By O.S. Hawkins
What are the criteria we should use in our culture today to determine which activities to engage in and which not? Some would say peer pressure. For Daniel it was the Word of God. He set his mind. He purposed in his heart. Life is full of intersections and compromise is the name of the game in our culture today. It is the American way of life. Daniel is saying to us across these centuries, "Don't give in, be resistant."
What about us? We are going out this week into a world that seems to be out of control. What are we going to do? We are all under pressure to conform to the culture, to give in. Daniel was under incredible pressure himself. Everything changed around him. His language changed. What he was reading changed. His diet changed. His name changed. The names of his friends changed. Babylon was trying to squeeze him into its mold so he would look like the rest of them, talk like the rest of them, act like the rest of them, dress like the rest of them, eat like the rest of them, be like the rest of them. It was a decisive and deliberate attempt to cut him off from his own culture and his own religious roots.
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The same thing is happening in America today. When we open our eyes we see it plainly. There is so much pressure to conform to the culture. Learn from Daniel. Purpose in your heart to draw the line at the Word of God. We belong to the family of God. We have our own culture, our own language, our own literature, our own lifestyle, and our own loyalties. When we look around and our world looks out of control, remember that Daniel reminds us it was "the Lord" who gave Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar's hand. God is in control.
So what should we do? We should take Daniel's advice. "Don't give in…be resistant." Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone, dare to have a firm purpose, and dare to make it known!
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O.S. Hawkins is president and chief executive officer of the SBC Annuity Board. He is a Contributing Editor to Preaching.