Could you be a Daniel?

Daniel to me is such an inspiring character in the Bible. He was clearly a man of character and not afraid to do what was right - no matter what. I am inspired at his convictions to continue to pray knowing the edict that was pronounced against it. He belonged to the Lord and was not afraid of what proclaiming that relationship might bring. He really laid his life on the line for his convictions. He inspires me to do the same in my walk with the Lord.

I was considering this week how from the very start of his assignment in the king's palace he defined boundaries for himself and God honored his stand by giving him favor with the eunichs of the palace. Daniel and the group of Israelites selected for the king's indoctrination program to train to be the king's ambassadors to the nation of Israel stood firm. Daniel and his three friends were so discerning to realize the dangers that accepting the bounty from the kings coffers. Daniel saw that while there was no law against eating meat, that there was grave danger of becoming defiled and entrenched in the world's value system.

If Daniel had taken from the bounty offered, he may have succomed to temptation if at a later date the king used his bounty to manipulate the Israelite young men into doing his bidding. Daniel's sense of guarding God's reputation even in the midst of captivity was so great that he saw the potential danger. He and his friends requested that they be exempt from the kings table and that they would be given a vegan diet with water to drink. What a bold move on the part of Daniel and what wisdom to see that gifts from this king would bring with it expectations that may compromise their witness!

I think that today we have countless situations facing Christians where we too are faced with the challenges of remaining holy in a fallen world. In particular, I think about some of the stimulus packages and government regulation being passed by government under the guise of "helping" Americans. Certainly, getting you to spend all your money helps the government. It keeps the economy moving and allows jobs to remain in place. In the last recession when we had a huge housing bubble, the recession was mitigated by American's propensity to consume. We are a consumer nation and because so many were willing to refinance their debt into low cost mortgages and take on even more debt by either taking out equity for spending, home projects or just rolling credit card debt on to the house.

Now, several years later, are we really better off having taken the risk and playing the part that the government expected? Do we honestly believe that the stimulus money which is a combination of increased debt and just plain printed money (hence degrading the purchasing power of the wealth you have) is going to lift us out of recession and restore us to the consumer nation that we used to be?

As Christians, I think we need to be very careful about what our goals are. Do we live to build wealth, enjoy family and friends, build a career and then retire to leisure in our golden years or is our goal to honor the Lord Jesus Christ with our lives and bring glory to Him here on earth? Daniel got it; he treasured holiness above personal gain. Daniel didn't take the king's bait.

In the years to come, if the Lord tarries, I believe we will see even greater challenges and likewise opportunities to shine as lights in a dark world. We will be offered opportunity after opportunity to compromise and to take the easy way. It may come in the form of stimulus and incentives or it may be pressure to remain silent in the face of evil. The question each of us must answer is will we take the bait?

Shine brightly my friends that the Lord may receive honor and glory for you know your riches are in Heaven - like Daniel's.