Articles
Choosing to Align With God
Musical harmonies have the ability to transfix our minds and bring about a whole new world of meaning. However, harmonizing with God can change our lives with an even greater emotional and spiritually moving presence. God can bring to you peace, love, and strength that surpasses human understanding, but only if you choose to let Him.
Daniel is an amazing example of someone who chose to align himself with God rather than conform to worldly influences. While the Jewish nation was in Babylonian captivity, Daniel and other young men were summoned to serve in the king’s palace. The servants would normally eat and drink the food provided for them by the king, but Daniel’s priority was to obey God first and foremost. Therefore, Daniel refused the food that would defile his relationship to God and asked for vegetables and water instead (Daniel 1:8). What person would willingly desire vegetables to eat and water to drink when they could be eating delicacies fit for a king? A human who loves God more than momentary feelings of gain. Daniel didn’t go off the immediate impression of the tantalizing food. He took the time to understand that partaking of the king’s food would bring dishonor to God’s name.
Daniel was convicted to bring glory and honor to God in all of his circumstances. Romans 12:1-2 explains that a follower of Christ’s spiritual worship to God is fulfilled by becoming a living sacrifice. Daniel’s actions exemplified the commitment to God a child of His should have. After being taken to a foreign land, being renamed to Belteshazzar, and living in the palace of the king, Daniel would have been under immense pressure to conform. Yet, Daniel knew in his heart that our citizenship belongs to Heaven (Phil. 3:20). Thus, Daniel chose to become a peacemaker for the glory of God instead of a peace keeper for easier Earthly circumstances (Phil. 2:14-17). How often are we choosing to align ourselves with the world as a peacekeeper, instead of standing out from the crowd as a peacemaker for Christ?
