8 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. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, (Daniel 1:8-9 ESV)
When we seek God first and then present our case before others, we are more likely to have God’s favor before men. This is what Daniel did and was granted permission to not eat foods that were against his religious beliefs. The story goes on to tell us that Daniel and his friends were tested and proved to be healthier than the others who ate the kings choice foods.
Often, our choices which align in obedience with God’s precepts will provide us favor in His eyes and the eyes of man. However, we may also find that our godly choices put us in conflict with others or certain rules. We need not become harsh, but should strive to take Daniel’s lead and see if we can ask respectfully to be allowed to observe our traditions and faith based beliefs.
This happens rarely today, as we live in a world where everyone wants to live their truth. But it can be that living our faith based truth rub others the wrong way. We need to choose to be diligent in sticking to our faith, but do so in a way that works to be as unoffensive as possible. We need not shake a Bible in another’s face to prove our point and let our actions speak louder than words.
