Faith
with a Pulse
by Scott Phillips
"Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse." Daniel 1:16
In the first chapter of Daniel, we read about and are introduced to four exceptional people. In a place of captivity, their identity as children of God is not only not muted, but highlighted. They were those who Babylon carried back as slaves to serve in the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar. We see that God gives them favor and a choice. They choose to use that favor to maintain their distinction. They refuse to eat the kings meat and drink the kings wine and challenges their overseer, and says, Let us for ten days eat “pulse” and water and see if we don’t look better than the others. So after ten days, they are compared with the others who have traded in their identity for acceptability, and they are found to look “fairer and fatter” so their portion of meat and wine was removed and they were fed only “pulse” for the three years of preparation.
At the end of the three years, they stand in the kings’ court and the Bible says that they were found to be “ten times” better than any other counselor in the whole realm. Now that is an incredible thought. Those brought as captive in a foreign land, in Babylon were found and favored and more valuable by the power of ten. The reason is not they ate vegetables, but it is because their faith was alive, their faith had a pulse.
If you want to know another word for Faith it is wrapped up and truly more defined in the word Commitment. Commitment is living Faith. Faith without a pulse is good intentions and good ideas, but not faith. Faith without works is dead. But Faith with a Pulse is called commitment.
We live in a day that
people struggle with the meaning of faith. But at the end of the day,
faith is what faith does. If your faith does not motivate you to make hard
decisions because, only because of your commitment, then your faith is not
alive.
Faith with a Pulse is commitment.
We read in chapter three the details of the story we have heard since children. Nebuchadnezzar erects a large golden statue and commands all his subjects to bow before it when the music plays. These three Hebrews are found to be standing erect when everyone around them is bowing. They are accused to the King, and he is enraged and he calls them before him. While everyone is watching and the king is telling them, “You are either going to bow down or I am going to throw you in a furnace of fire!” they do not relent.
They go further to say, “We are not cautious in our answer, we believe that God is able to deliver us, but even if he does not deliver us, we will still not worship you or your Gods.”
The kings’ face contorts in rage and he causes the furnace to be heated seven times hotter. They are bound and the men commissioned with throwing them in die while standing on the outside to throw them in. The King looks in and sees not three, but four men walking around in the furnace. He calls them forth and makes a decree, “There is no God like the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego.”
We rejoice in their victory, but their victory was found in their commitment. The essence of commitment is found in their response to Nebuchadnezzar. No matter what, even if we do not get out of this, we are willing to lose it all in order to retain our integrity. When the chips are down, the true nature of our faith is exposed.
What you have may not
be faith, but fantasy. If your faith cannot cause you to be true, your
faith has lost it’s pulse and is dead. Faith with a pulse is commitment.
Commitment will have similar results in your life, if you will try it. Deliverance does come, promotion does come, but often we have to be willing to reach the breaking point and still not give in. We have to be willing to suffer loss and in the loss, we gain more than we had in the beginning.
If your faith is a patient, does the patient have a pulse? Is your faith sick, in the hospital or is it already dead pushing up daises? The answer is found in your level of commitment.
Don’t give up, don’t bow down and don’t stop. Keep Standing!
Victory will come to those that have the gumption and grit to be true to their God and maintain their identity.
Standing…
In Him, By Him, Through Him,
Scott Phillips
The Video from this Message is on the front page of our website.
“And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.” Dan 3:27
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Dan 3:16-18
The Essence and Definition of commitment is found in the statement, “But if Not..”