[Daniel] had trusted in his God. (Dan. 6:23)
Expanded Passage: Daniel 6:23
He went from serving in the palace to sitting on death row. He’d had it all: education, position, riches, a family, freedom. Then he’d lost them all when his political opponents falsely accused him of treason. His name was Boethius (pronounced Bo-EE-thius), a Christian living in Rome in the AD 500s. While awaiting execution, he wrote a classic called The Consolation of Philosophy. In this book, “Philosophy” is the name of a female figure who gives Boethius wise advice. She reminds him not to live for worldly goods that can be lost. Instead, he should focus on the goods that last: good character and, above all, God.
The story of Daniel in the lions’ den begins like Boethius’. It ends differently, with a miraculous deliverance rather than death. That doesn’t mean Daniel was a truer believer than Boethius. As Scripture says, by faith some “shut the mouths of lions” while others suffered “chains and imprisonment” and even “were killed by the sword”; yet, “These were all commended for their faith” (Heb. 11:33, 36–37, 39). Both types of believers were determined to live for what lasts: a faithful character and a faithful God.
Americans call today “Black Friday,” the biggest shopping day of the year. As millions buy goods that won’t last, Daniel and Boethius together counsel us to invest in what will.
By faith, focus today on the good that lasts forever.
Jerome Van Kuiken is a missionary kid, a Wesleyan minister, and professor of Christian thought at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
