Daniel 1:8
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s delicacies.”
This was a young man, and someone very committed to the Lord. When I read this at first, I didn’t think anything of it, like yeah, it’s a guy from the Bible that honored the Lord they all pretty much do. That wasn’t the eyes I should have been reading with. I had to place myself in his shoes as much as possible. So, David was selected to receive special attention and training. After Nebuchadnezzar saw all these men, he wanted all of them to eat his food and drink the kings wine- for most young men or really anyone it would be extremely hard to resist that temptation. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s delicacies.” He was going to keep himself pure from the impurity around him. God blessed him in doing that; not only did He give him favor with his superiors, but he gave him a mind that was stronger and quicker than any of the other young men. Time after time Daniel was put in many situations just like we all do in life- but he never failed at staying committed and honoring his Lord. Daniel would not be swayed from his purpose. I think of my downfalls and wrong doings and how so often I find myself failing time and time again- and never succeeding. But God has been teaching me just this. To stay committed to His word and His promises, and He is a faithful God and wants to bless us and teach us in our many mistakes. Just like Daniel, doing anything else other than honoring the Lord even in the hard times would be compromise. Daniel determined from a young age to live a holy life before God, regardless of the temptations or consequences, and God honored him for that. Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Now being pure can sometimes get mixed up with being perfect. No one is perfect, but we are made pure by the blood of the lamb and by the cross and sacrifice Jesus did on Calvary.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IBS- Matthew 8: 9-10 “For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go’, and he goes; and to another, ‘Come’, and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this’, and he does it. When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” I have read this chapter and have heard it said out loud in church for many years but never really looked to it in depth. For the first time I saw it in the shoes of the centurion- which thanks to Talia I know what that is. I started getting overwhelmed just reading these two verses but then started from verse 5-13. This mans pride stood out to me, I feel as though this man is luke warm with God. Where he knows of Him and all of Gods good works but also is wanting to be a “god” in the life of others. What’s hard for this man is he doesn’t want to let go of what he knows and go into something so unknown and trust someone again. ...
Read more
IBS- 1 John 4:4 “ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” I am His and He is mine. I have to remind myself that God is infinitely stronger than Satan. And in the end God will win- He always does. The Lord is always ready. When times come around and I fall short, He is there, He is never not going to be there, ready and armed for anything. Knowing how far and how deep God will really go is never a question. Many times, I fail, still His mercy remains. It confirms it right here that we (His children) are “from God” comforting right? It is to me for sure. Its exciting! The one that lives in me is the One who concord death. When I stop and really think about this verse and all that it means to me, it takes me back to the feet of Jesus, to the place where I have to come to a place of total brokenness to receive all that He has for me. God has overcome it all, yet I question Him in how He is go...
Read more
LUKE 21:19 “ By your patience posses your souls.” The first thing God impressed on my heart was James 1:4 “Let patience have its perfect work.” Patience is something I personally struggle with greatly; you guys are learning more and more about me- how I have major pride issues- walls higher than I ever wanted- and a great lack of patience. But in all of this I have God- God working in me constantly- God opening my eyes to so many new things especially in His word- and God breaking down walls in areas I didn’t even know were built up so high. Before even reading or even knowing what our IBS was God had already opened my eyes to working in me patience and Luke 21:19 was one of the verses He opened my eyes too that I have never seen or read and understood before. Thinking about this verse and then asking God to really help me understand it was interesting this time- interesting but good. I was very overwhelmed with people back in NY and just the things happening around me on a daily...
Read more