My answer to the question "What is your favorite book of the bible?" has always been Daniel. Aside from Jesus Himself (and perhaps David too), Daniel is my hero. He is faithful to his God, unwavering. He was taken from Jerusalem and stripped from his family as a young man, along with many of his fellow Israelites, thrown into Babylon, and strongly encouraged to accept the Babylonian culture and submerge himself in it. If he didnt, if he continued to serve Israel's God and, by default, ignore his new king's commands, there could be dire consequences for him, including death. This is where Daniel's devotion excites me, overwhelms me, convicts me...
He simply said no.
He didn't care what others thought, he didn't give in to peer pressure, societal norms, political correctness, or cultural expectations, he wasn't interested in adopting a new perspective or way of life. He only wanted to serve and obey God, as he had been taught from a young age (kudos to his parents! ), and that is exactly what he did. He refused the king's food - which was likely the best money could buy at the time - because it wasn't God-approved. He wouldn't bow to Nebuchadnezzar's statue, along with his God-fearing pals, because God said not to have any gods before him and to not worship idols. He got trapped by his fellow government officials because of his daily devotion to prayer. He refused to pray or honor anyone but God.
He was faithful, devoted, trustworthy, and, most importantly, uncompromising.
I am not Daniel.
I have not honored or served God wholeheartedly. I have not shunned the worldview that envelops my daily life. I have made so many small compromises along the way - listening to some secular music isn't so bad, there's nothing else on TV so I may as well watch this show, I've had a long tough day so it's okay to veg out on the couch with Facebook tonight, I don't have time to read my bible because I have to do laundry/dishes/lesson plans - that I've reduced my faith to just a religion instead of a living, breathing relationship with God. What have I done??
I am not Daniel.
Throughout the past 5 days, I have had to consider the question "Why?" a lot. "Why am I doing this? Why can't I eat that? Why don't I just quit? Why not cheat just a little? No one will know..."
The answer is "because I need it." I've lost my way and I need to be redirected. I need the discipline that comes with this study and the accountability of my fellow believer in all seven life areas because I need my focus to return to Him. I need the worthless distractions to fall by the wayside so my vision and my purpose become clear again. I need this lesson in discipline (yes, even regarding food) because I know I can't and I won't follow God if I continue to be 'The Great Compromiser.' I want to become more like Daniel instead. Stolid. Faithful. Focused.
Our motto for VBS this week comes from Isaiah 30:21. It is simply "This is the way. Walk in it."
Need I say more?
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