Scripture Reading: Daniel 1:8-21, 1 Kings 8:50, 1 Peter 2:11-17
One of my least laudable traits is vanity. Most people my age have sucked their gut in when posing for a photo at some point, and some of us go to much greater lengths to improve their appearance. Sadly, I’ve even been known to cherrypick a Bible verse here or there to justify the lengths I’m willing to go to protect the altar of my own ego.
About five years ago, I was reading about the vegetable and water-only diet from Daniel 1 that led to visibly improved physical health, and the plan came together in my mind right there on the spot. The “Daniel Diet” was going to make me a physical specimen, it would jumpstart my literary career, and I would become a cultural leader in the health and lifestyle market. However, a quick internet search revealed that someone had already trodden the landscape of this intellectual property. For now, I would remain flabby, broke, and culturally irrelevant!
I was disappointed, but disappointment inevitably leads me inward, which, in my case, is where the Holy Spirit dwells. And here, I was convicted.
I had gone from earnestly seeking God’s heart in Scripture to blindly chasing the chimeric light of my own possible glory. How quickly our sin nature can distort something pure and holy into something dark and twisted! Ironically, reading about Daniel’s non-negotiable resistance to the food culture of ancient Babylon somehow led to my imagining how I might leverage God’s Word to make a name for myself in the beauty culture of twenty-first century America.
Clearly, I needed to revisit the story and see what actually motivated Daniel’s obedience.
“God had granted Daniel kindness and compassion from the chief eunuch” (Daniel 1:9), which perhaps galvanized his courage to stand firm on his conviction. He clearly seemed to have understood that God was faithful and that He would not abandon or forsake His children. Even in the heart of Babylon—the cultural, philosophical, and cosmological antithesis to the kingdom of God—Daniel and his fellow Hebrews chose obedience to God because of who God is, not because of how they would benefit. They trusted in God’s love for them over and above any cultural status or standing that was on the line.
When we’re looking for love or approval anywhere besides God or when we attempt by some personal machinations to render ourselves worthy of love, our behavior ultimately reflects distance from the heart of God. Daniel didn’t eat vegetables and drink water to prove something to someone nor to gain anything for himself. He committed himself to God’s ways as an act of loving faithfulness to the one King he knew would always have his back.
Written by Alex Florez
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106 thoughts on "Faithfulness in Babylon"
The more we really study the word of God, the more we want to be like Him and honnor Him, it’s not always going to be easy with all the many influences around us. I have been starting to learn that when I hold on to things lightly all those things do is go right back to were they came from. And those things never will make us more or less than anyone else they don’t define us or tell us who we are. God is the one who created us to honnor Him and stay true to our conventions.
No day three for me as well
No day 3 yet….
“When we’re looking for love or approval anywhere besides God or when we attempt by some personal machinations to render ourselves worthy of love, our behavior ultimately reflects distance from the heart of God.” I admit I struggle with this and have to constantly check my heart for my motives. I look forward to the day when all my focus is on Him.
I Pray for God’s Wisdom and Understanding
I Pray to be Faithful like Daniel
I Pray these things in my everyday journey with Jesus
I Pray that nothing will ever make me forget who I am and my Beliefs
And I Also Pray this for All My Sisters in the Community
In Jesus Mighty Name
Amen
Amen!
No day 3 for me either.
Anyone else not getting day 3?
I am not either
It wasn’t on the App for me either. You can get it at the website shereadstruth.com under Current Reading Plan.
amen
Thank you for the prayers yesterday. My new grandson was safely delivered last night,
Congratulations!
Congratulations on the birth of your grandson!
❤️❤️❤️
Praise God and congratulations, Mary Kat ❤❤❤
Yay! Congratulations Marta Kat and your sweet new baby grandson!!!
Congratulations, Grandma! What a blessing ❤️
The more studies I’ve done the more I realize I want to live for God not just act like I do. To honor Him. It is not always easy with the influences around us. I’ve learned to hold onto things lightly (it does all go back in the box). Those things do not make us more than anyone else.
I pray that God will have me see His Word clearly. That I will be used as His instrument. That He will give me the ability to love others as He would love them. That I will look to Him and be committed to Him.
As a vegetarian, I always love this passage in Daniel… Heeheehee!
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Alex (thank you!) reminded us that in everything we need to commit to His ways and remember that He has got our back. Our behavior shows our distance or proximity to Him.
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Let my behavior show others my closeness and not my distance. ❤️
Keeping Faith. Looking only to Him for all things. Keeping Him front and center. Choosing daily to follow Him. … even when my heart is breaking, even when I don’t understand, even when I’m lonely without my precious husband and my son. Even when I’m feeling brokenhearted. Today would be our 48th anniversary and the missing is palpable. But God… He’s holding me. He knows my heart and He knows my pain. He also know my desire to honor and follow Him no matter my circumstances. King of Kings. Lord or Lords. Mighty God. Holy One.
May you experience peace throughout this special day, Faith. ❤️
Praying the memories for your cherished husband and anniversary will bring you joy and comfort.
Mia my heart goes out to you! Praying for you to find some peace and comfort today!
May God hold you and give you peace today Mia. Praying for you. ❤️
Mia….may the Lord’s presence, comfort, peace, strength and goodness carry, hold, and surround you today❤️
prayers for you dear Faith!
Praying for your peace and comfort, Mia ❤️
Praying for you, Mia. May God’s grace and mercy hold you close today!
Our scripture starts with “BUT Daniel “made up his mind” not to defile himself by…”
That’s the key. Rhonda J…do you make up your mind to stand for God no matter what shall come? If I decide to stand on God’s word, and I do that in my life little by little, (steadfast) I walk in the Spirit and trust and obey. Yes, it’s hard, but I believe,as it says it the text today, “God GAVE,” he gives as needed to help us.
The thing I have learned in my life is that when I didn’t follow God my life was a wreck. Not that it’s gonna be roses and flowers following God, but there isn’t going to be the sin causing hurt and pain in me and all around me. There is a difference. The circumstances may be hard, but when I trust in Jesus, he holds and sustains me. There may be backlash, but my Spirit is at rest in me.
In a world that is increasingly hostile to Christians, as I said yesterday, we must prepare for it. Can I stand strong if my life or family’s life was threatened? Again, I have read and followed the stories that are happening right now, and I just don’t know. I am a wimp when scared or bullied. I would probably do as the king said out of fear. BUT GOD. I have to remember HE is more powerful than man or Kings, or gov. Yes, respect, but don’t go against God’s word.
Lord, help us to first off, learn and KNOW your word- for how can we obey if we don’t know it? Give us clear understanding. And let us meditate on it to apply it. Help us to know the NEED to memorize it and have it IN us. We take for granted this amazing book of YOU and your precepts and wisdom for us. It may not always be allowed, so we must store it up in our hearts, souls, and mind. Help us to be bold for you. Help us to be loving as well, not divisive, only when it is standing on you. For your word does divide, for the path is narrow, and the other is wide. There is clear truth in your word, and we must stand on it. We must die on that hill as they say. Help us to be like Daniel, with wisdom and grace. Devoted to you, for your will be done, and that we may run our race well! Praying for all my She’s today and their needs. In Jesus’ name Amen.
Amen
Amen Rhonda J!! Thank you for this!
Amen ❤️
I thought the same. He chose God over the culture around him. Not the “Daniel diet” to make himself look virtuous . Simple obedience. ( brace)
I, too, have fallen into the trap of having the selfish motivation in serving God. Asking God to check my heart!
Praying for all.
Praying right now
I’m pretty sure I have fallen into the same thought of eating this or that or eliminating this or that in the name of being “healthy.” Recently I found out I have a high (bad) cholesterol levels. Totally shocking. And a little sad/scary really. Needless to say I have made some dietary changes as I want to be around for my kiddos. YET, I think about how God already knows when I will take my last breath. Meanwhile, as Alex wonderfully ends our devo, “I will commit to God’s ways as an act of loving faithfulness to the ONE KING he knew would always have his (my) back.”
1 Peter 2:11-17 commentary:
“Peter was careful to point out that Christians in society are representatives of Jesus Christ. Thus, regarding human government, we should respect the office even though we cannot respect the man or woman in the office. As much as possible, we should seek to cooperate with the government and obey the law, but we must never allow the law to make us violate our conscience or disobey God’s Word.” – WARREN WIERSBE NKJV STUDY BIBLE
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The is the scenario we see played out in Daniel’s life. What an example of honorably representing God/Jesus.
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Love, hugs, and prayers! ❤
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SONG SHARE:
Living For Jesus
Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
O Jesus, Lord and Savior,
I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement
Didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master,
My heart shall be Thy throne,
My life I give, henceforth to live,
O Christ, for Thee alone.
2
Living for Jesus who died in my place,
Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.
3
Living for Jesus wherever I am,
Doing each duty in His holy name;
Willing to suffer affliction and loss,
Deeming each trial a part of my cross.
4
Living for Jesus through earth’s little while,
My dearest treasure, the light of His smile;
Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,
Bringing the weary to find rest in Him. – written in 1917 by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm, a devout Methodist minister and prolific hymn writer, best known for the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” (hymnallibrary)
It’s been a long long time since I heard that song. Thanks for sharing and jogging the memory.
Most welcome, Elaine! ❤❤❤
I love it when you remind us of the old hymns! This is a great one and it brings a smile to my face!
Glad to hear that, Lynne!❤❤❤
Great devotional Alex! Guilty of seeking the acceptance and approval of man instead of honoring God. Ouch! How quickly I can convince myself that my motives are just and free but not self-serving. I love how Daniel approached his problem by going through the right channels first. Checking the motivations of my desires today.
This was such a good reminder that it’s easy to look for approval in places other than God. I can relate to wanting to be accepted, liked, or seen a certain way, but Daniel’s example reminded me that being faithful to God has to matter more than how the world sees me. I loved the reminder that God is faithful and won’t abandon His children. I want to keep learning to choose Him even when it’s not the easiest or most popular choice.
SO good today! This reading is so convicting and enlightening. Every situation, no matter how dire, has the opportunity to be used for God’s goodness and has the opportunity for us to be trained in his Godliness and truth. We can’t control where we land sometimes but we can control how we respond. Respond with Godliness and truth – stay true to him and honor him. He will make a way for us even in the worse places or spaces we experience in life.
The author of this devo is quite vulnerable… but how often does the enemy try to twist the Word to satisfy our flesh? In some way we have all fallen prey to this…
Thank you Jesus for your grace. Please help us stand firm in our convictions in the face of pressure.
From Daniel 1:….God had granted Daniel kindness and compassion from the chief eunuch,….God gave these four young men knowledge and understandingq in every kind of literature and wisdom….no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah….In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times better…
What we read in these verses is this howthe Lords favor comes to be when we submit to honoring His direction and are faithful in obedience. What an example Daniel is to us. Living out faithfulness in captivity just could not have been easy at all. And then the passage we read in 2 Peter 2:17 to “Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king,” further instructs us how to live faithfully.
What a challenge to reflect on today to examine my heart on what humble, faifthful obedience looks like, what honoring others looks like, and what seeking God’s heart looks like.
Appreciate everyones thoughts and reflections this morning and praying for your requests.
Welcome to some new friends joining us and those commenting for the first time. I especially want to say welcome to Rochelle and encourage you to be patient as you learn. There is so, so much to learn as we study scripture and its a life long journey. Ask the Lord to instruct and guide your heart as you seek to know Him more. ❤️
Blessings on your day SRT sisters
I have to remember Queen Esther.Even though she didn’t have all ot the visions and prophetic revelations, she was a Jewish girl living in exile.
Both of these stories reveal both Daniel and Esther were living counterculture. Aliens in a foreign land surrounded by people who worshiped idols and celestial bodies, who ate food forbidden by the Torah and did all sorts of things forbidden by Torah.
However had a plan for both of them while in exile.
We see God and show up in some big ways in both stories.
God is with us in the exile, He comforts us. uses us , an loves us in this anti God world.
We like Daniel have to determine to be faithful to our God and not embrace the touchy feel gods of this age or the godlessness of the age.The enviroment is hostile to our beliefs.
Great insight Tanya!
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@Tanya Evans I immediately thought “for such a time as this”!!! Daniel and Esther both spent years “preparing” for their king (emphasis on little k) all the while they were pointing to the true TRUE KING!!!
1 Peter 2:17 stood out to me as well. Much to ponder in my own heart. ❤️
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After reading how Daniel went through the proper channels to ask for permission/accommodation, Keep The Faith comes to mind. Serve and have faith in God rather than making excuses to do otherwise.
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1 Peter 2:17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
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This straightforward verse grabbed my attention this morning.
Respect all people, those who are similar to myself and those who are different, even vastly different. God created each of us and as the children’s song goes, they are precious in His sight. Remember that honoring others doesn’t mean always agreeing, and it does mean not condoning or compromising in ways that go against God’s word.
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Loving the brotherhood and sisterhood of other believers sounds easy but can be far from it. I need to focus on the truth that they are children of God, saved by grace, same as me. This means looking for common ground, seeking agreeable solutions when my brothers and sisters have the same goal yet different workable ways to achieve it (including my husband!), not being disagreeable for the sake of being ‘right’ and joining together in standing firm in God’s word.
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Fearing God, this is many times a misunderstood phrase. Love God, obey Him, worship Him, praise Him, revere Him, remembering He is Lord of all, reigns over all and loves us more than we can grasp. As His children, we don’t need to cower in fear of God as even His discipline is an act of love, guiding us to increase our faith, change our path from sin, draw us closer to Him as we strive to follow His plan for us. Earthly fathers can either model God’s love or distort His love for their own purposes but our Father God’s love and goodness is pure and never changes.
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Honoring the government’s authority. In my 7 decades, or since I was old enough to understand voting and persons in authority, this has been easier at times than others. Much time in prayer is needed for those in authority at every level – local, regional, state, province, nationally (our country and others).
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DEBBIE SAWMILLER praying ❤️
MERCY ❤️ praying for procedure, recovery, insurance approval and medical leave approval ❤️
ADRIENNE – ❤️praying for your friend’s daughter to be healed
MIA FAITH ❤️
TERESA COOPER DONLEY ❤️ thank you for sharing the speaker’s story. Most of us in US don’t have a clue.
JOYFULP ❤️
REBECCA ANN ❤️
CEE GEE ❤️ yes, I was humming that song throughout the day :)
Great thoughts…thank you ❤️
Thank you.
Amen to your wise words ❤️
Very good thoughts. We need to remember to love, even as hate and noise surround us. With God, we can love, and show love, even to those with whom we disagree.
Good share, SEARCHING! Thank you for sharing your wisdom through these readings. ❤❤❤
A great question to ponder. What motivates me to be obedient to god?
Very well written and vulnerable, Alex. Thank you for sharing these true words. This helps me to look at my own motivations and check the intentions behind them.
I don’t often post but am asking prayer for my daughter who was induced at 1:30 this morning CST. Haven’t heard anything yet, it’s very early. Woke up at one point, prayed, put on instrumental worship and was able to sleep a bit more. I am spending some time in worship and study.
praying for daughter, soon to arrive grandchild and med team’s wisdom, for safe delivery and healthy mama and baby ❤️
Praying right now
Praying now, Marya!
Have prayed right now for your daughter & baby❤️
Praying for your daughter!
Praying for a safe delivery and healthy baby and Mama!
Praying right now.
Praying
Praying, indeed! Look forward to hearing a great report soon!
Praying for her safe delivery
Praying❤️
Praying for your daughter and new grandchild. ❤️
❤️
The heading in my Bible for Daniel 1 is “Daniel’s training in Babylon.” As I read through this chapter I see that he is not just being trained to be in the king’s service, but also being trained to be in the KING’s sevice – our great God and King. Daniel did submit himself to the authority of the king, as we are commanded to obey those who have rule over us (1 Peter 2:13) but not to the extent that he would be disobeying God’s commands, especially in eating defiled food or bowing to other gods.
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I feel like every day we are in God’s training. There is always something new to learn, something else to obey. That is where God’s knowledge and understanding come in, and spending time with God – in His word and in prayer is where we’ll find it.
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Lord, please help me to be aware every day that there are lessons to be learned, areas to grow and obedience to heeded . Teach me to do Your will, Your way and all for Your glory alone. In Jesus Name.
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Blessings to all of you today dear She’s.
Love this, king’s service and KING’s service! ❤️
Dear Searching, your prayer is just the words I was searching for. I hope you don’t mind that saved it and prayed.
Thank you❤️
Amen. KINGS service ❤️
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Well said! There needs to be obedience to our authorities, but to stay true to God.
the first thing that struck me today was how similar daniel is to Joseph! I have always looked at daniels story more favorably, more like daniel won this spot bc of how talented he was, but it really stuck out to me today that God gave him favor with the eunuch, and God gave him the wisdom just like Joseph won favor with the prison guards and Pharaoh. just the idea of honoring your enemies, his captors is sticking with me today too. what’s the balance there of honoring them and their culture but not succumbing to it.
Great comparison Lanie. Thanks for this:)
Lanie, my thought too. How he interpreted dreams stuck out to me, like Joseph. Favor while in captivity.
Such wise observation. Thank you Lanie on honoring the enemies vs. not succumbing to their values.
Amen! What a good reminder to check our hearts and keep God at the center of our focus.
“When we’re looking for love or approval anywhere besides God or when we attempt by some personal machinations to render ourselves worthy of love, our behavior ultimately reflects distance from the heart of God.” How often is this the case for myself, desiring love and approval outside of God? What a struggle when we’ve been created for community, but should first and foremost seek God’s approval. Be filled by God’s relationship first then He will direct our other relationships.
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What motivates my obedience (when I obey…)? Sigh… sadly sometimes I think it is to “get” something from God, an answer to prayer, a blessing, recognition from others, etc. Lord forgive me when my motives are less than desirable to you. Help me to be more like Daniel!
Amen!
Amen!❤️
Amen❤️
“Daniel and his fellow Hebrews chose obedience to God because of who God is, not because of how they would benefit. “
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The four young men were full of the faith that others, both in captivity and back in Judah, didn’t have. I wonder whether the four had God-fearing parents that had taught them, or they had heard Jeremiah back home and believed what God had said through the prophet.
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MERCY – praying all paperwork is filled out correctly and the insurance approval process will go smoothly.
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Praying for your other requests as well.
good thought kelly! for daniel we know he was listening to Jeremiah bc later he prays based on Jeremiahs timeline!
Thank you ❤️
What struck me this morning, Ladies is the stark contrast in two servants of God and how they finished their race. Both men deeply devoted to God as young men, as we can clearly see in Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the temple in 1 Kings 8. Daniel trusted God and remained devoted to Him regardless of the pagan influences around him. Solomon, on the other hand allowed pagan influences in divide his loyalites to the one true God.
How critical it is that we keep our eyes focused on Jesus and finish the race well!
Father, help us be in the world but not of the world as we seek to shine Your light!
Great observation, Sally
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Yes!
Thank you for sharing your insight, I know how I want to finish my race. I’m searching my heart and how deeply am I devoted to my God and staying the course out of love for Him
Amen
Amen
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