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PROGRAM D-8164

Doing the right thing in the right way—that’s my current topic. If you haven’t read the first chapter of Daniel lately, I encourage you to do so, for you will see how Daniel was strong in his convictions and uncompromising in his stand, but very wise in the way he went about it. In refusing to eat the king’s food, Daniel did what he knew was right for him, but because he was very careful to do it with the right words, he created a win-win situation for all involved.

Given the circumstances, I can imagine Daniel could easily have been bitter and said something like, “Look, I’m not here because I want to be; this has been forced upon me. I have to do what I think is right, and I refuse to eat your food. That’s all there is to it.” Bitterness brings out the worst in us and causes us to use the wrong words with the wrong attitude. With a bitter spirit, we usually do even the right things in the wrong way.

Notice also that Daniel did not approach this situation with a self-righteous attitude. “Listen,” he might have said, “you can eat that defiled food if you want to. But I refuse to partake of anything like that. I have never defiled my body with your contaminated food. All my life I’ve obeyed God’s law and I don’t intend to change now.”

Can you imagine the reaction of Ashpenaz, the manager, if Daniel had used that approach? Undoubtedly, he would have been antagonistic toward Daniel. Again, the right action in the wrong way makes the problem worse. Self-righteous attitudes turn people off, don’t they? How careful we must be when surrounded with non-believers that we don’t appear to be saying, “Look how good I am” as we take our stands and live by our convictions.

Surely we need more Christians willing to take those stands, more Christians committed to obeying God’s principles, and more Christians who will purpose in their hearts not to defile themselves in this world of sin. However, it’s equally important that we do it with the right words and the right attitude. Let’s ask God to make us that kind of witness as we go to our working worlds each day.