[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during August 2026]
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12 v2 [NIVUK]
Last week we briefly considered the challenges of maintaining our walk of faith in a society which has largely discarded its Christian heritage. Can we find a balance which preserves our spiritual integrity without alienating those who currently have no interest in our faith?
Daniel, a senior official in an alien land, was found to be trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent in his duties. The other senior officials tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so.
Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God’.
Daniel 6 v5 [NIVUK]
The men contrived to have Daniel thrown into a den of lions but God rescued him. As a result, King Darius issued a decree requiring that Daniel’s God should be honoured throughout his kingdom:
For he is the living God and he endures for ever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.
Daniel 6 v26 [NIVUK]
Consider the case of Naaman, commander of the army of a nation hostile to the God of Israel. After his cure from leprosy he wanted to worship God but his employment required him to be present in the worship rites of a heathen god.
But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: when my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also – when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.
2 Kings 5 v18 [NIVUK]
Naaman had to negotiate between serving his king and following his new-found faith in God. The prophet Elisha set his mind at rest.
In Damascus there was a believer called Ananias. The Lord instructed him to go and meet a man by the name of Saul who was widely known to be on a mission to eliminate the new followers of Jesus. Not surprisingly, Ananias was rather fearful of what might happen.
‘Lord,’ Ananias answered, ‘I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem’.
Acts 9 v13 [NIVUK]
Nevertheless, Ananias did obey the instruction and he received the privilege of being the first to mentor the new convert whom we know as the apostle Paul.
How do you rate your spiritual DNA? Does any of these examples fit your assessment?
☞ The devotion of Daniel who defied a king’s order by continuing to pray openly;
☞ The negotiation of Naaman whose worship was constrained by his obligations;
☞The apprehension of Ananias who trusted God despite his misgivings.
Or perhaps you feel it is more like the perfidy of Peter whose public denial was, nevertheless, followed by remorse, repentance and restoration.
References:
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys