“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank….” Daniel 1:8
For the last two weeks, we have been reading news reports of the athletes who have competed in the Olympics. We were discussing what these young people sacrifice in order to train for these events. They are willing to give up a lot of other things in order to excel in the sport they love. No doubt there were times when they would rather have just thrown in the towel and gone along with their friends and enjoyed life. But they had a goal and a purpose, and they let nothing distract them from working towards that goal.
When Daniel and his friends were taken captive to Babylon, they left behind their life as they had known it. It would have been easy for them to just forget about everything they had been taught and just gone along with the crowd. But Daniel loved the Lord and knew that to be the best he could be, he would have to say “No” to some things. So, he was willing to take a stand for what he believed and refuse the king’s meat. Because he stood, his three friends made the same decision.
We have a goal that we are striving for, to make heaven our home. It may seem we make some sacrifices here on earth, but we know that it is well worth it. We may never wear a gold, silver or bronze medal around our necks for excelling in a sport here on earth, but one day we will receive a crown of life, that will never fade.
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for the desire you have put down in our hearts to make heaven our home, and for the strength you give us to strive towards that goal.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
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