings. The grace that was bestowed upon them was not in vain because of their diligent labor.
God needs Christians today who carefully cultivate God-given skill, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and ability. He needs us to foster our talents such that we can rise well above our peers and stand before kings. God’s grace that has been bestowed upon us must not be in vain.
Of course, God needs those in ministry to diligently apply the personal gifts that God has freely given them to impact the world. Yet, God calls for diligent Christian experts to impact every realm of our society. God needs them in the military, in government, in law, in sports, in medicine, in education, and in labor. God encourages world-class expertise among Christian craftsmen, firemen, doctors, authors, engineers, mechanics, scientists, carpenters, diplomats, electricians, and actors. He needs men and women of faith who are committed to perfecting their craft in all fields so that they can impact the world through the faithful application and cultivation of their expertise. His gifts must not be in vain.
PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS IN ALL CAREER FIELDS WOULD DILIGENTLY LABOR TO FOSTER OUR GOD-GIVEN TALENTS. May our faithfully applied and cultivated expertise enable us to be ten times better than those around us – all for God’s honor and glory in our land.
Please see the original Ten Times Better post from 2014:
