Daniel's Three Important Decisions

SOMEONE OBSERVED,

ONLY MEDIOCRE PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS AT THEIR BEST.

THE FINE LINE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE IS REALLY QUITE BROAD AND

WELL DEFINED. IT IS NOT COINCIDENTAL THAT SOME PEOPLE EXCEL AT WHAT THEY DO WHILE OTHERS BARELY GET BY. THERE ARE REASONS WHY WE ACHIEVE AND THERE ARE REASONS WHY WE FAIL. DANIEL BROKE THE MOLD OF MEDIOCRE LIVING. HE EXCELLED IN A SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE MAJORITY OF HIS COUNTRYMEN WERE CONTENT WITH THE STATUS QUO. WHEN EXAMINING DANIEL'S LIFE, YOU'LL QUICKLY DISCOVER THAT HIS FAME DID NOT HAPPEN BY CHANCE. INSTEAD, YOU'LL FIND THAT HIS RISE TO POWER CAN BE TRACED TO THREE IMPORTANT DECISIONS.

FIRST, DANIEL CHOSE CHARACTER OVER COMFORT. IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, DANIEL DEVELOPED A REPUTATION. HE WAS KNOWN TO BE HONORABLE AND ETHICAL

HIS CLOSET WAS CLEAN ... THERE WERE NO SKELETONS WAITING TO HAUNT HIM. EVEN DANIEL'S ENEMIES FOUND HIM TRUSTWORTHY. UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME WHEN IT IS EXTREMELY EASY TO COMPROMISE OUR INTEGRITY. SO WHAT IF I TAKE SOME SUPPLIES HOME FROM THE FACTORY OR HAVE SOMEONE ELSE PUNCH MY TIME CARD? WHO IS GOING TO SAY ANYTHING IF YOU STRETCH THE TRUTH OR SNEAK AN ANSWER ON AN EXAM OR CHEAT ON YOUR INCOME TAX

A LETTER WAS SENT TO THE IRS. IT STATED: "DEAR SIRS, LAST YEAR WHEN I FILED MY INCOME TAX RETURN, I DELIBERATELY MISREPRESENTED MY INCOME. NOW I CANNOT SLEEP. ENCLOSED IS A CHECK FOR $150 FOR TAXES. IF I STILL CAN'T SLEEP, I WILL GLADLY SEND YOU THE REST."

IT IS EASY TO COMPROMISE OUR VIRTUE ESPECIALLY WHEN THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR HAS BECOME THE ACCEPTED NORM. BUT SUCH COMPROMISE WILL COST YOU THE JOY OF UNHINDERED FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD. IN YOUR LIFE, STRIVE FOR ETHICAL AND MORAL PURITY ... LIKE DANIEL, BE WILLING TO BE DIFFERENT. THE APOSTLE PETER DECLARED:

. . . MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ADD TO YOUR FAITH GOODNESS; AND TO

GOODNESS, KNOWLEDGE; AND TO KNOWLEDGE, SELF-CONTROL; AND TO

SELF-CONTROL, PERSEVERANCE; AND TO PERSEVERANCE, GODLINESS; AND TO

GODLINESS, BROTHERLY KINDNESS; AND TO BROTHERLY KINDNESS, LOVE. FOR

IF YOU POSSESS THESE QUALITIES IN INCREASING MEASURE, THEY WILL KEEP

YOU FROM BEING INEFFECTIVE AND UNPRODUCTIVE IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. BUT IF ANYONE DOES NOT HAVE THEM, HE IS

NEARSIGHTED AND BLIND, AND HAS FORGOTTEN THAT HE HAS BEEN CLEANSED

FROM HIS PAST SINS. -2PE 1:5-9

AT TIMES, THE MODERN CHURCH MORE OFTEN COMPLIMENTS RATHER THAN CONTRASTS THE BEHAVIOR OF THE WORLD. UNLIKE MANY OF HIS CONTEMPORARIES, DANIEL CHOSE CHARACTER OVER COMFORT. HE HAD THE COURAGE TO BE DIFFERENT.

SECONDLY, DANIEL EXCELLED BECAUSE HE CHOSE DISCIPLINE OVER DISORDER. AMONG OTHER THINGS, DANIEL HAD A DISCIPLINED PRAYER LIFE. IN V.10 WE READ:

THREE TIMES A DAY HE GOT DOWN ON HIS KNEES AND PRAYED, GIVING THANKS TO HIS GOD.

THE REASON WHY SOME PEOPLE SUCCEED WHILE OTHERS FAIL HAS LITTLE TO DO

WITH ABILITIES. MOST OF OUR FAILURES CAN BE TRACED TO AN ABSENCE OF DISCIPLINE. I DON'T BELIEVE THE CHICAGO BULLS WOULD HAVE WON THE NBA TITLE IF THE INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS WERE NOT DISCIPLINED IN THEIR PRACTICE SESSIONS. IT TAKES DISCIPLINE IN ORDER TO EXCEL. YOU CAN'T SOW WILD OATS AND THEN PRAY FOR A CROP FAILURE.

HERE ARE SOME AREAS WHERE MOST OF US NEED GREATER DISCIPLINE. FIRST, WE NEED TO CONTROL OUR TONGUE. MORE PEOPLE ARE RUN DOWN BY GOSSIP THAN AUTOMOBILES. ALTHOUGH MANY WOULD CONSIDER GOSSIP A LESSER SIN THAN MURDER, GOSSIP CAN KILL FRIENDSHIPS, DISRUPT A FAMILY, DIVIDE A CHURCH, ASSASSINATE A PERSON'S CHARACTER. SOMEONE ONCE SAID:

GREAT MINDS DISCUSS IDEAS, AVERAGE MINDS DISCUSS EVENTS, SMALL MINDS

DISCUSS PEOPLE.

WE MUST ALL LEARN TO DISCIPLINE OUR TONGUE.

SECOND, WE NEED MORE DISCIPLINE IN OUR DEVOTIONAL LIFE. I WONDER, DO WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE ABSENCE OF PRAYER IN OUR SCHOOL WHEN THERE IS AN ABSENCE OF PRAYER IN OUR HOME? SHOULD WE DEFEND THE BIBLE IN PUBLIC YET DENY IT IN THE PRIVACY OF OUR OWN LIVES? DO WE HAVE A RIGHT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE MORAL DECAY OF AMERICA IF WE FAIL TO PRAY FOR OUR NATION? THREE TIMES EVERY DAY DANIEL GOT DOWN ON HIS KNEES AND INTERCEDE BEFORE GOD.

THIRD, WE NEED A MORE DISCIPLINED CHURCH LIFE. IN OVER TWENTY FIVE YEARS OF SERVING THE LORD, I HAVE LEARNED HOW IMPORTANT THE CHURCH IS TO MY SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND STABILITY. IN FACT, I HAVE LEARNED THAT I NEED THE CHURCH FAR MORE THAN THE CHURCH NEEDS ME. I NEED TO BE IN AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE MY PERCEPTIONS OF LIFE CAN BE CHALLENGED. I NEED TO BE IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT OFFERS ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN AND UTILIZE MY SPIRITUAL GIFTS. I NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN A CHURCH WHERE I AM HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR MY ACTIONS ... A PLACE WHERE I CAN RECEIVE GODLY WISDOM. I ALSO NEED TO BE IN FELLOWSHIP WITH PEOPLE WHO HOLD TO THE SAME VALUES THAT I EMBRACE. I NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN A CHURCH WHERE I CAN BE ENCOURAGED WHEN I FEEL LIKE GIVING UP ... A PLACE WHERE OTHERS WILL PRAY FOR ME WHEN I'M TOO DISCOURAGED TO PRAY FOR MYSELF. NO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMIND ME ABOUT THE IMPERFECTIONS THAT EXIST IN THE CHURCH. BUT ALL THE CRITICISM WILL NEVER UNDO THE POSITIVE ROLE THE LOCAL CHURCH PLAYS !