God's Word the Foundation for Character Building

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

God's Word the Foundation for Character Building

Today's Text: Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink ... and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. Daniel 1:12, 13

The Message:      Daniel placed himself in right relation to God and to his outward circumstances and opportunities. He was taken as a captive to Babylon, and with others was placed under training, to be prepared for a place in the king's court. His food and drink were appointed him, but we read that he determined that he would not defile himself with the king's meat nor with the wine which he drank.      In taking this step, Daniel did not act rashly.... Daniel said to Melzar, who had been given charge of him and his companions, "Prove thy servants.... And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat of the portion of the king's meat." ...      Having done this, Daniel and his companions did still more. They did not choose as friends those who were agents of the prince of darkness. They did not go with a multitude to do evil. They secured Melzar as their friend, and there was no friction between him and them. They went to him for advice, and at the same time educated him by the wisdom of their deportment.      It was God's purpose that these youth should become channels of light in the kingdom of Babylon. Satan was determined to defeat this purpose. He worked upon the minds of the youth who had refused to be God's representatives, causing them to be jealous of Daniel and his companions. At Satan's suggestion they laid plans to entrap those who were making such steady, rapid advancement in knowledge....      Satan was trying to compass their destruction.... They made a faithful study of the Word of God, that they might know the divine will. By faith they believed that the One whom they served would communicate to them His will, and in answer to their faith God opened His Word to them.... They made the Word of God their textbook, looking upon it as the foundation upon which they must build character. They had only the Old Testament....      Satan often cast his shadow across their pathway to obscure their view of divine light and darken their faith and confidence in God. But they would not yield, and the Lord gave them wisdom and power to prevail with Him in prayer.-Letter 34, 1900.

Commentary: My friend, there are many today that are worshiping God with a divided heart.  They love God, but the love the world as well and as such try to serve both God and man.  In doing this they compromise their faith in God and are corrupted by their love for the things of the world.  Because they profess to follow God they have a form of godliness but deny the power of God to overcome their sins. Daniel and his three friends purposed in their hearts not to defile themselves with the food from the kings table.  They took a decided stand to honor God over the earthly pleasures of the world.  As such they were blessed by God and became channels of light and truth to the Babylonian court. God is looking for a people to do a similar work in these last days.  He is looking for a people that will stand firm for principal as did Daniel and his friends.  The first angels message which is to "Fear God and give glory to Him" (Revelation 14:7) is the preparation for God's people in the last days.  To fear God is more than to just reverence Him, it is also to obey Him.  If we are to be heralds of this mighty message to the world our lives must be brought into harmony with the will of God.  We cannot serve Him with a divided heart.  We must purpose in our hearts not to defile ourselves with the things of this world. As this foundation is laid in our hearts, we are to go forward and give glory to God, but in order for us to do this we must be filled with His Spirit.  This cannot be done if we are worshiping the triune god of the trinity.  We must be worshiping the One true God spoken of in John 17:3 saying "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."  As we look into Jesus we are brought into connection with the One true God which is the Father, and as such we are changed into His image by Christ dwelling within our hearts.  When Christ is manifested in our lives the works that we do will bring honor an glory to Him.  Only in this way can we give the last message of hope to a dark and dying world. My friend, the foundation of our faith is found only in Jesus Christ; He is the only mediator between God and man, and this is accomplished not by another being called the Holy Spirit, but by His Spirit living within us.  Jesus Christ is the Holy Spirit that must live within us that we may perfectly reflect the image of God. May you lay your foundation in Jesus Christ today. God bless,

Video of the Week The Unknown God - Nader Mansour When Paul preached in Athens he revealed the unknown God as the Father. This story contains important insights into what is going on today. Nader Mansour examines these parallels. Presented in Melbourne, January 2018.