Life is about making the right choices.

Sometimes mistakes are made when we are faced with difficult choices.

Sometimes we do not think things through before we make the final decision.

The Bible tells us that we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

Jesus came to save us because we can not save ourselves. Every time I pick up the newspaper, listen to the radio or television, it is filled with crime. It affects all families one way or another. Sometimes they are a part of our immediate family.

Standing up for the Lord means to take a stand for Jesus and letting your light shine in your home first. We must make a difference in our home by standing up for the right thing and serving the Lord. This includes raising our children the right way.

Proverbs 22:6 tells us to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart. Even when that is done, sometimes our children will still make the wrong choices, but we have to still stand up for the Lord because He is our creator.

By standing up for the Lord we have to be a servant. A true servant sees the need and go do it. A true servant volunteers to meet the needs without being asked. Jesus reached out to the needy. True servants do not compare their ministries to other ministries. The basic need should be met instead of wanting to be seen or in the limelight. True servants are satisfied with the overwhelming joy of giving, not expecting to get anything in return. However, God will reward us in the end.

As a parent, especially a father, the head of the family and the spiritual leader, there has to be a personal relation with the Lord in order to be a true servant. He must stay before the Lord in prayer and in God’s Holy Word.

Raising children is an ongoing process. As young teenagers grow older, they think they know everything. They go through a rebellious stage. We have to encourage them to stand up for the Lord also and show them by example. Some of them do not want you to tell them anything, but we still have to tell them what is right anyway. It is not what you say, but it is how you say it. We as parents still have a responsibility. Also, we as parents need wisdom in raising our children.

In the Bible, James 1:5 tells us that if you lack wisdom, ask God and he will give it liberally.

Book of Daniel

My mind focuses on the Book of Daniel. The purpose of this book of the Bible is to give a historical account of the faithful Jews, who lived in captivity and showed how God is in control of heaven and earth.

Daniel had been taken captive and deported by the fierce leader Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. He was a teenager about 14 years of age and did not forget his God, although in a foreign pagan land. He prayed and took a stand for God.

Daniel served in the government for about 60 years. He had three close friends: Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, better known as the three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These young men found themselves surrounded by idolaters. Instead of giving up or giving in, these young men held fast to their faith in God.

If we are to succeed today, we have got to hold fast to our faith in God. These young men names were changed. They had prominent positions within the Babylonian government.

Daniel had the ability to interpret dreams. He took a stand for the Lord, that is why he survived the lions’ den. Daniel served as an adviser to two Babylonian kings and two Medo Persian kings. The king called Daniel Belteshazzar.

Daniel is also mentioned in Matthew 24:15.

His three friends stood with him against eating food from the king’s table. They were unwilling to compromise their convictions even in the face of death. These Jewish young men refused to fall down and worship the golden image, which was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide of King Nebuchadnezzar. These men took a stand for the Lord.

We must encourage each other to do the same thing today in the face of obstacles and disappointments.

These men still would not bow. The king ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. (Daniel 3:19-20) The flames were so hot it killed the soldiers that threw them in. By these three young men, standing up for the Lord, the king saw four men walking in the fiery furnace. He said the fourth man looks like the son of God. These young men came out unharmed without any scent of fire on their clothes.

If a pagan king can recognize the Son of God, why can’t we.

Today let us start serving the Lord by taking a stand for Him. By doing that, we will be blessed by God and will make a difference in the world that we live.