Happy Fathers Day to all our fathers, we appreciate you for all your efforts and impacts you have made. We know that it is not an easy task to fit into the role of fatherhood, biologically and otherwise and we appreciate you. The world would not be complete without you.
The last post which I shared on Friday talked about Men of Understanding and this is a follow up post on that. We looked at what understanding is, why we should get understanding and the sources of understanding.
Today, we are going to be looking at Daniel as a case study who was a man of understanding. Our main passage is Daniel 1:3-8, 17-21.
Before we go into what we can learn from Daniel, we see that Daniel was a man who was physically “perfect”, he was handsome, of noble lineage, endowed with knowledge and understanding. But despite these attributes he had, Daniel did not allow pride into his life, what mattered to him was his relationship with God (vs. 8).
Who are the Men of Understanding?
- They have foresight: We can see from Daniel, that he had foresight; He saw tomorrow in today, He looked beyond today and because of that, he acted in a way that won’t affect his tomorrow negatively. A lot of people have eaten their tomorrows today because their was no foresight. I pray that God opens your eyes to see tomorrow.
- They are always ready to make sacrifices: In Daniel 1:8, we see Daniel making a sacrifice to not eat of the kings meat and instead he opted for vegetables and water. I can just imagine how Daniel and his friends would have been salivating as the smelt the aroma of the dishes from the kings table. But because of the foresight they had, they were able to sacrifice the food not just for a day or month but for 3 years. Are you willing to let go of some things?
- They discover and know their gift: Daniel did not only discover his gift, he grew it and utilized it. He became outstanding because of this (Daniel 6:3). God has deposited something in each and every one of us. Find it, hone it and use it to His glory.
- They are purpose driven: Because Daniel knew his purpose, every action he took was purpose driven. I’m sure he asked himself some questions like, “Why am I here?”, “What role am I to play?” and so on.
- They have the ability to withstand pressure, temptation and troubles: Men of understanding do not compromise their values, they do not give in to temptation. They know life comes with troubles so they prepare for it.
- They are not selfish: Looking at Daniel, we see that he was not just interested in the welfare of himself only but others around him (Dan 2:17-18,49). Your life is measured by the level of impact you made in the life of people and not by the number of people that hang around you.
- They are not carried away by material gain.
- They know God: Daniel was a man who discovered God, understood His ways and abilities, and followed Him. A lot of people claim to know God but they don’t. They know about Him or of Him, but do not know him personally. There is more of religion than relationship. To be a man of understanding, you must know God personally.
- They make their life God’s witness: We can see from the life of Daniel, that he was God’s witness, showcase and a mobile altar. Wherever Daniel was, people knew about his God. A lot of us carry God in the church and drop Him when we are going to the office or marketplace. We are to be God’s invitation card; wherever you are, God should be there.
- Men of understanding are relevant in God’s agenda: They are always relevant. Daniel was relevant to all the kings that ruled during his lifetime. He was so relevant in God’s agenda that God revealed His mind to him. We can see prophecies yet to be fulfilled in the book of Daniel. Please ask yourself this question, “Am I relevant to God?”, “Can God trust me with an assignment?”. I pray that we make ourselves available for God to use.
The world needs men of understanding, men that know God’s agenda and run with it. This is not limited to the men but for women too, old and young. The world is waiting for us, let us rise up and take our places.
Prayer: Lord take over my life afresh. In Jesus Name. Amen.
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