| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Deep Discipleship” Our Bible verse for today: “When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in his upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Daniel 6:10 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Faithfulness grows out of discipleship” Daniel was in a tough situation. At this point in his life, he had so distinguished himself by his sterling character and exceptional work ethic that he had been elevated to a high position in the king’s court. But he was surrounded by other high officials and administrators who were jealous of his standing with the king and who therefore conspired against Daniel, trying to orchestrate his downfall. But they were frustrated in all their attempts. In 6:4 we read, “… But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.” Let me ask you, how hard would your enemies have to look to find fault in you? Daniel’s enemies looked hard but couldn’t find anything to charge him with. However, Daniel was known to be faithful to God and to the practice of his faith. And everyone knew that the practice of Daniel’s faith ran counter to the practices of the culture they all lived in. And so, his enemies decided that in order to trap Daniel, they would trick the king into issuing an edict that would require Daniel to violate some aspect of his faith. In this case, the king issued a decree that for thirty days everyone in the kingdom was required – on pain of death – to worship only him, and not any of the other gods or goddesses. That, of course, would include Daniel and his worship of the One True God. So, the edict was issued but Daniel ignored it, and as we read in 6:10 above, he proceeded to worship God exactly the way he had before. I’ll let you read the rest of the story for yourself (spoiler alert: it turned out well for Daniel), but the point I want to make here this morning is that the secret to Daniel’s success as a man of God in a hostile culture was his determination to always remain faithful to God no matter the circumstances or opposition. More than 500 years later, the Apostles of Jesus stated it this way in Acts 5:29, “We must obey God rather than men.” Such resolve grows out of deep discipleship. It takes a spiritually mature man or woman of God to remain faithful in the face of intense opposition or even persecution. The secret to Daniel’s success as a man of God was his faithfulness, and that faithfulness grew out of his deep discipleship practices. The same will be true for us. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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