“God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” – Ecclesiastes 12:14
Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at Old Testament characters who, when it came time, displayed incredible courage. These characters were regular people just like you and me who are known because of their faithfulness to God and their willingness to act courageously when the time came.
The first character we are going to look at is a young man named Daniel. Daniel’s name literally meant, “God is my judge.” When he would introduce himself, people would ask, “Who are you?” and he would respond, “God is my judge.” My name is Daniel—God is my judge.
For Daniel, his name was much more than a name…it was a way of life. He lived for God. More specifically, he lived courageously for God. As we mentioned yesterday, everyone who acts courageously does so for a very good reason. They aren’t just displaying an incredible amount of courage for kicks and giggles; they have a purpose for the act.
For Daniel, it all starts with his name. But courage doesn’t just have to be for anyone named Daniel. As children of God, and as followers of Christ, that is how we all should view not only our courageous actions but all of our actions. God is our judge. We live in a world where everyone is trying to impress everybody.
We buy nice homes, fast cars, fancy watches, name brand purses, and we do it all to impress others. Social media is the ultimate source people use to impress others and show how great their life is. While none of these things are inherently bad, it is the motive for acquiring them and showing them off that can be questioned.
If you are buying a fast car because you just like fast cars, that is one thing. But buying it with the thought of what other people think is an entirely different issue. Daniel is who he is, and he displayed the courage he did because he didn’t live with that thought process. For Daniel, God was his judge. It didn’t matter what other people thought of him.
The way he lived his life demonstrated that God was the only person he needed to worry about. When you focus on obedience to God rather than the opinions of others, God will do amazing things in your life. But it starts with remembering who is the ultimate judge, and it’s not those in your inner circle.