Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
May 4, 2022
Read Daniel 1:1-15
1 In the third year of the rule of Judah’s King Jehoiakim, Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem and attacked it. 2 The Lord handed Judah’s King Jehoiakim over to Nebuchadnezzar, along with some of the equipment from God’s house. Nebuchadnezzar took these to Shinar, to his own god’s temple, putting them in his god’s treasury. 3 Nebuchadnezzar instructed his highest official Ashpenaz to choose royal descendants and members of the ruling class from the Israelites 4 good-looking young men without defects, skilled in all wisdom, possessing knowledge, conversant with learning, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. Ashpenaz was to teach them the Chaldean language and its literature. 5 The king assigned these young men daily allotments from his own food and from the royal wine. Ashpenaz was to teach them for three years so that at the end of that time they could serve before the king. 6 Among these young men from the Judeans were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 But the chief official gave them new names. He named Daniel “Belteshazzar,” Hananiah “Shadrach,” Mishael “Meshach,” and Azariah “Abednego.” 8 Daniel decided that he wouldn’t pollute himself with the king’s rations or the royal wine, and he appealed to the chief official in hopes that he wouldn’t have to do so. 9 Now God had established faithful loyalty between Daniel and the chief official; 10 but the chief official said to Daniel, “I’m afraid of my master, the king, who has mandated what you are to eat and drink. What will happen if he sees your faces looking thinner than the other young men in your group? The king will have my head because of you!” 11 So Daniel spoke to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 12 “Why not test your servants for ten days? You could give us a diet of vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance to the appearance of the young men who eat the king’s food. Then deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 The guard decided to go along with their plan and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.
Good Morning, Rejoice! Rejoice! Again, I say Rejoice!
It is a beautiful morning following the cleansing rain last night, and the birds are singing their approval for the sweet, smelling air. Take time to give thanks to our Lord and Savior as you meditate today.
Earthly pleasures surround us, and it is easy to be tempted to join in with others in their enjoyment. We think that a little indulgence is okay because we just want to see what others find so good. Maybe we even think, “I’ll try it once and then I’ll walk away.”
In the case of Daniel and his friends, the indulgence was eating and drinking the king’s food and wine. We are not given specifics as to why they wouldn’t want to partake, but perhaps, it was considered unclean in their own culture or it was too rich. Think of those times you go on a trip and you eat all of the specialty foods of the area. At the end of the day, you feel sick because your body is rejecting the unknown foods.
Even though Daniel was being held to serve this earthly king, he wanted to maintain his own Jewish practices and traditions, so he convinced the guard to give them a “special” diet. God recognized Daniel’s efforts to remain faithful and at the end of ten days, Daniel and his group showed no ill effects of the meager diet. Daniel will continue his walk with God for his entire life.
How can we avoid being tempted by earthly desires? We must stand strong in our faith no matter what others offer to us. The most powerful temptations are not physical things like food, but ideas that earthly leaders deem important like power and wealth that are gained at the expense of others. We must never lose sight of the one we have chosen to follow, and turn away from our temptations.
Loving and Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. We love you, but sometimes we are tempted by evil. Help us see the light so that we may not lose our way. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: I will commit to God’s way, knowing that it is always better.
Rejoice in our Lord! Pastor Liz
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