The LORD's Day August 10, 2008

The Power of A Godly Character

Daniel 6.1-5


the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.

Exceptional = surpassing, extreme, extraordinary

A man’s true character shows up in his work particularly when he entrusted with someone else’s power and possessions. I like what Ronald Reagan said about the presidency: “When people tell me that I became President on January 20th, 1981, I feel I have to correct them. You don't become President of the United States. You are given temporary custody of an institution called the Presidency, which belongs to our people.

Having temporary custody of this office has been for me a sacred trust and an honor beyond words or measure.”

1. A sacred trust- that is how Daniel viewed and behaved in the kingdoms he was a part of on earth.

No grounds for charges - not even in a single matter. Joseph and Daniel were excellent ambassadors of Israel in foreign lands. They kept calm even when they were being conspired against and falsely accused. Like Jesus they never spoke of the horrible injustices they had to endure. They understood there were bigger things going on. And besides they were resting in the fact that God was Sovereign and being so could bring good out of the worst situations. They believed He would bring good out of their trials of injustice and false accusation and He did For Daniel it was his co-workers and associates for Joseph family!

Joseph: Genesis 50.15-21
Part of this excellent spirit - exceptional qualities that were in these men were not only their ability to manage and administer with integrity but deep within their souls was this God given ability not to get all caught up in the injustices they were being handed but to forgive and see beyond through faith that God was indeed in control. This is not easy. It is not natural. It is supernatural. Only through the power of God’s Spirit can we do this

Jesus taught us to pray a daily prayer of forgiveness for ourselves to our Father in heaven and a daily prayer of forgiving others.

We cannot afford the luxury of holding grudges. To obtain an excellent spirit we must learn to overlook and forgive offenses. I was picking some blackberries the other day and as I moved along the bushes I felt a tug on my pants and there a branch had gotten hung up on the bottom of my shorts. It stopped me. I had to untwist it and get rid of it or I was going nowhere. It stopped me from proceeding. Unforgiveness (even among the most cruel of injustices and insults- these men were the subject of racism ) Unforgiveness hangs us up. It stops us from growing spiritually. It makes the soul bitter and full of anger.

Their freedom to forgive and let God work out His plan was tremendous. Forgive fully

What do you have that is a sacred trust?

1. Your reputation. Your Christian witness. I love D.L. Moody’s words to the young pastor who came to him and said that people were saying bad things about him: “Just make it your business that none of what they are saying is true ” Guard yourselves. Guard your heart.

2. Your work (for the LORD) is a sacred trust. All our work should be as unto Him

3. If you are married you are in a scared trust.

4. Parents, grandparents, aunts , uncles we are all in sacred trusts.

5. Kids are in sacred trusts with their parents. Most parents trust their kids.

I would be true for there are those who trust me. I would be faithful through each passing moment;I would be constantly in touch with God...

No corruption. If they had background checks and computer profiles back then Daniel would have come up clean of any wrongdoing. He was a model citizen and a model leader.


Trustworthy- to confirm, support, to believe in, to trust in

Go even further back- when he was chosen by Nebuchadnezzar- he didn’t eat the meat and wine, he sacrificed for the God’s glory. Excellent

2. Daniel was not Negligent. He did not shirk responsibility. He worked diligently.

There are those who do just enough to get by. There are those who do more than their share. He did all things well. Aim for perfection. (II Cor13.11)

3. He was “Guilty” of being a follower of God.

Daniel had been taken out of Jerusalem but he did not let Jerusalem to be taken out of his heart. He may have physically been in Babylon but his heart belonged to Jerusalem and to it he faced as he prayed each day. Psalm 137

We are in this world but we are not of this world. Our citizenship is in heaven. (Philippians 3.20) We belong to it. And we await a Savior from there. Our hearts ought to be in the New Jerusalem. (Revelation 21).That is our true home.

Being a member of the Kingdom of God should make us the best members of the nations and kingdoms of earth. Our lives ought to reflect the fact that we know God is watching and that we will give an account to Him one day.

We ought to be the most trustworthy of all people. Salt and Light (Matthew 5.13-16)

The only thing they could “convict” Daniel of was that he was a follower of God. They had to create a situation where following the LORD was against the law (of the Medes and the Persians).

Daniel represents the persecuted church today. There are many suffering for their faith- our brothers and sisters. In places as close as Cuba and as far away as Sudan and Nepal, Christians are being persecuted. Their crime- they are following Jesus.

If we are going to convicted of anything, let that be it.

The power of a godly character. Daniel was given this power from God’s Spirit. It gave him the strength to refuse bribes. When they tried to accuse him they could not. God gave him the power to keep praying- he prayed about the situation. God delivered him because he trusted in Him. His faith was in the LORD as he was going through the greatest test of his life.

Through God’s power, live so the things
that were said about Daniel’s character will be said about you