From a Mustard seed by Angus Buchan. This is the story of King Darius, who really loved Daniel and gave him a top position in his government. The rest of his counsellors were jealous and told King Darius that Daniel was not worshipping his god and therefore needed to be thrown into the lions den. Daniel, by the way, had nothing secretive concerning God. He made a point of opening his windows so that all could see, and he prayed three times a day, facing towards Jerusalem. He knew what would happen but he was totally unashamed of God. Daniels openness got him into trouble. We have a saying - a joke, but its true. Theres no such thing as a secret agent Christian in the kingsom of God. If youre a Christian, youve got to be outspoken. Think of the Scripture which says, Im not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God... (Romans 1:16). Time and time again Ive seen that as soon as a man is ashamed that he is a Christian, he has no power. The more outspoken a man is and the more he stands up for Christ, the more the power of God seems to move through his life. This is exactly what happened to Daniel. He was totally unashamed about serving God. The jealous counsellors put King Darius in a terrible situation. He had decreed that any man who worshipped another god would be cast into the den of lions. He loved Daniel; he didnt want him to be hurt at all, but they tied King Darius up so tight that he could not get out of his own decree. You know, its an amazing thing. Ive seen it myself; in fact I was there before I became a Christian. I would be sitting in the pub drinking with the boys and see Christians. My own brother-in-law would come home for the holidays as a young student from Rhodes Unoversity. He would not drink; he was a teetotaller. He abstained from strong drink, even as I do now. When we went to rugby practice he would sit out on the veranda and drink his soft drink. Even though we mocked him and made fun of him, deep down in my heart I admired him because he had the courage to do it. King Darius admired Daniel because of his openness and his steadfastness. He said to Daniel, Daniel, dont be afraid; your God will deliver you (v 16). The Bible says that Darius couldnt sleep that night and went without food because he was so worried about his chief counsellor. The following morning he ran to the den, only to find that Daniel was alive and well. The lions had not even hurt him. Verse 23 tells us that the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel be taken out of the den. Of course, Darius could see that God had protected His servant because he was not ashamed of Him. King Darius then put him in a high place and allowed him to continue to serve his God. Be upstanding. Be righteous in the name of Jesus Christ. Call sin by its name. Dont condemn people, but dont make any apologies for the Lord. John 14:6 will get you into a lot of trouble, but I tell you now that God will never, ever abandon you when you can tell people unashamedly that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, and that no man will come to the Father but by Him. Glory to God! Amen!
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 04:53:23 +0000
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