Underdog Week 2 Thursday

Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel's great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn't find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. Daniel 6:3-4

Have you ever met someone for the first time who made a terrible first impression, but soon proved that their poor first impression was not well-founded? Conversely, have you ever met someone for the first time who made a great first impression, yet you found out that that person did not prove to be all they made themself seem to be? First impressions are fleeting. Character, however, is proved over time. People learn our character by observing how we live day in and day out, in good times and bad. As followers of Christ, our character is to point others to Christ.

Scripture teaches that Daniel was a man of impeccable character. In Daniel 6, the new king of Babylon, Darius, appointed officers to rule over many of Babylon's provinces, one of those men was Daniel. Imagine a young man taken from his home, rising to become one of the king's high officers. Daniel had such great ability that the king wanted to place him over the entire empire (verse 3). Daniel was not only a man of great ability; he was a man of character. Others in the king's administration actually became jealous of Daniel and the king's attention and favor. They started looking to find some fault against him that would discredit him and his position. Try as they might, they could find nothing to condemn him. Instead, they found that "he was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy" (verse 4). Daniel proved his character over time in such a way that even his enemies could not find anything against him.

If you and I want to be people of character, we will not earn this reputation in a day. Character is built over time. This means that if we're going to be known for our character, our actions and our words matter, day in and day out. The decisions we make and the things we say every day are essential because we are building character every day. How can you lay the foundation for your character today?

MOVING TOWARD ACTION

Take some time to answer this question in your journal or notebook: What character do you want to be known for? If someone were to describe your character, how would they describe you? What consistencies do you see in what you want to be known for and how someone would describe you? What inconsistencies do you see? After journaling, pray. Confess any areas in your life where you are not demonstrating character that points to Him and ask Him for strength to live as a person of consistent character that always points others to Christ.

GOING DEEPER

Read Daniel 6:1-5 (NLT)