Convictions

      We like to think that we have convictions about certain things in this life and that we would never violate them under any circumstances.  It was about four o’clock in the morning on December 13, 1990 and I was having extreme shoulder pain which turned out later to be a heart attack.  I got my wife out of bed and we headed to the ER at Camden Clark Memorial Hospital in Parkersburg, West Virginia.  I pulled up to a red light, looked both ways and went through the red light.  It disturbed Diane that I had just gone through a red light but nothing was coming and I was hurting.  My conviction about never going through a red light under any circumstances suddenly turned out to be a preference.   There are differences between convictions and preferences.  Convictions don’t change while preferences may change often.    Daniel 1:8 says, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”  The word “purposed” occurs over 500 times in the Bible and is translated a number of different ways. One of the first times the word occurs is in Genesis 2:8 where God “put” the man in the garden.  Daniel had a mindset that was going to display certain characteristics that had been formed in his young life.  One of those characteristics was loyalty to God and faithfulness to God’s Word.  Daniel knew the laws of the Old Testament and what foods were right and which foods were wrong to eat.  He had stated that he did not desire to eat the king’s food but would rather have a good course of vegetables instead.  It was going to be a contest as to which diet would be the better one.  God blessed Daniel and his friends and they came out on top so would be getting the course of diet that they requested rather than the delicacies of the king.  It was going to be a life of trials for Daniel and his friends as they continually were faithful to God rather than to King Nebuchadnezzar.  Daniel did not just prefer vegetables, He was committed to not violating the dietary rules of the Hebrew people because they were from God’s mouth and not his own.  There are perhaps many times when we think we have convictions about certain things but then find out that they are nothing more than  preferences.  God certainly has given us many instructions in His Word and all of them should be “convictions” rather than just preferences but they don’t always turn out that way. Convictions can come about after a preference becomes challenged in our society.  You and I may have preferences about our Christian lives but there may come a time when you have to decide that your desired lifestyle is a conviction and not just a preference.  Daniel knew that his lifestyle was going to be challenged and when it came he chose God’s way over the ways of the king in whose country he found himself.  How will you decide when the time comes?  Praise  God for His direction in our lives.