Who is a man or woman of principle?

Dan 1:3  And the king spoke to Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials that he should bring some of the sons of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the nobles,

Dan 1:4  young men in whom was no blemish, but who were of good appearance and having understanding in all wisdom, having knowledge and understanding science, even those with ability in them to stand in the king's palace; to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

The story of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is a story that has captured our hearts from the time we were in Sunday school till the present day. For anyone who is eager to get the correct teaching from this historical capture of these four young boys and later men will be of note not to miss that the reason that these boys found themselves under the apprentice of the king is because of

1.    Their upbringing: The king knew that any Jew especially one brought up in the king’s court had to undergo good character training from the time they were young. Therefore his choice of boys of nobility was not just arbitrary but was an informed choice and request.

2.    And secondly their aptitude which is quickness to learn and comprehend issues.

Their character and principles are revealed immediately upon their entry under the king’s men tutorage for they insisted on following a diet that they had obviously been entreated to in their own country. It is good to note that these were not just common boys; they were noble boys or what we’d call teenagers now who lived in the king’s quarters in the Jerusalem. It is inconceivable that teenagers of such distinction even in today’s world can adhere to such a diet by their own will without duress.

The other value the king insisted on was their aptitude and this is usually best defined in modern times as the ability and WILLINGNESS to understand issues and problems. I use the word willingness as it has been shown that no one person can be termed as having nothing to offer. The word of the Lord has taught us that no one is born a fool and we should never term anyone as such. Academics alone cannot be used as a metering tool to measure ones aptitude.

Mat 5:22  But now I tell you: if you are angry with your brother you will be brought to trial, if you call your brother 'You good-for-nothing!' you will be brought before the Council, and if you call your brother a worthless FOOL you will be in danger of going to the fire of hell.

So it is inconsiderate to oneself that one should say that because he is not academically proficient, then he is not quick to learn. Educationists of today have agreed with the Word of God that every person has his way of learning things. Others are good at reading books and getting understanding. Others do best with illustrations and others just listen and that information is embedded in their brains forever. Others are not good in academics but are geniuses in sports like Messi or in creativity etc.

What makes Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego story really stand out is their belief in God and their unwavering faith that goes beyond lip service to real action.

Daniel did not succumb to the noose set for him by his fellow ‘nobles’ but kept his faith and did not stop from praying to God as was his custom from days old. The eventuality is that God delivered him from being dinner to the pride of lions.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego on other hand refused to bow down to the golden image made by the king keeping their belief in God and following the first commandment even to the point of death. Their zeal in following the Word of the Lord to the very end also culminated in their deliverance.

Dan 1:19 – 20   and when the king spoke with them, none was found among all of them to compare with Dani'el, Hananyah, Misha'el and 'Azaryah. So they entered the king's service;  and in all matters requiring wisdom and understanding, whenever the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and exorcists in his entire kingdom.

In today’s society values and principles are so much eroded that we find ourselves in the same predicament as the four men found themselves in.  Our elders are the propagators of evil and some of them actually ensnare us the youth into those acts which demean us and make us rebel against God. Some of our parents have not brought up and trained us to be men and women of value and who stick to their principles and those who tried to do so have themselves not acted the part. So on the contrary we are trained to be flexible and world smart. It’s no wonder that we have learned from our elders (not the church elders) how to be corrupt, conniving and shrewd in business and in life in general.

Remember always that the measuring line of God is one and it does not change, no matter the age and no matter the times. Evil will always be evil in God’s eyes even if the government or those above us say it’s not.

The question then that comes out is :-

Who is the young man or young woman of PRINCIPLE who will love his God with all his heart, disregarding all else?

Remember :  Ecclesiastes  11:9  Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

Whenever you perform acts that are contrary to God’s will, you are rebelling against God and you are free to perform those acts, until God brings you under judgement. Here judgement does not just mean the final judgement every evil man shall not escape, it also is the judgement that God’s brings unto you every time he wants to get you back to his way of doing things.

Personally I have been around long enough to know that from the time that I gave my life to Christ Jesus, he has kept me under his tutorage and every time that I go off his path I am always humbled to point where I can acknowledge my sin and therefore repent. This humbling for me has always been financial. As God progresses you and abounds his favor upon us, many of us tend to run away from Him by unconsciously thinking that we have made it because of our own effort. God has an easy way of making us run back to him. He withdraws his favor and we find ourselves unable to move forward without his guiding hand.

Rev 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

2Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

God wants you to become a young man or woman that is different from the common folk. He wants you to be identified even by men in authority just as Daniel and his friends were recognized. But more to that and what is of uttermost importance God wants you to identify yourself as a person of honor. He wants you to be principled regardless of those who surround you and regardless of your position.

In my high schooling years, the boys in our class who we were principled and am not saying in academics but principled in what they could do and what they couldn’t do are the ones who have become quite successful in life. Some are academic elites others are doing quite well in business. Some are in ministry and others are great in sports and the entertainment industry.

And even though you may not be considered by society as successful, the question is; -

Are you a principled person? 

1Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

How you live your life is a reflection of your principals. A person who is not principled will always find himself / herself in compromising situations both in his sexuality, financial acquisition and generally in all life situations. He likes shortcuts.

A principled person stands for what is right and does not follow the crowd. As we face life and now as we face even the forth coming elections, ask yourself.

What kind of principles am I made of and what kind of leader best represents me those principles and thus represents me? Do not follow the crowd, but rather stand for what is right and not what others tell you. After the elections also strive to remain an objective and principles person and you’ll go to great heights for God will always favor you.

Remember:  1Corinthians 15:33 Don’t be fooled. "Bad company ruins good character."

And:            1Corinthians 6:9 -10   Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.