“Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13b NLT).You see it over and over in Scripture. God uses people who show courage, people who stand up when everyone else sits down.
Just look at Daniel. Daniel is one of only two people in history to whom God revealed how the world ends (the other is the apostle John). God used Daniel like few men in human history.
But before God used Daniel to change the world, Daniel stood up to the most powerful man in the world. When King Nebuchadnezzar told him to eat his Babylonian food, Daniel said no. Think about it. He rejected the king. He said, “Sorry, king — your food isn’t good enough for me. I can’t eat it.” Daniel was respectful but firm in his refusal to compromise.
I’m sure there were many other Jewish young men taken captive who saw no problem with eating the king’s food. I’m sure those people said, “But everybody’s doing it!”
But Daniel said, “I don’t care if the whole world eats the king’s food. It’s not right. I’m not going to do it.”
Daniel stood with courage. He was willing to stand alone. History has shown us that the majority is wrong much of the time. Just because the majority likes a particular value or passes a particular law doesn’t mean that value or that law is right.
Only God decides what’s true, not us. Only God decides what’s right and wrong. It’s not up to a majority vote.
The Bible says, “Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13b NLT).
We need people of courage today to stand up to evil in a culture that’s turning wrong into right and darkness into light. And because that’s what God calls us to do, he will support and reward you when you stand firm for him.
Talk It Over
What encouraging stories have you heard or read that reveal how someone spoke out when something wasn’t popular?
What things make you hesitate from standing up courageously when you see a wrong?
What are some instances from history when the majority has since been shown to be wrong?
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