Daniel 6:13
“So they answered and said before the king, ‘That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.’”
I am not sure how many times I have read and studied the book of Daniel, but it is many times. Each time I read it I am struck dumb by this passage that I have chosen for today’s Scripture. There were over 100 administrators who were so jealous of Daniel that they poked and pried into every area of his life. They were trying to find some fault so the king would not appoint him to head the whole kingdom.
How do you imagine you and I would survive such an intense examination? It makes us squirm a little doesn’t it? I once read of a man in a position of spiritual leadership who spoke with great conviction from the pulpit, but with his family he was bitter and critical. The man’s hypocritical behavior was witnessed by his son’s friend who rejected the gospel because of it.
Daniel was a man who lived his faith at all times. He was willing to die rather than turn his back on his Heavenly Father. The night he spent at the Lion’s Inn was easier for him than it was for the king.
As we examine our own lives we need to see a constancy that is not wishy-washy, but true and faithful at all times. Our actions must always match our words!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil