GOD'S MAN IN A SECULAR WORLD
I am told that the spirit of God Most Holy lives in you, and that you are known for your perception, intelligence, and marvelous wisdom. Dan. 5:14, Jerusalem.
When we think of people who "work for the Lord," we often think first of clergymen or others on the payroll of a church or religious organization. We seldom think of one who punches in on a factory time clock. We may be even less likely to think of a high government official, especially in a monarchical government.
Fortunately, our creative God does not draw the same arbitrary lines between the sacred and the secular that we often draw. He wants His principles and compassion to flow through every aspect of human endeavor, and He wants His people to be the channels.
We see in Daniel a prime example of God's desires to infiltrate the world outside of the church with His touch. Though we often call him "the prophet Daniel," he was known in his own time primarily as a highly esteemed statesman. And even though God worked a few miracle elements into his rapid rise to power, he held onto his high rank through three successive monarchs because of the quality of the person he had become through his relationship with God.
It is true that Daniel spent much time in prayer. But it is also true that he took the power and perspective of prayer with him into his secular assignments. He influenced the course of an empire because he saw such influence as a natural expression of his spiritual life. Among what we would call secular dignitaries, he revealed God even when he was not talking about God or about overtly religious matters.
Many people who may never see themselves as setting a foot inside a church door are intellectually hungry for better answers, emotionally starving for authentic relationships, and genuinely committed to improving the lot of humanity. If we Christians really believe that we have the best answers around, we should confidently carry those answers out of the church door and into the open marketplace, where they can be appreciated for their practical merit by honest people. The same concepts of honesty, fairness, compassion, and respect for human dignity that make a church such a warmly healing environment would be eagerly appreciated by an office staff as well.
God wants Daniel-like friends who, like yeast in the dough, can influence the whole world!
I am told that the spirit of God Most Holy lives in you, and that you are known for your perception, intelligence, and marvelous wisdom. Dan. 5:14, Jerusalem.
When we think of people who "work for the Lord," we often think first of clergymen or others on the payroll of a church or religious organization. We seldom think of one who punches in on a factory time clock. We may be even less likely to think of a high government official, especially in a monarchical government.
Fortunately, our creative God does not draw the same arbitrary lines between the sacred and the secular that we often draw. He wants His principles and compassion to flow through every aspect of human endeavor, and He wants His people to be the channels.
We see in Daniel a prime example of God's desires to infiltrate the world outside of the church with His touch. Though we often call him "the prophet Daniel," he was known in his own time primarily as a highly esteemed statesman. And even though God worked a few miracle elements into his rapid rise to power, he held onto his high rank through three successive monarchs because of the quality of the person he had become through his relationship with God.
It is true that Daniel spent much time in prayer. But it is also true that he took the power and perspective of prayer with him into his secular assignments. He influenced the course of an empire because he saw such influence as a natural expression of his spiritual life. Among what we would call secular dignitaries, he revealed God even when he was not talking about God or about overtly religious matters.
Many people who may never see themselves as setting a foot inside a church door are intellectually hungry for better answers, emotionally starving for authentic relationships, and genuinely committed to improving the lot of humanity. If we Christians really believe that we have the best answers around, we should confidently carry those answers out of the church door and into the open marketplace, where they can be appreciated for their practical merit by honest people. The same concepts of honesty, fairness, compassion, and respect for human dignity that make a church such a warmly healing environment would be eagerly appreciated by an office staff as well.
God wants Daniel-like friends who, like yeast in the dough, can influence the whole world!
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