There’s a lady down the street who’s crazy for flowers. At the first sign of spring, she crowds her porch with clay pots containing seedlings. Blooms fill her yard in a rainbow procession all summer long. Daffodils and tulips perform like dancers in a chorus line. Sweet-scented peonies bob in the breeze. Later in the season, towering hollyhocks, and cheerful daisies take their turn in the spotlight. This woman proclaims her passion to every passerby without saying a word.
We can also go public with our passion for God and His ways through our everyday activities. Many of us work with nonbelievers. This was the case with Daniel—he was an administrator for the pagan King Darius. Daniel not only had skill in this area, but “he was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy” (Daniel 6:4). Daniel’s uprightness reflected God’s integrity to others (2 Chronicles 19:6-7).
Daniel’s co-workers scrutinized his every step to try to disqualify him from an important promotion. Because he had a clean work record, they turned to his private life—namely his spiritual practices. They outlawed prayer to anyone but Darius, and then “went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help” (Daniel 6:11). As a result, Daniel had to spend a night in the lions’ den; but not before King Darius said, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you” (Daniel 6:16). And God did just that (Daniel 6:22).
Daniel’s daily habits proclaimed his passion for God, and ours can too. His devotion became contagious. King Darius came to believe in God, declaring, “He is the living God . . . . He rescues and saves His people . . . . He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions” (Daniel 6:26-27).
— Jennifer Benson Schuldt
See Job 1:5 for an example of a “regular” practice that revealed God’s significance in Job’s life. Read Matthew 26:33-34 to see how actions outweigh words.
What are some ways in which you might show—not tell—people in your life about your passion for Jesus? How can fear prevent you from living out your faith?
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