Setting myself apart

God loves us and he longs for us to love him back and worship him. That is what every book in the Bible teaches. We learn that God expects two things of us: first to love him alone as our God and second to love our neighbours as ourselves. He punished Israel many times because they broke that first rule. Interestingly, even as he punished the nation, he would often create or mantain close and deep relationships with other people, such as Noah and Daniel. These people had one thing in common, they set themselves apart for God alone.

We meet Daniel when God has sent his people into exile. Daniel’s generation is one in a series of generations that have sinned, however, they receive the judgement. Daniel is among a group of young men chosen to be trained for service in the kingdom of Babylon. One of their perks is eating the food that the king eats and drinking fine wine from his table. Sounds good right? But there is a catch, this food has been offered to idols. Daniel knows that God does not approve of his people eating food offered to idols, so he and his three friends resolve not to eat it. This is the one thing they decide to hold onto, even if means that the king could expel them from the program or worse kill them. God notices but stays quiet; however, that resolution is the beginning of a long and close friendship.

I love the story of Daniel because we too experience separation from the familiar. The reasons may be positive, like moving into new neighbourhoods, cities and sometimes countries for work, school and other opportunities. Other times we may be victims of circumstances, parents getting a divorce or escaping from violent crime or war. Whatever the reason for the changes, their effect is the same. Change shakes our foundation and we have to choose what to keep and leave behind as we rebuild. We learn several things from Daniel and his friends.

First, obeying God is a choice we make on both good and bad days. It is even more important to obey God when no one is watching us to see that we have made the right choice. That kind of choice shows that we care about what he values and not what people think. It also shows that we trust him to see and help us as we take that first bold step to do what others may find unpleasant. Through our choices, we declare that we are okay doing things others don’t want to do as long as he is with us.

Second, choosing God and setting yourself apart is a lonely road. The Bible doesn’t say, but Daniel probably walked into the traineeship with more friends than he walked out with. In the end we only hear of four people, Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. You have to be okay with having few friends or no friends at all, being called names and becoming an outcast. It is not an easy road but the choice is worth it – we choose a friend who loves us and who sticks closer than a brother.

Third, God rewards those who set themselves apart for him. Few people in the Bible chose God the way Daniel and his friends did, instead he often made the first move. Because of their obedience, God gave Daniel and his friends wisdom and understanding. He also gave Daniel the ability to understand visions. These gifts unlocked many promotions for them. We too, can stand up and choose God every day. He is waiting for you to take a stand for him. So, go and set yourself apart for God today because tomorrow is not promised.