A man of principle

Hint: Please read the passage before reading the following :)

This is a quite unknown, but fascinating story. There was this family with these "weird, outdated" principles. They did not drink wine and lived in simplicity, although half of Judah was sinning all-day-long, with lots of alcohol and pride involved. And grand-dad with his commandments is dead long ago, he would not notice!

Now they're invited to the house of the Lord, by Jeremiah himself! He offers them wine - what a temptation! Because now it seems to be "legal", it's in the temple and a pure man of God is allowing and even asking them to drink. However, they refuse! That was kind of risky, because it was an order from high-above (comparable with Daniel 1).

God esteems this behavior very highly. He is respecting their obedience, their devotion and their principles. In fact, he is using them as a good example for the unprincipled people of Judah. They were also given a law and commandments of purity and obedience. But they ditched the whole thing and lived a sinful lifestyle.
This tiny family really shines out.

What about us? Do we have principles? Or do we only have them when convenient? Are we compromising God's principles? Most of the people around us do stuff we should avoid. Some of my fellows at Uni lie when necessary, drink, gossip a bit here and there and stuff like that. I don't want to judge them, but I am just trying to show that we live in dark world where God's principles are not held very highly.

It's not easy to be a man of principle. Sometimes you have to refrain from stuff you desire. Sometimes you get mocked.You may be quite alone with your convictions. But God is appreciating your obedience and I'm sure also some believers and non-believers do. Because men with principles are rare these days.

Created over 1 year ago