 |
| Daniel refuses the king's wine |
TO CHEW ON: "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." Daniel 1:8
I see three parts to Daniel's action plan:
1. He purposed in his heart (Daniel 1:8a).
2. He acted on his purpose: "therefore he requested..." (Daniel 1:8b).
3. He prepared for objections and opposition. When the steward demurred, he was ready with his 10-day veggie diet test proposal (Daniel 1:10-14).
What is God moving you and me to purpose in our hearts?
Are we doing anything about it? Are we making changes accordingly in the areas of re-arranging our schedules, our menus, our shopping and spending habits, our leisure time, our time of rising and going to bed?
Resistance is sure to come. Are we prepared with creative alternatives so we can see our purpose through?
And then, do we have grace for ourselves to start again if we stumble in our purpose plan?
I love how Leslyn Musch sums up the lessons in Daniel 1:8-16 in her Truth-In-Action Through Daniel commentary:
"Stand firm in your faith and honour God in every decision. Look to Him when faced with temptation to deny Him or to turn from His ways. Believe that He will either provide a way of escape or the grace to endure. Ask God to give you favour, wisdom, and creative alternatives so that you can remain obedient and bring glory to Him" -Leslyn Musch, New Spirit-Filled Bible, p. 1140.
PRAYER: Dear God, I would love for people to say, she purposed in her heart... with the resultant Daniel-style success. Help me to grasp Your purposes in the things I am involved in and to see them through. Amen.
MORE: "Dare to be a Daniel"
Remember the old Sunday School song? Sing along with the kids!
***********
No comments:
Post a Comment