Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

 Christian witness among people of other faith.

Daniel: 1:1-21
Vs  17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect.


The Book of Daniel chapter brings out the ardent faith of four youngsters and their very difficult life experiences. As Christians, we will face pressure to compromise our faith. Daniel and his three friends faced this compromise in the early life. They were taken captive to Babylon and served under their government.  


The world will try to conform you into their mold, that means, they will brainwash you. These Hebrew young teenagers were being brain washed into a Babylonian worldview. The same pattern employed by Nebuchadnezzar to draw Daniel and his friends away from the Lord is employed all around us today.  
 

Daniel 1:8 shows that Daniel was determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drunk. So he asked permission from the chief officials not to defile himself.  It is easier to resist temptation if you have thought through your convictions well before the temptation arrives. Eating this kind of meat was against Masonic Law and it was also food that was sacrificed to idols. Daniel and his friends made their decision to be faithful to the laws of God before they were faced with the king’s delicacies, so they did not hesitate to stick with their convictions.

King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to make the young Jewish men, Daniel and his friends, like the Babylonians. He gave them Babylonian names that assimilated with their culture, a Babylonian education, and even tried to change their God’s standards in a culture that did not honor God. This passage teaches us that as God’s people, while we adjust to the culture where we are at - the society we live in, our place of work, our friends circle etc,  we should never compromise God’s laws or our Christian standards of living. We have to be different for our Lord Jesus Christ. Many a times our Christian way of living is the only BIBLE others will get a chance to read. So it’s very important that we Christians mindfully live our lives in a culture that tempts us to live otherwise.

PRAYER
LORD GIVE US THE STRENGTH TO WITHSTAND TEMPTATIONS AND TRIALS.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Trust in the Lord and He will never forsake you.

Regi Mathew, The Mar Thoma Church Staten Island.
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tel...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things...
Read more