Resolved

“But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs allow him not to defile himself.” Daniel 1:8

Every generation of Christ followers has a tendency to think that they are enduring the most difficult era of humanity in regard to maintaining their testimony and standards. There is certainly ample evidence that evil is alive and well in our world today. Yet, a stroll down through history reveals that living according to God’s standards has always been counter-cultural. Daniel is perhaps best known to us as the interpreter of dreams and the man who survived the lions’ den. However, I believe the most important point of Daniel’s life occurred much earlier, recorded for us to consider in the verse above. Daniel resolved to not defile himself. The verb means “to put in place.” Daniel made the determination in his heart that he would follow the principles of God- that he would not be swayed by the culture of the day, by his peers, nor by pressure from those in authority over him. He put guidelines in place that helped him choose to do right when he was faced with the temptation to follow the crowd. Friend, my challenge to you today is for you to resolve now how you will live. Resolve now to do right. Resolve now that the temptations of this world will not keep you from pleasing Christ. If you wait until the pressure is on, you will likely crumble. The apostle Paul says it this way, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)