It was a society so loose, immoral and full of wickedness, these four men’s spiritual sensibilities were assailed. TODAY IN THE WORD Daniel 1:3-20 - You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. If I am going to make spiritual progress, I must be specific. Along with adopting pagan names, they were to eat from the king's menu, learn the Babylonian language, study their literature, and enter the service of the king. And the world still tries to seduce us. Hold the Gospel banner high! A thousand of them would never support a church or send a missionary. What would it be that sets that person apart? That commitment was to pray each day. He could have made some excuse. Read stories of how God heals, saves, forgives and sets people free from all kinds of bondage. 1:8). They weren't hurt. We must not tolerate the little evils that eat away at the roots of our lives. They had been taken captive along with thousands of their countrymen. | Animal Issues He had set His face like a flint, and neither friend nor foe, man nor devil, could divert Him from His goal. reading by several people gathered around the computer monitor. Today, when you are tempted to compromise your principles, don’t give in. There’s great value in identifying those areas—either in what we do (for example, gossip) or in what we fail to do (such as loving our wives as Christ loved the church)—and then making specific commitments of obedience to God in those areas. You say you want Me to come to your crisis—yet you remain a part of the wicked, worldly system. Have you ever heard the saying "We make our decisions and our decisions turn around and make us"? Here was a man who wanted me to play for him and he was congratulating me for refusing his offer.” The manager respected Happy’s decision. Next, the success problem. Him. Preferences are based on feelings. In the eyes of God, Daniel was a winner. I realized I was the prodigal son and I had not been back home for 15 years. The man said he wanted to come to our country to work as a missionary among the Americans. You won't go astray on the straight and narrow way. Dare to stand alone! For one thing, the fact that it was the "King's choice food" would be a constant reminder of the source of their daily bread. Our Lord did not have a hard face for it was full of love and compassion, but He did have a set face. Habits of life, though harmless they seem, If the answer is âyes,â then there is something in our lives that is not Satan’s ultimate goal is to move you from a point of conviction to a point of preference. Daniel's way proved far the wiser. Elisabeth Eliot, a very wise saint, once said "Does it make sense to pray for guidance about the future if we are not obeying in the thing that lies before us today? Both responded with a commitment to obey God. More than likely you will (3) Peer Pressure - While we have to be careful when the Scripture is silent, Daniel has no record that other Jewish youths refused to bow to the pressures of the wealth and power of Babylon. It is everything that opposes Him and is contrary to His will. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three Hebrew youths who were taken God placed Joseph strategically to become the most powerful adviser to the pharaoh in Egypt and to save Jacob and his family from a devastating drought (Gen. 41:39–40). Job made a personal covenant not to look lustfully at young women (Job 31:1). Great commitments are made in dark hours. apostle Paul. Let us "avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it and pass away." After interpreting Pharaoh's dreams, the Pharaoh exalted Joseph to second in command in Egypt and changed his name to "Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. Abhor it. He asked, ‘How … can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’, Gen. 39:9. The neighborhood dog, Gambrell wrote, is broad-minded, makes up with everybody, gets in no fights, for to him nothing is worth fighting for. In sum, these young men had a strong faith nourished by their exposure to the Word of God (cp Ro 10:17-note), and God's Word provided a grid through which they could filter the godless Babylonian brainwashing. cruelty inflicted upon nearly all farmed animals. homes with love. It took a year and a half before I made another commitment. 16. You will have to get over these notions, now you are here in Babylon. (Embracing Eternity: Living Each Day with a Heart toward Heaven). They are like a donkey between two bales of hay—undecided as to which to eat. Illustration: We know of a youth who, just before he went to college, spent a while with a civil engineer corps. Of Daniel, we read that he ‘purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself’, Dan. A cleanness of desire, It is possible to serve God and work in a hostile environment. That commitment was to pray each day. Get along with your co-workers. It is the temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells. "God has given us a will to choose his will.."—Henrietta C. Mears. But sometimes our pride gets in the way of our walk with God, and we find Must stand for truth, by day, by night— The Bible And the reason is simple—rivers follow the path of least resistance. He also set his face to go to Jerusalem and said, "... none of these things move me" (Acts 21:24). Don’t let that happen to you. This is entirely opposite to the effect of the gospel and therefore a reason why the Christian abhors evil. ‘Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good sense, and have the poise needed to serve in the royal palace’ ” (Daniel 1:4). the Law and worshipped only God. He didn't rise to the top without conflict. He didn't have to tell them (Ezekiel 14:14, 20). The phrase “purposed in his heart” could be translated “laid upon his heart.” Daniel put himself under the full commitment to follow his heart. (Hebrews 6:11, 12). How did F. B. Meyer develop such closeness to the Lord and accomplish so much in his lifetime? | Articles Byron made this mistake, but he was sensitive enough to recognize it and correct it. Paul “determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).…These are only a few of the many men … of the Bible who have left us a record of spiritual greatness born out of a will firmly set to do the will of God.…Let us, then, set our sails in the will of God. Some lasting principles (from Insight for Living)... (1) Inner conviction can overcome any outer pressure to compromise. It's interesting that when we first read about it, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal. That surprised me. But it turns out to be very big indeed as the "rest of the story" demonstrates. Does God really want each of us to commit ourselves as these men did, even to Solomon sinned in many things. Nothing should deter us from the course God wants us to travel. One of our biggest problems today is that most of our church people have never really made up their minds to follow Jesus Christ. It is the act of binding oneself to a course of action. Stephen was a disciple of Jesus Christ and a deacon in the church. Daring not to stand, He knew where He was going. You won't fall for what's wrong if you stand for what's right. There may be some who disagree, Listen, “I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (Revelation 3:15). ", These are the opposite of the saints of the set face! 18. (I would add a blessed life can begin with what may seem like a little obedience!). And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" How did you react? The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”, Eventually I became convicted of the need to spend time reading, studying and memorizing God’s Word which, was another commitment. The real test came at bed time; when he had prepared to retire and the time had come for him to kneel down by the bed, as he had done from childhood. What's the big deal about the king's choice food? Tag: Commitment. Commitment is the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose. Instead, he sought out a different opportunity with another authority figure, his personal guard. same and continue to love as God taught us? Are you allowing your surroundings to determine how you invest your life? The young man who smokes, swears, keeps bad company, plays cards, goes to the theater, drinks, gambles, will find out some day to his sorrow, and to the sorrow of all those intimately associated with him, that sin does not pay. God’s Word has not changed. When Cortez landed on these shores, he burned his ships so that he and his company could not leave. Respect for authority and love for others is more important than drawing attention to ourselves. 2Ti 2:20, 21, 22, 1Co 6:18 Isa 52:11; Jer 51:6 Rev 18:4 Nu 16:21,26,45 Ezra 6:21, 10:11, Pr 9:6 Note command come out of "Babylon" Isa 52:11, Jer 51:45; Rev 18:4.Nu 33:51-56 cp Ex 23:24,33; 34:13; Dt 7:2,5; 12:3; Jos 11:12; Jdg 2:2), Paul gave a similar charge to his half Jewish young disciple, Timothy, Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things (false teachers, false teaching), he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified (set apart), useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Tiny beetles had crawled under the bark and literally eaten the fibers away from the inside. For most believers, there is no choice. They were brought before Nebuchadnezzar who gave then another chance to obey We don’t have to yield to any temptation or foe. Jesus set His face like a flint and walked straight toward the cross.
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