Would you dare to be …
odd?
Would you dare to be odd if God’s best for you was different than what others thought was normal, acceptable, or expected? Would you? Really think about this for the next few minutes. This was the dilemma of Daniel and his friends in Babylon. They could do what was expected and all would be well, or, they could defy the system and find themselves in a bad situation very quickly.
No doubt the rest of the Hebrew captives thought they were odd. More so, they knew they all were in danger of being executed because of them. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah took the risk. They wanted to be in agreement with God more than they wanted their own well being. There is a lesson in this for us.
In the first sentence above I referred to God’s best for you. Have you ever thought about this? Most people want what they think is best. God’s plan for us is better than anything we can imagine.
I believe this is what Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah wanted. I know it is what I want. Though some think it arrogant, I ask God for His best. I surrender my life to Him in every way I am aware. In this, I give Him my best. It is appropriate then for me to ask for His best. Case in point:
After Rose died in 2000, I asked God to make the choice if He had someone for my life. I did not want to make it because the probability that I would make a poor choice was high. I set NO conditions and asked one request: I asked for His best. I asked AND expected. This was no whim because I was confident that His best would be better than anything I could imagine.
When He brought Karen and me together, I could not have imagined the relationship He gave us. I have said that if I wrote everything I could have imagined wanting in a relationship, it would not be this good.
This “asking God for His best” is real. To receive it, you must be willing to give your best. And what IS your best? I can readily tell you what it is NOT. It is NOT performance, keeping rules, religious devotion, or meeting people’s expectations. It is not DOING your best, not about ‘doing’ at all because you can never do enough.
Your best to God is your love, trust, devotion, faith, and a decision to live in agreement with Him regardless of what it looks like, where it takes you, or what He has for you. This is truly all you have to give, therefore, giving this to Him IS your best.
God’s best for you may not look like what you or others think it should. In fact, others may think you outright odd. You must be willing to be odd if necessary to have His best. This is where Daniel and his friends were and where you must be.
I close with two questions:
- What would you give in exchange for God’s best in your life?
- What ARE you giving in exchange for God’s best in your life?
Whenever you hold out for something you want or think you must have, you are exchanging this for God’s best. Unwillingness to be seen as odd (if necessary) is also an exchange. Anything you allow to hinder or diminish God’s best choice for you is what you are giving in exchange.
Daniel and his friends were willing to give their all for God’s best in their lives. Are you? Think about it.
Today’s Seed™ Scripture and Prayer for May 10, 2023:
The king assigned them a daily ration of the best food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for a three-year period, and then some of them would be made his advisers in the royal court. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. The chief official renamed them with these Babylonian names: Daniel was called Belteshazzar. Hananiah was called Shadrach. Mishael was called Meshach. Azariah was called Abednego. But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead. (Dan 1:5-8 NLT)
Prayer: LORD, what is acceptable to most may not be Your best plan for me. I want Your best even if it means being different. If there is something in my life that corrupts or diminishes Your best for me–even if it is acceptable for others–help me remove it from my life regardless of consequences or rejection by others. I am willing to be different if it enables me to be what You have for me to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
(c) 2023 Randall Vaughn • All Rights Reserved • http://www.e-min.org
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‘Today’s Seed’ from E-MIN • May 10, 2023
About Randall Vaughn:
With 40+ years as pastor, author, teacher, worship leader, and songwriter, Randall pioneered E-MIN in 1997–one of the earliest online ministries and today the longest operating. His passion is leading people to deeper, genuine relationship with God. He lives in Alabama with his lovely wife, Karen, and their dogs, Hadi and Rayah. He enjoys hiking, exploring new tech, and “prayer walks”.
Copyright (c) 2023 Randall Vaughn • All Rights Reserved.
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