Discover His heart: “He is the living God and He will endure forever, He rescues and saves his people.”
I developed a Chicken Salad recipe several years ago that has become somewhat infamous in my little world. It has very simple ingredients and is easy to make, but there are some necessary steps involved that give it the taste that everyone seems to enjoy. I’ve given the recipe out to dozens of women and men alike and even posted it on my website. Occasionally, someone will say they made the chicken salad, but it just didn’t taste the same as what I had made. My response is always the same, “Did you follow all the steps and not compromise?” Well, they just thought it would be easier to skip toasting the pecans or decided not to chop those golden raisins. They ended up with a chicken salad that wasn’t the real deal. Compromise will do that to you. Fortunately, this is just chicken salad.
The book of Daniel gives the stories of men who would not compromise their faith in God. Life would have been a great deal easier for them if they had just been willing to politely eat the food put before them, skip the prayer time or bow to the statue for just a split second. But no, they decided to follow the recipe step by step, and when it was all said and done, they were the real deal.
When facing the fiery furnace because of their refusal to bow to the golden statue, the captive Hebrew young men responded, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” (3:16-18) No compromise! At the risk of death! Likewise, to the edict that prayers could be offered only to King Darius, Daniel responded by opening his windows and praying to the true and living God. No compromise! God’s response to these faithful children living as captives in a foreign land was to give them great favor and promotion.
We practice compromise almost every day when we negotiate a deal, agree on who is taking the kids to school and even when driving through traffic – after all, yielding our right of way is easier than having an accident. But when it comes to our faith and the standards by which we live, there’s no room for compromise if we want to be the real deal for Him. When we live without compromise we may face some ridicule, we may lose some friends or we may even miss the job promotion. After all, Daniel did spend some time in the lion’s den, but fortunately, he didn’t stay for lunch!
Shocked and thrilled by the outcome for Daniel, heathen King Darius’ life was touched by God’s faithfulness to Daniel, and we read in 6:25-27, “Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: ‘Peace and prosperity to you! I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves his people; He performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.’” And the best news today is – God hasn’t changed!
Moving Forward: “I have decided to live like a believer, turn my back on the deceiver, I’m gonna live what I believe…” (M.Card) No compromise!
Tomorrow @ John 3-4
Phyllis Benigas 