Today’s Text: Daniel 1:8
But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the
king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of
the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.
Words of Devotion
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 God’s
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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