Adult Class - Bobby Rogers

In Daniel 1:1-21 the story is told of Daniel who is “enlisted” into the service of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. To facilitate this service the young Jewish man he is required to go through a deprogramming process that would require him to forfeit what he knows to be right and forsake his heritage and traditions to partake in the ways of the Babylonians. This included having a name change, diet change and basically a complete social makeover. Daniel knew this was wrong. Why should he forsake the ways of the God that had blessed him so? In verses 3 and 4 he is described as being one of the children of Israel “…of the kings seed…in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science,…” etc. As this story unfolds Daniel has so impressed his captures that he is able to persuade them to accept a challenge of God’s ways vs. their ways. If they allow him to continue in the way that had got him to this point of favor in his life he promised that God would bless him even more and change wasn’t necessary. The plan worked and Daniel kept his heritage and name. How did he do it? Verse 8 says: “Daniel purposed in his heart…” The word purposed here means to determine or commit. Simply put, he had made up his mind what he would and would not do and when he came to that point in his life when he had to choose he was ready. To put it in 21^st century vernacular, he was being proactive. To be proactive is to live and act outside of the boundaries of circumstance. We are not our feelings. We are not our moods. We are not our environment. Our behavior is a function of decision not conditions. Conscious choice is based on values. Reaction is based on conditions or circumstance. Today we all fall into one of two categories. We either chose to participate as an active, positive part of our sphere of influence or we allow circumstance and environment to defeat us before we even start. Until we buy into this principle we won’t fulfill our God given place in this world. There’s nothing in our life that will satisfy that new nature’s desire to feel connected and productive like committed service to the One who has called us. Is the practice of this principal easy? Probably not. Is it satisfying? Yes. Is it for you? You decide. It worked for Daniel.