Favor of God
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Reading from the Word of God
Daniel 1:8
But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.
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TODAY’S THOUGHTS FROM DANIEL:
There are two things we can learn from Daniel’s response to the king’s decree that they eat a certain food and drink wine (Daniel 1:5). First, we learn that Daniel remained faithful to God when it seemed as though God was not faithful to him. Daniel just had his home destroyed by the king of Babylon and was subsequently taken into captivity (Daniel 1:1-4). To many of us, it may seem as though God had not taken care of Daniel and his fellow Israelites. Even though it appeared that way from a human perspective, Daniel stayed faithful to God and his commandments; even when it came to food.
Second, we learn that Daniel looked for God’s favor above man’s favor. We know that he was taken captive because of his handsome appearance and knowledge (Daniel 1:4). He possessed what was required to succeed in the Babylonian King’s court. But, instead of working his way through the ranks, as all the other young men undoubtedly tried to do, he chose to find favor with God by obeying his commandments. He did this rather than doing what was expected of him by the ambitious men surrounding him.
This is very similar to what many of us deal with as we work our way up the corporate ladder in the business world today. Decisions like, “Do I stick with my morals, or do what all the others did before me to make my way up?”, or, “Is God really going to care about this minor detail I don’t obey if I use my new found position to positively influence others?” Resolve, like Daniel, to seek first God’s favor before men’s, and seek position into his presence, rather than position in a corporation.
Do you seek God’s favor, even when it appears as though he’s placed you in an adverse situation?
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