What is Your Diet?

What comes to mind when the words "Daniel of the Bible" shows up often brings to mind that well-known story about a man stuck in a pit full of lions and surviving. I too can attest to thinking of "Daniel and the Lion's Den" when the name Daniel comes up.

However, when you read more stories about Daniel than just the one about the Lion's Den, it is likely the overall theme Daniel represents will be noticed. All throughout the book of Daniel, we see a sort of faith that cannot be matched or compared to anyone else. Daniel stands up to unlikely situations with a mindset that God will pull him through the most difficult times. His faith is absolutely unshakable and his confidence in the Lord is what gives him strength.

Instead of looking at the Lion's Den story, lets look at an incident that is usually bypassed. I like to call it the Vegetable Story. It starts off with King Nebuchadnezzar ordering the chief of the court officials to find some servants, "without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the kind's palace" (Daniel 1:4NIV). Daniel was one of these men, so it is evident Daniel was the hot commodity in the land. What is to come, though, shows more than just his good looks, wisdom, and strong work ethic. Out of all of these characteristics, his faith is what propels him forward.

Throughout training, Daniel and the other potential servants were required to drink and eat the "royal food and wine" (Daniel 1:8NIV). However, to Daniel, what is royal to the common people was considered a defiling of the body that God created. Instead of taking in the "royal food and wine," Daniel makes his voice heard and tells the chief official that this royal food and wine is not what he should be partaking in. With the help of the Lord, the official showed "favor and compassion to Daniel" (Daniel 1:9NIV). After the chief official reminded Daniel that the king would behead the official if he had found out about Daniel's request, Daniel had come up with a solution.

"Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see" (Daniel 1:12-13NIV). Daniel, a handsome, hardworking stud is partaking in the life of a royal servant. His training involves the P.F. Chang's of dining experiences, the Atlantis, Bahamas of workplaces, and the Egg McMuffin of summer jobs. Ultimately, Daniel gets the experience of a lifetime, especially regarding food service. Like receiving a year supply of Chobani yogurt, Daniel receives a possible lifetime supply of royal food and wine; what does he suggest? Give us vegetables and water and see what we look like compared to your other servants who are living in paradise.

Alright, so Daniel decided to eat vegetables instead of royal food, water instead of wine; no big deal, right? If the guy does not like cranberry chicken, lobster, coconut shrimp, or caviar, with some of the finest wine, then that is his decision.

What makes Daniel's decision so respectable is why he chooses to decline the command to follow through with the kings orders. Daniel 1:8 says, "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with royal food and wine." Daniel refuses to let his body be contaminated by what the world views as pleasurable. If he wants to be the best servant he can be, Daniel needs to keep his body in tip-top shape. Better yet, his solution is to eat the bare essentials for eating healthy: water and vegetables. From there, he tells the official to see what Daniel and his friends look like compared to those filled with royal food and wine. Daniel puts his faith in the strict diet he chooses over the royal food before him. No cranberry chicken for him! Save the lobster and the caviar for the others. Daniel is going to keep his body well-nourished so that he does not become lazy and ruin his body.

Like Daniel, we not only should watch what we physically eat, but what we spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically take in. Daniel refused to eat what  the world would so quickly consume, and we should learn from Daniel and do the same. As servants of Christ, we need to be aware of the difference between unhealthy and healthy. Daniel is a hero, and his faith was not only evident in the big things (near death experience with lions), but in the small things (choosing healthy food over gluttony). His heart was in the right place, and he treated his body as a "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19NIV). After ten days, the bodies of Daniel and his friends looked much sharper than those who partook in the wine and royal food. The former were promoted and the latter were demoted. Through faith, Daniel declined the king's orders and went with his heart, which told him to only eat vegetables and drink water. Because of his faith and persistence, Daniel moved on to the next round.

What kind of diet is God revealing to you? Are you adjusting your spiritual diet to fit His desires for your life? Or, are you adjusting your spiritual diet to fit the world? Is your focus on what God wants from you, or are you following the things of this world?