Against the Flow: Holiness in a Hostile WorldSample

Day 1: Swimming Against the Current

Abiding in Christ and living as a Christian can be likened to swimming against the current. Everywhere around you, the water is flowing against you. You need to be constantly vigilant to fight the waves or you will get carried away. The consequence of relaxing and just going with the flow can be dire. The current pulls you away and slowly but surely, you end up in a place too far off from where you wanted to be.

How can we as followers of Christ maintain our distinctiveness and live out our faith in a world that tries to pull us away from Christ? As we struggle against the currents of the world, what perspectives can help us to remain in Christ and know He is in control?

The book of Daniel began in the time period where Judah was taken to Babylon as a result of God’s judgement. It shows how the people of God were exiled to a foreign land with pagan influences and despite that, remained faithful to God. Beyond that, the book of Daniel establishes God’s sovereignty over history, empires and kings.

In today’s text, we see how Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem (v1). To the human eye, it appears that Nebuchadnezzar was the primary reason why Judah succumbed. But in reality, while Nebuchadnezzar was considerably powerful, the real reason Jerusalem fell was because of God’s will and action.

The exiles included Daniel and his friends, who were handpicked to be trained for service in the Babylonian court. All four had Hebrew names with meanings connected to their faith in God. But they were changed to Babylonian names that reflected different Babylonian deities. The aim of re-education was to dilute their identity as God’s people and assimilate them into the Babylonian way-of-life. Daniel and his friends were treated well and even offered food and wine from the King’s table (v5).

The allure of success, power and status in the world can appeal to us so much that we drift along with the ways of the world. If the world treats you well today and attempts to dilute your Christian values, how would you respond? Would you allow yourselves to be carried away by the currents of the world or will you fight against these influences and remain in Christ as His follower? Swimming against the current requires tenacity and can be frightening but we have an Almighty God to hold onto amidst the crashing waves.

Prayer points:

• Think about the things in the world that attract you. Pray that God will enable you to love and worship Him above any other thing the world can offer you.
• Are you mindlessly drifting or intentionally fighting the currents in your walk with God? Pray that the Lord will help you embrace your distinct identity as a child of God and to live it out in your everyday life.