In it, not of it

What does it mean to be “in the world, but not of the world?” Jesus prays in John 17:15-18, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” In this chapter, Daniel and some of his friends have been taken from their home and forced to live in a foreign land, Babylon. In Babylon Daniel and his friends were to be educated to serve the king and they were to eat the king’s food. Daniel chose not to eat the king’s food because it would be considered worshiping the king’s god and Daniel did not want to betray his God. However, Daniel did not throw a tantrum when refusing to eat the king’s food. Instead, with respect and humility, he requested to not eat the king’s food and to eat vegetables instead. What does this mean to us where we are today? What does it mean to be God’s people in a secular environment? In Daniel 1, Daniel teaches us how to proceed with humility, clarity, and conviction. He’s given a job/role in a secular environment where no one around him believes in God. He fulfills his calling faithfully but without compromising his ethics by refusing to eat the meat and wine sacrificed to idols which would have implied that he worshipped these false Gods. Instead, he lived solely on vegetables. For his obedience, even in exile, God blessed Daniel and gave him favor with his bosses.