HomeWord - September 1, 2011

Choosing Faithfulness
This devotional was written by Robin Dugall

But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. 
—Daniel 1:8 (NLT)

I heard a pastor preach a message a few years ago and something he said has stuck with me. He said, “There’s not enough time to get it all done.” On the other hand, our culture promotes the idea that there IS enough time to get it all done and the reason you can’t seem to make it work for you is that you are doing the wrong things.

I have spent my entire life on a search for how to make all of life work. I want to be the best at everything that I do. If I’m not hitting on all cylinders, I feel defeated. I’ve been on a search for how to make life work because I’ve firmly believed that I had to get it all done. Do you ever feel this way?

In the book of Daniel in the Old Testament, there is a story in the opening chapter that addresses these concerns. The story tells us of four young men who have had their entire lives turned upside down. They had been taken from their home, they were in exile in Babylon and they were having a new lifestyle forced on them. They had their names changed and their whole lives upset by new standards and expectations.

 In the middle of the first chapter, Daniel has to make a choice about eating the king’s food. Amidst all the pressure to succumb to a long list of new expectations, the story tells us that Daniel chose to say “no more.” In doing so, he chose faithfulness to God and was blessed in the process.

Now, you and I face similar situations daily, not with food from the king’s table, but with our time. You and I have to decide daily who or what is going to be cheated and who or what is going to get our attention. The choices that you will make today will either bring you in line with the life and will of God, drawing you closer to His purposes or they will move you further from Him.

Today, I urge you to choose faithfulness to God. Invest in the choices that fulfill God’s purposes in you. And, for the rest, join Daniel in saying, “no more.” These are hard decisions to make, to be sure, but you, like Daniel, will find yourself blessed.

GOING DEEPER:

1. What is the pace of your life lately? What are those things that are constantly looking for your attention?

2. Is your pace of life drawing you closer to God or pulling you away from Him? To what can you say “no more”?  How will you act on that today?

FURTHER READING:

Daniel 1; Mark 10:17-31; Hebrews 4:13

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