Daniel’s Powerful Example

As a young Sunday school student, I learned about the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den. What surprised me was when I found out that Daniel was in the Lion’s Den not because of something he did wrong, but something he did right! That still confuses people today. We live under the assumption that when you do something wrong you should be punished, and when you do something right, you should be rewarded. That makes common sense, but it isn’t always true. These days’ things seem to be reversed. You do what is wrong and you’re rewarded, and you do what is right and you pay a big price.

Today, Christians have been litigated or brow-beaten into being fearful to utter the words “Merry Christmas,” or to display a Nativity scene celebrating the one and only reason there is a Christmas Day. If you are a Christian in the United States and open about it, you will become a target of some sort, it’s only a matter of time.

Daniel’s life was threatened for not obeying a man-made law that would violate his faith and yet he refused to take the easy way out. He wasn’t a fair-weather believer who would only serve God when it personally convenient or when there was no price to pay. His relationship with God superseded everything else. 

God used the faithfulness of Daniel to influence the life of a powerful Gentile king. In the same way, God wants to use you to be the catalyst in the life of those around you at work, in your family, or even those you don’t know about. God is always searching for a few good men, women, teens, and churches that He can use to “stand in the gap” and represent Him and His message to a lost world. How about you?

Press On,

Pastor Brian Richard