'Living With Purpose' - Daniel 1:1-8

On Sunday we were in Daniel 1:1-8 ‘Living with Purpose’. We spoke about the extent of the pressure to compromise that Daniel, and the other captives from Jerusalem, experienced. They were 1,000kms from home, away from family, in Babylon. Their location, the food they were given to eat, and the fact that even their names were changed to the names of Babylonian gods all speak of an intense pressure to conform and compromise. And yet, despite all this, we read, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies…”

 

A key encouragement for us all from this book is that it is possible to withstand temptations to compromise and to conform when living in a godless society. Daniel did. Important to Daniel’s ability to withstand, was that he knew his purpose. He knew that, as an Israelite follower of Yahweh, we was called to live a different life – set apart and undefiled – even in Babylon. So too, you must know your purpose in order to purpose. God has called to live for His glory, to know Him and to live for Him, to honour Him in all that you do. We emphasised also how Daniel “purposed in his heart” and that purposing begins in the heart. There is a world of difference between compliance – doing what you do because others say that you should – and inner conviction. Daniel was a man of great conviction how knew what pleased, and what would not please, God. And he would not compromise on those convictions. What we’ll see with Daniel in the weeks ahead is how purposing today affects tomorrow. What you purpose to do today, and how you determined to live God, by His grace and with the help of the Holy Spirit within, will shape the person you become and all that the Lord will use you for.

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'Against the Tide' - Daniel Overview

Daniel has always been a favourite book of mine, in large part because of what we learn about Bible prophecy from it, but also because of its main character, the man Daniel. There are lessons to learn from every Bible character, but Daniel stands out as someone special. We saw how: 1. Daniel went against the tide; 2. Daniel was a man of conviction; 3. Daniel was a man of prayer; 4. Daniel gave glory to God; 5. Daniel was a holy man in whom was the Spirit of the Holy God; 6. Daniel was courageous; 7. Daniel was faithful; 8. Daniel knew the word; Daniel understood Bible prophecy; and 10. Daniel’s star shines bright.  

 

Perhaps what impresses me most about Daniel is that he was a man who started well, “purpos[ing] in his heart that he would not defiled himself”, and he ended well too. He lived as a captive in Babylon, synonymous with compromise, and yet he was able, decade after decade, king after king, across empires, to faithfully serve and minister as a follower of God. Starting well is important and, having started well, you want to continue well also. But even more important than starting well is finishing well. Sadly, many don’t. We all know Christians who were once on fire for the Lord but have since lost their zeal, petered out, fallen by the wayside. That wasn’t Daniel. He continued on and on and, in this regard, as well as many others, we have a lot to learn from him. May we all, like the Apostle Paul, have the attitude, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press forward toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12 – 14).