Dale Buchanan
Devotional #18 in 1 Peter
“For so is the will of God,
That with well doing ye may put to silence
The ignorance of foolish men:
As free, and not using your liberty
For a cloke of maliciousness,
But as the servants of God.”
(1 Peter 2:15-16 KJV)
Daniel loved the Lord so much that he would not compromise even a little to preserve his life.
He met his crisis with consistent living even when his enemies plotted to destroy him.
The enemy had conspired together and tricked the king into making a law that anyone who worshiped another deity besides the king for the next 30 days would be cast into the den of lions.
Daniel responded with consistency and faithfulness to the Lord.
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
And, as you know, God preserved Daniel in the lions’ den. (Daniel 6). His enemies met their death in the den of lions.
Daniel kept doing the will of God.
The king put Daniel’s enemies to silence and to death.
Daniel did not act maliciously.
He just obeyed as a servant of God.
God honored Daniel in a miraculous and astonishing way.
We can increase God’s glory and honor him simply by obeying Him. In this context, in 1 Peter, we honor the Lord by obedience to the government authorities.
But when man’s law forbids worship or evangelism, we obey the higher authority, God.
Our foolish detractors will have no basis for their false accusations and God will honor the believer for his firm testimony.
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