Courage of Conviction

Daniel 1:8
8But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.

Daniel had the courage to stand on his convictions though he was in a foreign land. It was customary for the food in Babylon to be offered to idols before being set at the king's table. Daniel who loved God and followed Jewish law would not participate in this ritual no matter who's table he entertained. Daniel had a strict regimen and stuck with it. Even at the risk of getting into trouble with others. But indeed he asked the official to test him and his friends first to prove his point. And so Daniel's point was proven. The way he and his friends lived left them in a better condition than the others being prepared for the king's service. As followers of Christ, we can take a lesson from Daniel. If we have convictions rooted in our faith about the way we live, we ought not abandon them just because we are in a new place. We must have the courage, like Daniel, to risk the "fitting in" or being liked factor because it's for God that we live. When we are at the judgement seat, the others can not give an account for us as to what we've done. It's human to want to be liked or to want to fit in with the crowd. But God has said that we must stand out from the crowd. How else can He use us as a light to bring others to Christ if we keep our light dim to please man. Our main purpose is to please God.