Faithful Among the Faithless

Have you ever felt like you were the only one standing firm for what you believe? Is everyone else around you conforming to the world? Daniel and his three friends were put to the test throughout the book of Daniel, yet they stood strong. They remained faithful among the faithless.


Daniel and his three friends - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - were taken captive to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezar while in their teens. They were trained in the language, literature and God-less lifestyle of the Babylonians, yet their faith in the true God did not waver.

Daniel encountered 3 types of people during his 70-plus years of serving in the government and these people still exist in our world today:

1) Conformers - These were people who were happy to conform to the king's commands as long as their own lives were spared and they were given what they wanted. Daniel and his friends refused to eat the king's food because it violated their Jewish beliefs. They refused to worship the king's statue of himself because by doing so would disobey God's command to "have no other gods before me." Daniel risked his life by chosing to continue to pray to his God against the king's decree. Yet, by refusing to conform to what everyone else was doing, God and man, rewarded their faithfulness. Are you a conformist in order to keep peace? Has God tested your faith lately to see how strong and how long you will stand for Him?

2) Informers - These were the people who would do and say anything to discredit Daniel and his friends because of their faithfulness to their God. They were jealous of the positions of power Daniel and his friends had been granted and took every opportunity to "inform" the king whenever his commands were not being followed. Is your faith strong enough to withstand the informers attacks in your life? God had blessed Daniel and his friends in the public eye so that others would see the reward for living a faithful life among the faithless. If they had weakend their resolve because of what the informers were saying, their testimony for God would have been erased forever.

3) Transformers - These young men never knew for sure that God would rescue them from the consequences of sticking to their convictions (the fiery furnace or the lion's den), but in order to be an example of faith and to hopefully influence the lives of the faithless around them, they chose to obey God regardless of the outcome. Every time God spared their lives, people witnessed it with their own eyes. Lives were transformed through the lives of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Are lives being changed because people are watching your faith in action?

Dare to be a Daniel today. Dare to stand firm in your faith, even among the faithless in your life. God blesses and rewards faithfulness. For those old enough to remember the little song we sang as kids - make this your prayer today:
"Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known!" ~ Philip P. Bliss

BLOG COMMENT: Do you have an example/encouragment to share with others of when you stood faithful among the faithless? A time when your faithfulness was rewarded?

Trading My Sorrows...

What makes you cry? What makes you feel deep sorrow? And does that sorrow lead to action?What makes a person cry says alot about them, whether they are self-centered or God-centered. As one of God's choice servants, Jeremiah stands alone in the depth of his emotions as he writes the book of Lamentations. Broken by his care for the people, his love for the nation and his devotion to God, Jeremiah laments as he writes these five funeral songs.

While the book of Jeremiah looks forward with warning, Lamentations looks backward with mourning. Jeremiah sees the devastation, destruction and desolation of the city of Jerusalem. The temple, where God dwelt, is gone and so is God's presence. The people are dying in the streets and there's nothing he can do now. They did not listen when he warned of what God would do if they did not turn back to Him....so he grieves, mourns and weeps.

Do you weep because your selfish pride has been wounded or because people around you lead sinful lives and reject the God who loves them dearly?

Do you weep because someone has insulted you or because someone has insulted your God?

Do you weep because you have lost something of value or because people around you will be lost forever because of their sinfulness?

Our world is filled with injustice, poverty, war and rebellion against God, all of which should move us to tears and to action!

Is it time you traded the things/people/situations/circumstances that cause you sorrow and weep over the things that break God's heart? Jeremiah wept tears of empathy and sympathy. Can you say you do the same thing when you see others reject God's love? Jeremiah's tears were not self-centered. Can you say the same thing?

Ask God to give you a heart like His. One that breaks and mourns for the lost. The abused. The exploited. The innocent. The weak. The poor. The missing. The one who causes you sorrow. Your rejection.

BLOG COMMENT: 1) What breaks your heart and what action have you taken about it? OR 2) Has God put a passion in your heart for a group of people you know He wants you to help?

Success is in the Eye of the Beholder

What is success? Most definitions include references to achieving goals and acquiring wealth, prestige, favor and power. "Successful" people enjoy the good life - being financially and emotionally secure, being surrounded by admirers and enjoying the fruits of their labors. They are leaders with followers and opinion makers with listeners. Their example is emulated; their accomplishments are noticed. They know who they are and where they are going, and they stride confidently to meet their goals.

By these standards, Jeremiah was a miserable failure. For 40 years he served as God's spokesman to Judah, but when Jeremiah spoke, nobody listened. Consistently and passionately he urged them to act; to turn from their evil ways and idolatry or God would punish; but nobody moved. And he certainly did not attain material success. He was penniless, friendless and rejected by friends, family, neighbors, kings and his audience. Throughout his life, Jeremiah stood alone, declaring God's messages of doom, announcing the new covenant and weeping over the fate of his beloved country. In the eyes of the world, Jeremiah was not a success.

But in God's eyes, Jeremiah was one of the most successful people in all biblical history. Why? Because success, as seen by God, involves three things:

1) Obedience - Even though Jeremiah did not have throngs of faithful followers and thousands of fans showing up to hear his next message, he obeyed God regardless. As we look back over his life, we can see that he successfully completed the work God gave him to do in spite of unimaginable opposition and personal sacrifice.

In 2 Chronicles 22:13, David is preparing his son, Solomon, for the building of God's temple in Jerusalem. He reminds him, "... you will have success if you are careful to observe (obey) the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged." Don't you think Jeremiah needed these same words of encouragement as he committed his life to God as His spokesman? Jeremiah suffered many times of fear and discouragement, but he continued to obey. Are you a success in God's eyes because of your willingness to obey regardless the cost?

2) Faithfulness - Success must never be measured by popularity, fame or fortune, for these are temporal measures. Popularity may wane. Fame and fortune may disappear. But faithfulness to God will be rewarded. God's approval alone should be the standard for our life and our service to Him. We should all long to hear Him say - "Well done, my good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).

The world doesn't regard faithfulness the same way God does. The world says that one must do whatever is necessary to achieve success, even if that means being unfaithful in word and deed. Jeremiah was not seeking fame and popularity, for if he had, he probably would have changed his message to a more "feel-good, warm and fuzzy, not offend anybody, let's all get along" message. But he did not and remained faithful to the work and the words God gave him to share. Are you a success in God's eyes because of your faithfulness regardless of what it brings or doesn't bring to your life?

3) Righteousness - What is our motive for what we do? Is it to be seen as a success by the world or God? Colossians 3:17 reminds us that "..whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." This means we are to bring honor to Christ in every aspect and activity of daily living. As a Christian, we represent Christ at all times - wherever we go and whatever we say.

The success we strive for in life should be honoring to God. We should be thankful for the gifts and talents He's given us to serve Him. We should never think of ourselves as better or self-righteous. Our goal should not be to win people's love and affection in order to feel successful. Acceptance or rejection by people is not to be the measure of our success. What will matter most in the end is not what others say about our life, but what God has to say. Are you a success in God's eyes because of your righteousness and the reflection of Christ to others?

No, according to the world, Jeremiah was not a success. According to the world, you may not be also. But with obedience, faithfulness and righteousness, you WILL be in God's eyes!


BLOG COMMENT: Have you ever found yourself following the steps for success according to the world's standard? Where did those steps lead?