OUR DECISIONS will determine OUR DESTINY!
September
11 Bible Reading: Daniel Chapters 1-3
OUR DECISIONS will determine OUR DESTINY
"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the
portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore
he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. God...brought Daniel into the favor and
goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs...God gave them knowledge and skill in all
literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and
dreams." (Dan 1:8-9, 17)
Daniel
purposed not to eat the king’s food which was forbidden to Jews. Such
separation is twofold: it is toward the
Lord, and away from things that
defile. The results of the ten-day experiment demonstrated God’s approval
of Daniel’s courage and conviction. Even Nebuchadnezzar found the four Hebrews
to be not only healthy, but also wise in giving counsel (v. 19).
There may be
three possible reasons why Daniel made the crucial decision not to defile
himself with the king's food:
- The meats provided for the king's table was forbidden by the Jewish law (see Lev. 11).
- The delicate food would be only to gratify the lust of the flesh (1 Cor. 9:27).
- The food provided were already consecrated to idols (Acts 15:29).
When Daniel
did his part, God did not fail to do His part and made the king’s steward greatly
respect and admire Daniel. Daniel is distinguished from his companions in his
ability to interpret dreams and visions, much as Joseph was in the court of
Pharaoh (Gen. 40:8; 41:16). Thus, the obedience of Daniel and his friends to
God, and their refusal to compromise their faith in a heathen environment, were
rewarded with God’s blessing (Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4). God’s blessing was not just
limited to physical well-being, but also included outstanding intellectual
development during their three years of Babylonian education.
The success
of Daniel’s plan was due more to the sovereignty of God in blessing his
spiritual commitment than it was to the diet. In times of testing we also need
to remain faithful to God. Sometimes this will require:
- Wisdom to seek a creative compromise that
would enable us to meet society’s expectations without violating our spiritual
beliefs (1:8–14)
- Courage to be willing to stand up for our
beliefs when no compromise is possible (3:15–18)
- Personal discipline to develop a lifestyle of
faithfulness so the right response to a test will come “naturally” (6:10)
Perhaps in no other area do we have as great an
opportunity to influence people around us as in our ethics and morality in our schools,
colleges and workplaces. How we behave on the job tells others everything they
need to know about our values and commitments. The question is, are we standing
for what is right? Remember, our
decisions will determine our destiny!
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (1 John 2:15-17)
