Antioch Agent

Everyone got a brand new shiny 2010 a week ago, the question is what will they do with it?

For the past few years, I’ve been resolute against making new year resolutions simply because I realized that the most important ones to be made are when the moment demands for it. When one stalls till a new year to implement something, it probably won’t happen.

Yet resolve is good. And when i think of resolve, i’m always reminded of one of the most outstanding young men in the scriptures in the face of tremendous pressure. This we read of in the 1st chapter of the book of Daniel. Here were the children of Israel being led away into Babylonian captivity, away from their homeland in Jerusalem. And Nebuchadnezzar’s had an interesting policy with regards to his captives. He chose the best of the young minds (still impressionable) and desired them to learn the language and the ways of the Chaldeans. He would also feed them the provision of the kings table so that they would receive the best that Babylon could offer. To make the transformation complete, they even were given new names. The names of the children of Judah namely: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (v.6) were changed to “Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego.” Resolute in making them absolutely Babylonian, this was a policy of assimilation. Mindset and identities being altered, they’d look, speak , live and be known as Babylonian.

But we read the words in Dan 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat … “. And that tells it all. There was a purpose in Daniel’s heart that was made him unwilling to enjoy the refineries of Babylon. This was a young men who was away from his homeland, and despite all he had gone through … he maintained his integrity and his love for the one true God amidst the prevailing conditions of the allures of Babylon. This was the man whose unquestionable devotion to God would one day also cause him to be thrown into a lion’s den during the time of Persian rule. And his testimony was ever bright, to the degree that king Darius when ordering him into the den of lions could even say ” … unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.” (6:16) and also “Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?” (6:20). Such a testimony.. and it all started with a conviction. It found it’s grounding in that first mention of Daniel in chapter one where he “purposed in his heart”. They could label Daniel’s whatever name they wanted, or attempt to assimilate him as the others … but they could not change Daniel heart.

That’s the resoluteness God desires. And it’s in the words of exhortation in Peter that i’m reminded how we’re supposed to pass this earthly sojourn. 1Peter 2:11 “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul“. Resolution has to do with staying clear of anything that would weaken our desire, our devotion to our one true God. Just like Daniel knew he was in a foreign land, so are we to be mindful of where our home is, and where our affections are to lie.

The stranger, the pilgrim, the sojourner … keeps on walking despite the attractions of Vanity Fair.