August 27, 2010 - Winning In A Hostile Environment

Meditation on Daniel 1

Looking at Daniel's life, there was nothing easy about it. He was taken away as a captive to a foreign land with entirely new environment and culture. He had to learn new language and survival skill among the Babylonians. He had to work very hard to compete against smart young people in a royal academy. He had to face a very temperamental, demanding and cruel dictator-king constantly. Later in life, he had to worry about those who were jealous about his successes and therefore devising way to get rid of him. Yet in all these challenging and dangerous situations he came out ahead.

What was the secret of his success? Verse eight gave us the answer, "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." (NKJV) Daniel had made up his mind not to eat the food and drink the wine which were offered to the idols and the unclean food God had commanded the Jews not to partake. This way he would maintain himself not to be defiled spiritually before God. He graciously requested the guard to allow him and his three friends not to eat the king's food but just gave them, vegetables and water for ten days. After the period of testing, Daniel and his friends became even stronger, healthier and even better looking because God was with them. So they did not need to eat the king's food from then on. Daniel's determination to follow God's rule and trusting God so he would not be contaminated by the world gave him the winning edge in every tough situation he faced. This way, he had insured the living presence and wisdom of God with him

Do you want to win in the struggle of life? Read 2 Corinthians 7:1 and Romans 8:37.