One of the most well-known events in the Bible is Daniel in the Lion's Den. It features intrigue, betrayal, courage, and a surprise ending. Daniel inspires us to do the right thing.
When I was in elementary school, I read nearly every biography book in the Monger Elementary School library. I was inspired by the exciting events in people’s lives to imagine what adventures might lie before me.
I remember reading about Davy Crockett and his confident leadership. A quote that stuck with me was, “Always be sure you are right, then go ahead!" He was willing to stand for ‘right’ even if he stood alone.
In Sunday School, we learned James 4:17 – “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” We all knew without doubt that we shouldn’t sin.
Later, I remember hearing that Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "The time is always right to do the right thing.”
The right thing. It seemed to me that the hard part of these quotes was figuring out “the right thing.” But I’ve learned that more often the challenge isn’t knowing the right thing. It’s doing it. Often, what we need is not clarity (we know the answer to what God wants us to do), what we need is courage and conviction to do it.
We can become so afraid of death that we never live, so afraid of failure that we never risk, so afraid of pain that we never discover how strong God is. Many of us are not choosing between life and death; we are choosing between existence and death. We actually never choose to live.
Erwin McManus said, “The tragedy of a life that is never fully lived is not solely the loss of that one life. The tragedy is the endless number of lives that would have been forever changed if we had chosen to live differently.” We need to move past what God will do for us to what God will do through us.
This week, we will see Daniel demonstrate courage and conviction, even when his life was on the line. What can we learn from Daniel that will guide us to be willing to do the right thing? Maybe more importantly, what will Daniel teach us about our God?
Jeff Peck