Giving Up For Greater Good

Have you ever had to give something up in order to improve your life? I've been faced with this so often. Sometimes it is giving up something that is stunting your spiritual growth, sometimes it is giving up something good that has become and idol, and other times it is having to give up something good to make room for something else that is better.

I recently posed a question to my students around this topic, "Is there anything you need to say 'No' to right now in order to say 'Yes' to something else?" We live in such a fast-paced world that sometimes just produces too many choices. Additionally, a lot of those choices can be toxic to us as Christians, but we don't realize because the world has put a veil of normalcy over it.

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I've been reading through the book of Daniel, and I noticed something this time that I have never picked up before. In Daniel 1 we see Daniel and his friends being brought into a new culture. They were ordered to eat the King's food, but they instead asked to be able to eat "a diet of vegetables and water" (vs. 12, NLT) in order "not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king" (vs. 8, NLT).

Growing up, I always imagined the king's table to be full of turkey legs and other super rich and delicious foods, thinking Daniel asked for vegetables and water to stay fit. I just kept this idea in my head all this time without digging deeper, thinking Daniel was making a big deal out of nothing. Recently, I was reading this chapter in a study bible that included a lot of context in the footnotes. I read through the information included and understood that Daniel denied the king's food not for physical health (although we see that as a result in verse 15), but because the food the king offered was used for idol sacrifice! Daniel went against the norm and the king's commands in order to honor God. I'm sure this wasn't easy.

After reading this, I had a new appreciation for Daniel and a new conviction over my own life. What types of things am I consuming that do not honor God or pull me away from Him without me realizing? The music I listen to, the shows I watch, the way I dedicate my time? The world does a good job of making sin look normal, and it can be a really easy trap to fall into. Most of these things can feel harmless but often are more dangerous than they appear. C.S. Lewis said, “There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.” This may seem extreme, but it's true!

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How can we reexamine our lives to filter out what is toxic, and make a conscious choice to only consume what is pleasing to God? Goodness, it is hard to admit that this is hard for me a lot of times. Like we talked about at the start, sometimes what we are consuming is not wrong, but it consumes too much of our time and becomes an idol. Sometimes, the things we choose to participate in are silently toxic, like listening to music with topics or language that isn't in line with what God tells us is good.

I challenge you - and myself!- to take a step back from our daily habits and routine and see where we can do some spring cleaning, and see what we can lay at the feet of Jesus. We are called to look and act differently than everyone else. Think about Daniel, his going against the grain was a big risk, yet he was more focused on honoring God instead of the worldly consequences. God, I pray this is our posture today and every day.