Daniel - Life of Integrity!

I don’t know if you have some favorite Bible characters, but for me, Daniel has always stood out.  His story inspires me because he was a man of such high integrity.  He was not swayed by popular opinion or cultural proclamations.  He lived with one king, God, and his life reflected that.  His decisions were made based on that primary allegiance, and he didn’t seem afraid of the consequences. 

In Daniel 5, there is this account of a supernatural “writing on the wall”, while the king was having a massive party to relish his “kingship”.  It was God’s word to the king that his days were numbered.  No one could understand the writing, and the king was terrified.  They called in Daniel, who was known as a man of God.  What a great thing to be known for!!  And even though Daniel was offered great power and wealth for explaining the writing, he turned it down.  He would bring God’s message without payment.  In the end, the king did lavish these gifts on him, but it was obvious Daniel wasn’t pushing for them.

Also, the message Daniel spoke to the king was very blunt and in your face.  He didn’t pull any punches.  And even though he was in the presence of very powerful people, he spoke the whole truth.  He called it like it was.

Daniel 6 (story of lions den) is so well known and packed with great stuff.  I love the fact Daniel did his job to such a level of excellence that he was promoted over the entire kingdom (sound reminiscent of Joseph in Egypt?)  His enemies became jealous, and looked for dirt, skeletons in his closet, but couldn’t find any.  How amazing is that!  Could that be said about any of us?

And when they tried to oversee his downfall, it backfired.  Daniel kept living for God in spite of the new rules (everyone must bow down to the king).  He didn’t change his daily routine of prayer three times a day.  He was committed to a higher call. And he had gained such favor in the eyes of his boss that the king looked for any way to release Daniel from the penalty for breaking this new law (which was to be thrown in the den of lions).  Finding none, it’s unbelievable to read that the king himself had grown to have faith in Daniel’s God, trusting Him to save Daniel!

And God did!

Lord, may I be inspired to live like Daniel, with unshakable integrity and allegiance to you.

What Bible character do you resonate with, and why?  Drop me an email and let me know, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Pastor Mike