Willing to Sacrifice

Daniel 1:8, 11-12, ESV

8But 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… 

11Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12“Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 

If you know the story, then you know that Daniel and his three friends had been taken into the king’s service in Babylon when this encounter took place. There are so many incredible takeaways from this portion of scripture, but I believe one of the most inspirational things about this passage is Daniel’s readiness to sacrifice for the sake of his convictions.

Vegetables and water wouldn't have been Daniel's regular diet back home. Therefore, to not eat meat and to not drink wine were to give up something he probably enjoyed. But Daniel readily sacrificed what he likely would have preferred in order to honor his convictions (because the meat and wine would have assumably been part of pagan worship). He didn’t sit around and reason as to why he could go ahead and eat the meat and drink the wine. In the moment of decision, Daniel willingly chose sacrifice.

There was a season of my life in which God was calling me to permanently sacrifice some things I really enjoyed. I remember having the sense that God was asking, what are you willing to give me to see what I have for you? It took me several months to fully realize and obey the convictions God was placing in my heart, but Daniel made the decision in a matter of minutes.

Daniel resolved (verse 8) not to defile himself, and this resolution paved the way for what God would do through his life.

As this year begins, and many of us are making new year’s resolutions, may we open our hearts to recognize the things which God may be convicting us to sacrifice—and may we be readily willing to do so in order to see what He has for us.