This Devotional won't be a series like the past two because it is just something I felt led to share when doing some personal reading. The story of Daniel and the Lions Den can be found in Daniel chapter 6 and has multiple lessons that can be learned from Daniel's dedication and devotion to God. I, however, really want to focus on one particular verse that really amazed me and made me think and I hope it has the same effect on you.
Daniel 6: 4-5 "At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, 'We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.'"
After reading this verse, I could not help but think to myself, "There was nothing that the others could hold against Daniel?" All I could do was think about all the "little" sins that Daniel could have committed and still been an overall good guy. He could have told a little white lie here and there, took a little extra money to buy himself something nice since he was the best at what he did or even imprisoned someone that looked at him the wrong way simply because he could and overall he still would have been a pretty good guy. But then I looked at the situation in a different way and realized, "There was nothing that the others could hold against Daniel!" What a testimony that is! Just being a pretty good guy was not good enough for Daniel. Daniel was a MAN OF GOD and was devoted to being the best one he could. Could you imagine if those who were trying to bring you down because they envied you had no grounds whatsoever on which to smear your character? If they could not bring up that one time you did something that was immoral, unjust or just plain ungodly? Think about it, is there anywhere in your life where those who are around you on a regular basis can find no fault in your character? To where they would have to go a step further and say the only way they can catch you being unlawful or unrighteous is if praising God becomes illegal? Well that was Daniel's situation in this chapter and it something that we as Christians should strive for on a regular basis for many reasons.
As I continue to type I am discovering the multiple lessons to be learned from this popular story so it seems God may have had more in mind for this particular blog than I foresaw. This being said, return throughout the next week or so to read what it is God is showing me in this chapter for our daily walk with God. I will discuss a few reasons God tells us that we have to be blameless and Holy as Daniel came to be in this chapter and the rewards God has for us if we dedicate ourselves to a righteous walk with him. So let's just call this the introduction. =)
Dedicating ourselves to a righteous walk with God takes much more than sinning so it's not something the majority are going to do. Yet, God does reward us for our faithfulness.
ReplyDeleteLook at Abraham. He had faith in God, and it was counted towards him for righteousness.
God tells us that "Many are the afflictions of the righteous" and "Don't be weary in well doing for we shall reap if we faint not." He didn't say those things for no reason. He knew saying yes to him would me having to say no to the world and having to crucify our flesh daily.
I don't know about you, but I don't know of anything that was crucified (besides Christ himself) that didn't make a sound as they were being crucified.
So again I say, God knew we would have trials and tribulations. He called them "light afflictions." He also said that in this world we could have houses and lands and the hundredfold blessing...but he didn't stop there. He said "With hundredfold persecutions." That's why so many of us never reap the blessing or the harvest. We get weary in well doing. We can't take the hurt, pain, humiliation, lonliness, et cetera of the hundredfold persecutions. Yet, if we just hold on and know that Jesus is praying for us just as he did for Peter, we too shall obtain the crown.
Love ya, babe. Stay in the fight. Stay in the press. It may not feel good, but (to paraphrase the Bible) the troubles of this world are not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed in us.