Back in the fall of 1971, when my parents deposited me on the campus of East Stroudsburg State College, I had a decision to make. I was 17, and for the first time in my life, was basically on my own. Would I sustain the Christian beliefs my parents had imparted to me? Or, would I put them on hold for the next four years – or so – and live the way I wanted to live?
Here’s what I believed then – and still do – that the sooner one makes a decision to live for Christ, the easier it is to follow thru – especially on a secular campus; but the longer one puts off this decision, the harder it is to back-peddle and try to undo some of the fallout over some poor choices made.
So, on my very first night on that unsanctified soil, with two complete strangers sharing my 12 x 15’ dorm room, what would I do? When I crawled into my upper bunk, I turned on my soft nightlight to read my Bible – which proved no small challenge to my concentration as the less-soft strains of Mick Jagger filled the room with “Get Off of My Case,” I mean, “Cloud,” and “I Can’t Get No Sleep” – uh, make that, “Satisfaction.” That decision forged the course for the rest of my life in striving to put God first in everything.
We come this Sunday to the familiar story of “Daniel in the Lion’s Den.” Now back in chapter 1 when we met Daniel as a mid-teenager, he made the bold decision to faithfully live out his faith in a hostile environment. Fast forward seven decades and he was about to become the main course for a family of hungry lions. How did this happen? Because he lived out his faith, faithfully.
If you want to be inspired by a man of spiritual commitment, please come this Sunday to hear the sermon, “Great is Thy (Daniel’s) Faithfulness”.
