Daniel Week Six, Day One Read Daniel 6:1-5 If you’ve ever argued with a spouse, family member, or an old friend, you know that arguments rarely stay on topic. You may start by heatedly debating some random but relevant thing, but it can quickly devolve into yelling about some random Saturday night seven years ago when you said that hurtful thing even though you were clearly joking. When you’re fighting, it can be hard to resist pulling things out from the past to get a leg up on the competition. Because God had been working through the life of Daniel in such a powerful way, he had been moving up the ladder in the kingdom. Darius the king appointed 120 people to rule throughout the kingdom, and those 120 people would report to three administrators. Daniel had performed so well as one of the administrators that the king was planning to have Daniel rule over the entire kingdom. The other officials weren’t happen about Daniel receiving such a high position, so they sought to tear him down. They looked for something to charge Daniel with concerning how he conducted his business, but they couldn’t find any corruption in him because he wasn’t corrupt or negligent. Finally, they came to the conclusion that, if they were going to get Daniel, it would have to have something to do with his relationship with his God. Out of all the incredible stories in Daniel’s life, this may be the most impressive. Especially as you look at the mud slinging that happens in modern day politics, the other government officials not being able to find one single negative thing to point to in how Daniel handled his business and lived his life is truly remarkable. If the only negative thing people can say about you is about your devotion to God, you’re doing pretty good. It could be easy to look at the life of Daniel and feel discouraged because we don’t measure up to this high standard that Daniel set. If someone wanted to tear us down, there would be plenty of ammunition for those people to get most of us. But, the good news is that how you’ve lived your life in the past doesn’t have to determine how you live in the future. Sure, people may throw your past back at you now and then, but you can find peace in the fact that God is right there with you as you try to change your lifestyle. You may not have lived a squeaky clean life. Most of us haven’t. But, you can choose how you’ll live in the future. REFLECT: Why do you think the other officials were out to get Daniel? Have you ever experienced a similar situation in your life? PRAY: As you pray today, begin by asking God to help you have the same type of life and devotion to Him that Daniel had. // TWO-A-DAYS // GO A LITTLE FARTHER WITH YOUR DAILY DEVOTIONS // Go through these questions with your spouse, kids, or friend, or you can even journal about the answers to these questions:
- What was the best part of your day?
- What was the toughest part of your day?
- Where did you mess up today?
- Where did you see God today?
Recent Comments