Bible Besties | Daniel and Friends
Today’s Bible Besties devotion is about Daniel and his friends.
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15
Devotion for Today
Jerusalem was besieged by Kind Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon. Not just besieged, but overtaken. King Nebuchadnezzar commanded the best of the young men of the city to be carried back to Babylon and taught the way of their people. One of those young men was Daniel.
King Nebuchadnezzar was all set to spoil the young men with the best food and drink. But Daniel and his friends wanted no part of it. They asked that they only be given only vegetables to eat and water to drink.
Moment of truth, I’m a meat eater. Vegetables are my least favorite food… all of them. So, when I was younger, this part of the Bible really bothered me. Did I really need to give up meat and soda to be faithful to God?
Of course not. If God has called you to do that, by all means, go all in. But the lesson here isn’t so much about what we eat or drink, it’s about having self-control and living a life that’s pleasing to God.
Daniel and his friends didn’t want to defile themselves by eating the food from a king who wasn’t their king. They were being faithful to King Jesus before Jesus was even born.
Daniel and his friends were called to set themselves apart and that’s what we’re called to do as well. Second Timothy 2:21 says, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”
At any point in time, Daniel and his friends could have partaken in the feast the other young men from Jerusalem were having, but their self-discipline was on full display. They set themselves apart, not just by what they ate, but the effort they put in. They rose above all the other young men in wisdom, skill, literature, all of it. They truly were set apart, and they gave all the glory to God.
Self-control isn’t my strong suit, but hanging out with Daniel and his friends is a good place for any of us to start. What is God calling you to do to set yourself apart?
* You can read this part of Daniel’s story in Daniel 1.
