PODCAST
Living Your Convictions
August 27th, 2024
Daniel 1:8-14
Jesus prayed to His Father for His disciples: “Not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15). The four young Israelites did not need to be removed from their new Chaldean culture and its influences to be faithful to their God. In fact, because the God of Israel created all, they were open to learn from others’ languages, literature, wisdom, and knowledge (Dan. 1:4).
Daniel, like Jesus, practiced discernment while living life in the cultural context where he had been placed. He determined what to say yes to and what to say no to. In what “world” are you to be in, but not of? What is God inviting you to say yes to? To say no to?
Notice how Daniel went about saying his no to what he believed would defile him: He asked those in authority over him to allow him to follow his conscience (v. 8), listened to their concerns (vv. 9-11), and devised an experiment that held the potential to bring good outcomes for himself and for them (vv. 11-14). How might you express your convictions to others in a way that values them?
Author: Doug Hardy
