Seeking God First

 


“However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come.”  Daniel 2:28a

The biggest things that Daniel accomplished, what he is known for throughout history, came from times that he sought out and heard from God. If he was to be known for any accomplishments, it would be for being a man of prayer. This often catapulted him to fame and high position, but as the country’s leadership changed, so did his position. Even when Nebuchadnezzar’s son came into power, he did not keep Daniel in his position as a wise man but put him out to pasture until the day he needed his services. Then, once more, he offered him a high position, but it was too late because that very night his kingdom was taken from him (Daniel 5).

Daniel never sought glory for himself. He never took credit for his accomplishments or the things he knew. He always gave the credit to God and pointed back to Him. In the same way, we need to acknowledge God in all we do. Why did he do this? Because human credit meant nothing to him. He didn’t care what people thought of him. Daniel only cared what God thought of him. Ultimately, that’s all that matters.

Now, God’s not going to think very highly of us if we aren’t treating people well or earning a very good reputation amongst our peers for our behavior. Keep that in mind as well. We can’t use that as an excuse that we don’t care what people think and then be jerks. God wants us to act as ambassadors, being His hands and feet in this world. We are representing Him and we need to act as such. That said, if in the course of living our lives people don’t like the way we live out our faith, that’s their problem, not ours.

Here’s the Thing: We’ll encounter later in this study (Daniel 6) a group of people that didn’t like how Daniel lived out his faith and determined to trip him up using it. But God had better plans! He always does.

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