"Moral Courage" November 22 Readings: Daniel 1-2, Hebrews 12:18–13:19, Psalm 129, Proverbs 28:20–21
Reading the Bible in 2023
Each day this year we will read a selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament, a portion of the Psalms, and part of Proverbs. By the end of the year, you will have read the entire Bible. We read this way to give you a bit of variety. In reading four portions of God's word in a day, one of them is bound to speak to your life!
NOTE: If you get behind, do not give up. Read today's readings and try to catch up when you have a chance. The goal is not to "accomplish a task" but to meet God in his word. Read the word. Also, if you are short on time, READ GOD'S WORD and skip my devotional!
Bible Readings: Daniel 1-2, Hebrews 12:18–13:19, Psalm 129, Proverbs 28:20–21
Scriptures linked to Bible Gateway in ESV version
Daily Devotional: Moral Courage
Daniel is one of the truly great men of biblical history. He is one of the few characters in the Bible's story without a major flaw or a sinful failing. From his boyhood in captivity until his older years in the lion's den and through all the visions God gave him, he is an example of spiritual courage and moral excellence.
As we face life in a land that has abandoned and disdained our values, we can gain much from observing how Daniel and his friends took their stands.
On the one hand, they were uncompromising and firm in their beliefs, in Daniel 1 and in future events such as those that led his friends into a fiery furnace and him into a lion's den. Daniel and his friends were young men taken from their homes and families, likely teens who knew that their families were dead and their nation lay in ruins. They had every reason to "go along to get along." "When in Rome, do as the Romans." But they did not. They refused to compromise their convictions.
I am not sure why Daniel refused to eat the meat served to him - nothing in the Jewish law demanded vegetarianism. It is likely that the meats that they were served were "unclean" and not permitted under Jewish law. The point is that he refused to eat that which dishonored God. He lived by his convictions.
But he was not belligerent, insulting, or confrontational about it. He spoke privately to his overseer and worked to strike a compromise, giving them 10 days to prove that they would be okay eating the food they desired to eat. He did not protest or call fire from heaven down on Ashpenaz, threatening him if he did not submit. He was pleasant and tactful, and Ashpenaz was favorable toward him.
Of course, there is a time when a Christian has to take a confrontational stand. John the Baptist was willing to lose his head. Stephen confronted the religious leaders of Israel in strong terms and was stoned to death for it. But when possible, the people of God should live in peace with those around us. We should seek to be more like Daniel and his friends.
Their actions demonstrated an enormous faith in God. They were going to obey God no matter what, believing that God would watch over them - in this situation, in a furnace, in a den with hungry lions - and God always did.
Our calling is to be faithful and obedient to God in all things. We ought to do this tactfully as much as possible, without being obnoxious or unnecessarily confrontational. We must trust that the God of Heaven will bless and use our obedience with his mighty hand of power.
As we face life in a land that has abandoned and disdained our values, we can gain much from observing how Daniel and his friends took their stands.
On the one hand, they were uncompromising and firm in their beliefs, in Daniel 1 and in future events such as those that led his friends into a fiery furnace and him into a lion's den. Daniel and his friends were young men taken from their homes and families, likely teens who knew that their families were dead and their nation lay in ruins. They had every reason to "go along to get along." "When in Rome, do as the Romans." But they did not. They refused to compromise their convictions.
I am not sure why Daniel refused to eat the meat served to him - nothing in the Jewish law demanded vegetarianism. It is likely that the meats that they were served were "unclean" and not permitted under Jewish law. The point is that he refused to eat that which dishonored God. He lived by his convictions.
But he was not belligerent, insulting, or confrontational about it. He spoke privately to his overseer and worked to strike a compromise, giving them 10 days to prove that they would be okay eating the food they desired to eat. He did not protest or call fire from heaven down on Ashpenaz, threatening him if he did not submit. He was pleasant and tactful, and Ashpenaz was favorable toward him.
Of course, there is a time when a Christian has to take a confrontational stand. John the Baptist was willing to lose his head. Stephen confronted the religious leaders of Israel in strong terms and was stoned to death for it. But when possible, the people of God should live in peace with those around us. We should seek to be more like Daniel and his friends.
Their actions demonstrated an enormous faith in God. They were going to obey God no matter what, believing that God would watch over them - in this situation, in a furnace, in a den with hungry lions - and God always did.
Our calling is to be faithful and obedient to God in all things. We ought to do this tactfully as much as possible, without being obnoxious or unnecessarily confrontational. We must trust that the God of Heaven will bless and use our obedience with his mighty hand of power.
Father, help me to walk in humble obedience to you, to trust that your will is always best, your way is always right and your word is always true.
Consider God's Word:
Did one of these passages speak strongly to you today? Which one?
Is there sin in your life that needs to be confessed and dealt with that was revealed in one of these passages?
Is there a struggle in your life that one of these passages spoke to?
Think of a time when you faced a difficult moral choice - a chance to either stand for God and for what is right or to compromise and to go along with the world. What did you do?
Do you stand in moral courage for what is right?
Do you stand in moral courage for what is right?
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