ICS Daily Devotions
Consecrate Your Life to God
Dan 1:5, 8-9 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king… But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore, he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.
The Book of Daniel contains many applicable lessons for those serving in the marketplace today. When Jerusalem was besieged by the Babylonians, Daniel and his three friends were brought to serve King Nebuchadnezzar. Imagine the number of adjustments they have had to make in the Babylonian system, which is not unlike us sometimes when we move to a new country with entirely different cultures and values. Working under a different worldview, Daniel has had to quickly decide what he wanted and stood for.
For a start, the Babylonian diet was very different. Their food would either have been offered to pagan gods or violated the Levitical dietary laws. Although Daniel was offered a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and wine, he made up his mind to honour God and not defile himself and thus made a request to the chief of the eunuchs.
One might view being chosen to serve King Nebuchadnezzar as a promotion for Daniel despite being in captivity. He might have been tempted to climb the corporate ladder by seeking the affirmation from men and thus compromise his values, but Scripture says that because Daniel honoured God, God brought him into the favour and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.
At only age 15, Daniel must have been taught well by his parents and had all these values in him before being brought to Babylon, but he has also had to make a personal decision to consecrate his life to God, hold onto his belief in God and the calling upon his life.
Like Daniel, many of us hold important positions in society today. Because we are the salt and light to the world, we should work out beforehand what our values are so that we can be led by our convictions instead of conforming to the world. Like Daniel, let’s decide in our hearts to live a consecrated life that is subject to God.
Sermon Series: The Daniels Of Today
