Perfected in Christ Jesus for His Kingdom Business
By Joy Wie-Addo
Daniel: 1
When I
was prompted to read this passage from the bible, I nearly brushed it aside and
decided not to read because it was not new to me from Sunday school. Look at me
comparing Sunday school knowledge to now, thinking that probably the knowledge
my Sunday school teacher imparted was well enough for my life today.
Notwithstanding, I decided to read it and I have learned lessons worth sharing
with you. The whole passage talks about Daniel’s training in Babylon. When
Daniel and his brothers were transported from Jerusalem to work for the King of
Babylon.
We live
in a world where everything is turning upside down. We are living in an era I
call a season of NORMALCY. Almost everything by human standards is normal even
things that are wrong. This is a time if you do not take care you will be
carried away to accept anything as normal if you are not abreast with the word
of God. As teenagers as girls, in our daily activities we will come into
contact with all kinds of people and knowingly or unknowingly we may do certain
things we might not even be mindful of or we will be mindful of. In school, at
home and even social gatherings we may not be able to excuse ourselves from but
in all these we must remember not to put our God to shame. We must not let the
devil and people have anything bad to say about us. When Daniel and his friends
were taken into captivity to serve the King’s court, by the king’s orders they
were to be served from the king’s table and trained three years to serve in his
court thereafter (Daniel 1:5). But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with
the royal food and wine and asked the chief official for permission not to
defile himself this way (Daniel 1:8). It would have been very easy to drift
off and accepted those but knowing his identity and origin he refused it. Our
lives in a way are fashioned like this. We find ourselves in this world to be
trained. We find ourselves doing all sort of formal and informal activities all
in the bid to train us to be useful for our societies, communities and our
country (the world). The world has its own standards and practices they deem
fit and acceptable but when we weigh them to our faith in God some of these may
not be acceptable and like Daniel we must not defile ourselves with them. It
could be music, fashion, some behaviors we pick up from friends. The bible says
that we are in the world but not of the world.
When
Daniel and his friends chose their own meals, the chief official was alarmed
because he thought that at the end of the day they would be malnourished and he
would face the King’s wrath (Daniel 1:10). After ten days, they were far
better than those who were fed on food and wine as the bible recounts. When we
stay in tune with the precepts of God, we tend to be better and we become of
better use to the world serving to glorify the Lord as Daniel and his friends
did and also changing our world. In school let us not lead just normal lives but
let us live lives worthy of emulation by others. Lives people would see and
glorify our father in heaven. Lives that would draw people to God.
When
Daniel and his friends had refused to defile themselves God granted them an
unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom
(Daniel 1:17). When the training period ordered by the King was completed the
chief official brought all the young men to the king. The king talked with them
and non-impressed him like Daniel and his friends so they entered into the
kings service. And there, whenever the king consulted them in any matter
requiring wisdom and balanced judgement, he found them ten times more capable
than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire Kingdom. We are always
better with Jesus Christ. The bible says that we have been made in the image
and likeness of God. Wherever we find ourselves, we are there for a purpose. To
change the world and so we have been fashioned for it. Just like the King gave
his specifications for the choice of men to be brought to him; only young men
without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of
learning, well informed and quick to understand, even man knows what is good
for him and his work, how much more the one who created us. Every producer of a
product produces items that suits his specifications and requirements for his
job market and like God he put specifications to us to make us in his image and
likeness to suit his work. We are specified for the job by God himself. And we
have a reason to being wherever we are. The bible says that we are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people to be his very own….. (1
Peter 2:9). You are the right person for that Job, in your school, classroom,
church, and home even on the playground. Make a difference and make God proud.
