It's What You Are to God

Hi! My name is Anastasia!

Anastasia.  I always choose Anastasia when the game is played.  It began because I was fascinated by the mystery of the name.  Now I choose it because it is guaranteed to garner giggles from the crowd.   Usually I play the name game once with each small group I lead.  The first question  is fun and hopefully non-threatening. "If you could choose your first name, what would it be?"  Few people have ever chosen their name.  It's an enlightening exercise.  (Sometimes, I remember the "game name" easier than the person's real name!  A friend's husband will always be Brett to me!)

"Among these were some from Judah:  Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah." Daniel 1:6 NIV

In Daniel 1:6 four heroes are listed.  In the next verses they are renamed, not voluntarily, by the conquering king's chief official.  I suspect the four heroes liked their names.  Each name related to God.  The four had been selected as the best and brightest of the vanquished tribe and were being indoctrinated into the victorious king's service.  Apparently the first step in the transformation was Babylonian names.

The next step in training was diet. They were to live on the royal food and wine.  Daniel petitioned the official for relief from this diet as it would defile the four heroes.   The official was concerned for his own safety if the king's orders were not followed.  Daniel proposed a ten day test.  Feed the four of them vegetables and water.  After ten days, compare them to the others fed the royal meal plan.  The result of this test showed the four healthier and better nourished. 

Their physical bodies were in service to a foreign king.  Their hearts were in service to the One True God. When the opportunity to stand for the One True God, they dared to stand for Him.  

Be sure to read the rest of the book of Daniel. You'll be singing the old hymn "Dare to Be A Daniel"! ( Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to Stand Alone, Dare to have a purpose firm,  Dare to make it known. by Phillip Bliss)

Daniel knew what the world calls you isn't who you are.  What goes inside you, determines who you are.  Today we have so much from the world to choose to put in our body and our minds.  We must choose, what goes into our hearts and bodies, wisely to stand  ready to make Him known.  God knows our name and knows our heart.  Our purpose- to make His name known.