Several weeks ago, I stumbled across Danny Gokey’s video of “Give Me Jesus.” It was so powerful, that I listened to it over and over. So for this post titled Church on Sunday, I wanted a powerful song as the lead-in.
Luckily, in Tennessee, we have been able to go back to church. If your state has opened up for church services, then put on your mask and head out. Too much fear of COVID is drastically affecting the mental health of so many people. If you are healthy and have no existing health concerns,
reclaim your life and “church.”
Last Sunday’s sermon was so relevant, I wanted to share Pastor Daniel’s message. The sermon was from Daniel 1 (Old Testament) and about King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon taking into captivity the people of Judah. God’s prophets had cried out for hundreds of years trying to call the people of Israel and Judah to repentance, but they would not listen. In chapter one of Daniel, we are introduced to four young men who are chosen by the King to enter his service in the palace after they were taught the language and literature of Babylon.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were trained for three years and proved to have unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. (Daniel 1:17 paraphrase)
These young men were willing to learn the language, literature, and about the Babylonian culture, but they made a decision they would not defile themselves with the King’s food that had been sacrificed to idols. They requested water and vegetables for ten days as a test, and after that time, they were found to be healthier and better nourished than all of the other young men trained to be in the King’s service. I always thought this story was about “food” and a better way to eat. It never occurred to me the issue was personal defilement.
The essence of the story is how to live in a wicked culture and maintain one’s faith and commitment to God without defilement. The King’s plan was to remove God from their lives by cultural indoctrination, changing their names to the idols of Babylon, and teaching them the Babylon “way.”
As casual, cultural Christians, we have allowed the enemy to defile us with the things of the world. Daniel drew the line of resistance with food.
When we dull our senses and compromise our conscience by little things that appear insignificant, we end up compromising more than we intend.
If we indulge in little indiscretions, we can lose the purpose of God for our lives.
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