On Purpose

But Daniel purposed in his heart
that he would not defile himself with the
portion of the king's meat, nor with
the wine which he drank...
Daniel 1:8a

Many a time when I was very little, I found myself using those two words...”on purpose.” I wasn't fully aware of what those words really meant, but I quickly learned from other neighborhood friends that when I did something wrong and my Mother asked me about it, I could say, “I didn't do it on purpose.” A lot of the time, the moms of my friends seemed to be sympathetic to their plight. It was so unfair though, that my Mother usually didn't buy that statement like other mothers did. With a little age, I learned what the statement meant.

Every time I read the first chapter of Daniel and come to verse 8, I quickly recall those days of not fully knowing what “on purpose” meant. Daniel with friends had been taken into captivity along with the other Israelites. The culture of the Babylonians was as different as night from day compared to life in their homeland. The Jews had very strict dietary laws. Knowing how the heathen Babylonians lived, Daniel made a decision that no matter where he was in that time of captivity, he would not do the usual...conforming to that society.

The thing that was important to Daniel was this. He had made a firm decision ahead of time that he would not fit in with his new land of captivity. In refusing to conform, he was risking his own life. For Daniel, it wasn't a matter of showing off, being prideful or being deliberately a problem to his superiors. Daniel knew God's law. He knew the dietary laws as prescribed by God like he knew the back of his hand, and no matter the surroundings he found himself in, he was determined to be obedient to God.

Through all the difficulties he and his friends had to endure, God honored them in wonderful ways. Daniel became a major leader in the land and even as he grew into adulthood, he still maintained his personal, spiritual habits. This didn't get easier. Daniel was a man of prayer. He had maintained a habit of daily prayer, same time, same place, by his own window facing home. Even then, enemies reported Daniel to the King. They had already manipulated the King into passing a law that prayer to anyone other than the king and his gods were illegal. When reported, Daniel still maintained his habit of prayer that put him in a den of lions. How's that for capital punishment?

In both instances in Daniel's life, he maintained standards that he had decided upon ahead of time. When you and I have this kind of pattern regarding personal principles, when tough decision time comes, the decisions will not be as hard to make. Obedience should come with very little debate.

You and I live in an evil world. We are surrounded by open sin that 50 years ago would have not been public at all. One of the biggest sins in my high school was if any girls went out in a car to smoke a cigarette. Movies were tame. I'm not sure I would have known about it, but I never knew of a fellow student getting drunk...or a teenager running away from home.

The picture is different in our day. Sin of every type is running rampant with, in many cases, approval by the government and even some large Christian denominations. We are faced on every side with temptation of every kind and in many cases, Christians have allowed their own personal principles to be compromised.

Very often, we Christians take the attitude that we are immune to temptation and overall attacks by Satan, but we aren't. Even at whatever ages or stages you and I find ourselves, things we purpose to do or not do will often give us strength when times of temptation come. It's never too late to “purpose in our hearts” to do or not do those things that please Jesus. Let me be quick to say that there is a difference between preference and principle. We should be willing to die if necessary for spiritual principle, but preference is a different thing. Be sure to know the difference. Preference has to do with those things we like or prefer on a personal basis that have no direct Bible command. Principles may have to do with strong moral issues and/or the commands of Scripture, where we have no choice but to obey or disobey God.

Why are many Christians lax in their church attendance? They've never PURPOSED in their hearts that it's a priority, so therefore, every Sunday when they wake up, they debate if they're going to go on that particular morning. I can honestly say in that our home, I have never heard, even during child rearing days, “Are we going to church today/tonight?” It was purposed during our engagement that church attendance would never be a point of debate.

Whether it has to do with regular Bible reading, grooming habits, health (yearly checkups that I dread), choice of friends, etc. it all comes to personal decisions that we put into consistent practice after we've decided ahead of time to stay our course.

We all make up God's church. Little by little we have come to tolerate things in our churches that shouldn't be there. Any misuse of the Scriptures should never be tolerated even to the point of walking out if need be. A large protestant denomination recently approved same-sex marriages while the Word of God speaks very specifically against it, so that denomination has put their stamp of approval on sin. You and I must stay alert to those things, especially

Scriptural, that are doing damage to the churches we belong to.

Daniel made decisions ahead of time verbally and in his personal lifestyle as to how he would maintain a strong spiritual balance in his life. What are some things in our lives we need to purpose in our hearts to do and be that with God's empowering, we will please Him in all we are.

Thank You Father, for the example of Daniel who to this day encourages us to fortify ourselves against the ways of the world. May we be strong in You to live a life pleasing to You that is a strong witness for You. In Jesus' precious name....Amen