Daniel's Decision

 

Daniel's Decision 

The Book of Daniel is packed with timeless wisdom that speaks directly to today's challenges. In a four part Blog-Post series, we will look at some powerful insights from the book of Daniel that resonate with modern life. 

 "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." (Daniel 1:8)

  I remember when I began serving a church in the Ozarks of Missouri. Here I was, a northern boy, pastoring a church in backwoods community in southern Missouri. I had to learn a whole new culture. And that was a challenge. 

 It was quite a bit more of a challenge when Daniel and his friends were taken captive by the Babylonians. As captives, they had to be immersed in Babylonian society - a place that didn't share their values. Yet they maintained their identity without isolating themselves. Engaged with culture (even accepting Babylonian education with names, while staying true to God) they refused to compromise on core convictions, like the dietary laws, and worship practices. 

 Daniel and his friends, made a decision, that they were not going to compromise their beliefs, and their commitment to the one true God. And that is a lesson for us! How many times have we compromised, and did what the world lured us into doing?. Only to come up disappointed, and guilty. We knew what God wanted us to do, but we went ahead and did what we felt was right in our own eyes. 

 It is not easy to stand up to the world, and to stand up to our own desires. But if we decide like Daniel, that we're going to put The Lord first, and foremost in our lives, it will help us to do the right things, and be blessed by the best things, that God has to offer! GP 

Photo: geralt - Free for use under the Pixabay Content License - www.pixabay.com