A Man Makes Resolute Choices | Devotional | Daniel 1:8-9

But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs. — Daniel 1:8-9 So this devotional is going to be the first in a series of three devotionals, carrying us through the narrative in Daniel chapter one. And I am going to build it around the first three words in this text, "But Daniel resolved." Because in this story, we will learn how resolute men do three things. How he makes choices. How he approaches challenges. And how he affects others. Today part one — How a resolute man makes choices. So a little context will help us here. Daniel is about 900 miles from his home. He is taken into captivity. But he is given the royal treatment. And his treatment as a captive is pretty lavish. He is given the best living situation, is trained by the best teachers, and is given the best food. Or so it would seem. The first challenge that Daniel encounters is what's on the menu. While the food and drink are fit for the king, Daniel has a two-fold issue with the meal plan. First, great portions of the meat served in the Babylonian Palace (i.e., pork and venison) were from unclean animals according to the Mosaic Law. Second, all food and drink were first offered sacrificially to Babylonian gods; thus, eating that food was understood as the indirect worship of those gods. So Daniel is faced with a real problem and a choice. He can choose to cower in captivity, or he can decide to challenge courageously. Well, Daniel, as we see, chooses the latter. He chooses to challenge. I think we men face predicaments like this all the time. We find ourselves in situations that, by nature, lead us to compromise our biblical beliefs, values, and convictions. It could be we find ourselves in a situation where we are pressured by the agenda of a leader who opposes our faith. Or we could be alone in a compromising position where we are free to act contrary to our beliefs. Or we might feel relational pressure not to act because it might put someone else in a compromising situation. And I think Daniel felt all these things. He felt the pressure of an influential leader, the freedom of compromising a situation, and the pressure to not act in that he might put his friends at risk. But Daniel still made a resolute choice. And I believe he made this choice because he decided in his mind that it was better to endure the justice of God than the justice of anyone or anything else. I want to encourage you today to be more resolute in every decision you make. Start by making small resolute choices, so when you get to the big ones, they are easier to make. Then you will know the resolute courage of Daniel. ASK THIS:  What resolute choice do you need to make today? DO THIS: Make it right now. Decide in mind and action. PRAY THIS: God, I choose to be resolute and make resolute choices. PLAY THIS: Confidence - Sanctus Real. Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/ Get Vince's most widely read resources The Daily Devotional at: https://beresolute.org/mdd Check out more ALL IN products like the one Vince is wearing at: https://beresolute.org/product-category/all-in-hats/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Vince socially: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/millervince INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vinceleemiller LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemiller TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vinceleemiller