The Power to be Faithful

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “God’s power in you and for you”

Our Bible verse for today: “Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank.” Daniel 1:8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The power to be faithful”

Daniel lived under circumstances that most of us will never experience. His country had been defeated by an invading army; the leaders were all either killed or imprisoned; most of the people, including Daniel, were taken off into captivity in Babylon and made to be slaves; and Daniel then spent the rest of his life as a slave in a foreign country.

Worse, he was expected to conform to the cultural norms of the society he was now in, many of which were evil or in direct opposition to the moral standards of the One True God whom Daniel worshiped and obeyed. But, as we read in Daniel 1:8 (above), Daniel refused to defile himself by conforming to unbiblical cultural expectations – even if his refusal would get him in trouble with the authorities. This is the standard that would one day be established by Peter and John in Acts 5:29 when they said, “We must obey God rather than men.”

If you read the twelve chapters of Daniel’s story you will find that the results were a mixed bag for him. Sometimes he got along okay, sometimes he was even held in high esteem by the authorities for a short while, and at other times he was dangerously out of favor. But Daniel never waivered from his commitment to honor the Lord with his conduct.

How did he do it? Daniel was a powerful man of God who was determined to honor God. God in turn honored Daniel’s resolve by giving him the power he needed to stand tall no matter what he faced. Daniel was living proof of the promise God made almost 900 years earlier to Joshua in Joshua 1:9, “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord our God is with you wherever you go.” And again, through Isaiah almost 200 years before Daniel’s time, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

There’s a lot we can learn from Daniel’s example about God’s power in us and for us, and we will come back to it tomorrow. For today, please remember that no matter what difficulty you are faced with, God is there with you and He will empower you to stand tall for Him and to honor Him by how you handle your challenges.

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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