But

Read Daniel 1:1-9

The Bible is amazing! Which shouldn’t surprise anyone; after all it is the unchanging Word of God. One of the things that fascinates me the most is the fact that the same instructions and principles given by God thousands of years ago are just as relevant today and tomorrow as they were when they were first spoken. I guess this is yet another reason it’s called the Living Word. Now, let’s get into the book of Daniel. Hopefully by now you have read Daniel 1:1-9, but if not, then please take a few minutes to do this now. Don’t worry, we will wait for you. Okay, where were we? In the first chapter of Daniel we have King Nebuchadnezzar taking over Jerusalem. In this piece, King Nebuchadnezzar will represent the secular society, the world we live in today.

When King Nebuchadnezzar took over Jerusalem, his goal was to influence and teach the people the ways of the Chaldeans (or society today) rather than the ways of God. The people would go to school and partake in the events, entertainment, and culture at the King’s palace. Often times, these things were profane and always in opposition to God. Just like then, we have all kinds of things in our society that are trying to influence and teach us how to fit in—ultimately leading us away from God and hindering our spirits in the process. The participation and acceptance of this world’s agenda means compromising God’s standards. Daniel was confronted with these profane influences of song, dance, and entertainment. Daniel was told to live as a Chaldean and not as a fol-lower of God, but instead of partaking in these acts, he chose to “seek ye first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). Every day we, as followers of Jesus, are confronted with people, places, and things that are all about the culture, society’s views and our flesh. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, we learn our purpose. “So whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” I really like how the late great Nelson Mandela said it, “we were born to manifest the glory of God.”

It seems we have forgotten all about His glory and are only concerned with pleasure and gain. We want God to bless our lives, but we haven’t decided in our hearts that we will continue to follow Him after the blessing. God will only be a blessing to you if He can be a blessing through you. It may come as a shock, but it’s not about us, it’s all about Him. We have been saved to serve. “Seek ye first” “Everything for His glory” “We were born to manifest the glory of God” Notice a trend here?

We all want God’s favor, God’s blessings, and God’s compassion, but we have yet to commit to Him. We want a “now God, I want you to help and bless me now but I’m not ready to put you first God.” Let me ask you something, brothers and sisters. What do you do that in no way brings glory to God and is not helping you grow spiritually? Whatever it is, I encourage you to get rid of it. “But it’s only a tv show.” “It’s just a song.” “But everyone else is doing it.” “Man, it’s 2015!” It’s not about everybody, it’s about God, and 2015 doesn’t hold a candle next to eternity!

Daniel knew this truth very well and so should we. If you look at the title of this piece, you will notice there is a blank space to fill in. I want you to take another look at Daniel Chapter1, specifically verses 8-9. Earlier in this piece I spoke about how we often want a “now God” (v.9), but we seem to skip over the “but Daniel” (v.8). My challenge to you is this: write your name in the blank and the next time you’re confronted with a person, place, or thing aiming to hinder your growth and lead you away from God’s glory, I want to encourage you to say, “But purposed his/her heart that he/she would not defile himself/herself with portions of this world’s culture and traditions that do not give glory to God and His Kingdom.” The name of this piece is about you, but the purpose of this piece is all about Him. God Bless.

Song of the month: Da Truth, “Table Talk”

With Love in Christ,

Kingdom Kid