Act Differently

 

Let’s just say that a promotion was coming your way, either at work, on the sports team, first chair has become available, or the lead part in a play. Your name has been thrown in the hat and the boss likes you for the position. However, there has been a lot of competition for this spot. Your competitors are not content to just let you take the position, so they are gathering dirt on you. What do you think they would come up with?

What skeletons do you have in your closet? What about your past do you worry about coming into the light that might destroy you? What practices do you try to hide from others? Maybe you have skimmed some money from an account, or didn’t pay for your meal at work. Maybe you cheated your way to where you are?

Would their findings come back with something like this, “wow there is nothing negative we can find about her, except for her religion. Did you know that she prays three times a day!? Maybe we can use her faith against her!”

Yeah I bet that was what you were thinking about your list, right? No I didn’t come up with that either! However, that is all the jealous leaders could find in the life of Daniel. He lived in such a way, that the only negative thing they could pin on him was his commitment to his God! (Check out Daniel 6 for the story)

Daniel was so committed to God that he refused to obey a pagan law that forbad him from praying to the One True God. Even in the face of terrible consequences, being thrown into the lion’s den, he stood strong. He knew that he had a higher calling, a mission to live and act differently. His mission was to be an ambassador for God in a dark world.

Clear Priorities (Daniel 6:5)

We see that Daniel’s life was guided by his dedication to God. From early on in his life, Daniel 1:8, he decided to put God first in his life. Nothing was going to distract him from honoring God. Daniel’s decision to follow God impacted three pagan kings and their kingdoms.

Consistent Practice (Daniel 6:10)

In the face of trials, Daniel resorted to his daily habits. He didn’t call a special prayer meeting, make a new commitment, become more determined…no he already established a pattern in his life.

Continual Praise (Daniel 6:22)

Daniel was quick to declare God’s part in his salvation. He didn’t take credit for the miraculous, but pointed to God of Heaven. Praising God before kings was not new to Daniel, but something he demonstrated over and over. He was quick to praise God, because praising God was a continual practice.

Convincing Power (Daniel 6:25-27)

Daniel’s priorities, practice and praise led to a dynamic power that convinced a pagan king that the God of Heaven was unlike any other god. We see king Darius praising the One True God in the end. Daniel didn’t just tell others about the love of God, but his consistent daily practice pointed to God. As he aligned his life with his belief his testimony was undeniable and it was persuasively attractive.

What we need to learn from Daniel is that we are on mission for God. What is our mission? The Apostle Paul has outlined it for us in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21:

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

If we are going to be ambassadors for Christ then we need to have:

Clear Priorities! Jesus died to give us new life. We need to make Him first in our decisions, in our day, in our lives. No one should need to ask if you are a Christian, because they would know that you are connected to your God.

Consistent Practices! We need to be in the Word of God and prayer daily! A consistent pattern that builds us up in our faith so that when trials comes, we have a strong foundation that will help us stand strong. We need to be committed to our local church and youth groups, a pattern that sets us a part from the world.

Continual Praise for Jesus needs to be on our lips! Others need to know that the good we do is because Jesus is at work in us (Galatians 2:20).

Convincing Power only comes from connecting our priority, practice and praise. People will see Christ in you and glorify God (Matthew 5:16). Dare to be a Daniel and watch as God uses you to impact your school, work, community and the world for His glory!