Christ is always the ultimate for God's children, but we sometimes struggle with things that come before.
Christ is the ultimate, and every Christian knows it. God speaks a word of justification to the sinner by grace through faith: you are right with God on account of Christ's love and work for you in the flesh, at the cross, and beyond the grave. This word in Christ is the final word for you as a Christian: final in that none comes above it, final in that, after everything else, it remains. This ultimate word has a way of defining who you are and what really matters. It secures your eternity. It also profoundly impacts how you view everything that happens, leading to this ultimate word.
We see that truth in Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar had just led his Babylonian armies to conquer Judah and take them captive, including a young Daniel.
With a firm grasp on the ultimate, how did Daniel deal with his new circumstance? He faithfully served in the government of his new king and worked for the good of his new country. He recognized even this government was a gift from the Lord for the good of his people. It was not the ultimate, nor could it ever be, but it was an important institution the Lord would use to bless his people, even in captivity. So Daniel worked hard in his vocation in service to the king, and he prospered.
Decades passed, and the Persians conquered Babylon. Daniel, who was probably over eighty, remained in service to the new king. The king appointed him to one of the top positions in government. Many became jealous. They knew the only way to get rid of Daniel was to force him to choose between his God and the law of the king. So they get the king to pass a new law: no one can pray to any god or man other than the king for thirty days, on pain of death.
Keeping a firm grasp on the ultimate, what does Daniel do? He did the same thing as every other day. He went to his window –– which faced Jerusalem –– and prayed to the Lord. Those men ran to tell the king. The king tried to undo his foolish decree, but in the end, he was forced to put Daniel into the lions' den. All through the night, the king worried. At first light, he ran to break the lock on the den. Against all hope, he called to Daniel, and Daniel answered. "When Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God" (Dan. 6:24).
Most of us will probably never have to choose between denying Jesus or a den of ravenous lions, but we face a challenge similar to Daniel. Christ is always the ultimate for God's children, but we sometimes struggle with things that come before.
As one example, consider the government. Sometimes, you love what you see there, and then the temptation is to let it become the ultimate. It begins to define you and becomes what you are all about. In it, you may even seek salvation from your problems. But to make it the ultimate is a sin and causes a blessing from God to become a stumbling block. Or you may hate what you see within your government. The policies and the politicians disgust you, so the temptation is to despise an institution God established for your blessing. Rather than working for its good and praying for its welfare, you want to curse it and revel in its failings. To turn your back or just tune out is a failure to honor God's blessings and often fails in serving your neighbor, too.
Christ is the ultimate, and he remains so for every Christian. He entered creation to save it. He took up the judgment for sin and carried it to the cross. That includes our every sin of despising the good things of God in this world or trying to make them do what only Christ can do. After all that, Christ still proclaims the final word: I forgive you; you are righteous before God by grace in Christ. His word defines who you are. It reminds you of what is most important. It assures you of heaven, and it empowers you to deal rightly with the gifts of God in this life, which come before the ultimate, including government.
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