Thoughts from Daniel

A number of things from the life of Daniel have recently been impressed upon me. 1) Daniel was a man who refused to be co-opted by the pagan culture around him. He refused to deny his God, and as a result God honored him. 2) Daniel is the model of being active in a culture without allowing the culture to influence him. Not only did he hold a high position in the king's court, but he managed to pray several times a day. 3) Daniel's staunch committment to his God in the face of a culture that opposed him brought persecution upon him. Being tossed in a lion's den is no laughing matter, and yet one gets the sense that Daniel wasn't very concerned about the lions. It is my thought that in our own quickly degenerating culture, several things will happen: 1) There will be increasing persecution of those who publicly hold the Christian faith. Will we respond like Daniel, namely by praying and refusing to allow our faith to be marginalized? 2) Those who, like Daniel, refuse to be co-opted by the spirit of the age will truly "shine like the stars in the heavens." The light of the world that shines through Christians will become increasingly bright as our times become increasingly dark.