THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S Daniel undergoing the test, and the T riune God looking down w ith approval. He knows when we are tempted. He perm its th e testing to CQme. He will never fail us (Isa. 4 3 :2 ). Our Lord is en titled to a clean-cut testim ony from th e lives of His follow ers; and th e needy world is also enti tled to the testim ony of God’s power to sustain His followers in th e ir separa tion from th e th in g s' which defile and demean. “Ye are my w itnesses.” If we could only sense th e full meaning of th a t sentence! Who else can testify and w itness for Him if we who are redeemed by His precious blood and exalted to th e posi tion of Sons of God, fail Him? The te st of Daniel and his friend s was a th ree-years’ test, and they stood it and proved the righ tfu ln ess of th e ir claim. Oh, th a t th e church m ight rise to the privilege which is hers, and be able by the lives of her members, to be saying, “Here is th e proof.” God never suf fered any soul to be th e loser by reason of loyalty and .faithfulness to Him (Prov. 1 6 :7 ). (3 ) An Honored Position. “Therefore, stood they before th e k ing ” v. 19. God gave them knowledge and skill in all wisdom and learning. When a m an’s standing is all rig h t w ith God, he can stand before kings. They pleased God by th e ir faithfulness, and it pleased th e faith fu l God to honor them . “ If any man serve me, him will my F a th e r honor” .(Jo h n 1 2 :26 ). God gave th e understanding and the wisdom to use it, and th e king recog nized it and availed him self of it. The believers who are loyal to th e Lord in th is present evil age will stand before Him in th e ages to come, and those who are faith fu l to th e p resen t tru st will be honored w ith the la rg e r tru s t in the ages to come. “ God gave” ,— when a man is w illing to receive, he will get g reat things from God. (1 Ki. 4 :2 9 ). It pays to be God’s servant,— to have a fixed faith and definite determ ination
770 In 1 Cor. 9:24-27 P au l gives us an admonition and an illu stration . “ Every man th a t striv eth for th e m astery is tem perate in all th ing s.” This is not abstinence from strong drink,— bu t tem perance in all things, — in eating, in drinking, in all things which go to make up th e norm al life. “ It is a good thing n eith er to ea t flesh, nor to d rink wine, nor anything whereby thy b ro th er stum - bleth, or is offended, or is made w eak” (Rqm. 1 4 :2 1 ). If you are to be mas te r of yourself, you m ust subm it to th e m astery of Jesus Christ. “Keep under your body” ,— make your body your servan t in place of being a serv an t of your body. Here is a splendid picture of the runner,^¿?head erect, shoulders back, jaws closed, face set, eyes upon the lau rel w reath, th e body in subjec tion! So must th ere be a holy purpose which moves and sways th e life, to keep these bodies of ours as temples of the Holy Ghost. “ So did not I because of th e fear of God” (Neh. 5 :15) is a motto well worth while for every man and woman, young and old. F o r the life th a t is to be lived for our Master demands abstinence from many things tem pting to the flesh. (2 ) An H onorable Proposition. “ Prove thy servants,” v. 12. There is such a th ing as going against th e tide even of a church crowd. “ Prove thy servan ts” , pu t us to the test. Of w hat value is a mere profession of Christ? “ Count it all joy when ye fall 'in to divers tem p tation s” (Jas. 1 :2 ). Our God delights to use us as His w it nesses and prove th rough our lives th a t He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all th a t we ask or think. All th a t God 'Wants is an opportunity to prove th rough our lives, by th e joyfulness of our service, th a t He can give victory over sin. Daniel had faith in God. He was willing to make th e te st of an experi ment. (Psa. 55:22; Psa. 118:8, 9 ). He had th e example of Joseph (Acts 7:9, 10). T hink of the two pictures: E arth ly
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