One of the most compelling stories in the Bible is the one about four teenagers, found in the first chapter of the book of Daniel. After the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC, Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar instructed Ashpenaz, the chief of his eunuchs, to “bring some of the children of Israel in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans” (Daniel 1:3-4). In other words, the king’s eunuchs were to take these outstanding young Israelites—four of whom were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—and make them real Babylonians.

It goes on to say, “The king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank” (verse 5). After three years of instruction and this special diet, these young servants in training were to stand before the king.

Will you stand out for Jesus Christ and the Word of God, or will you do that which seems more expedient and compromise?

But because the Israelites were forbidden by Old Testament laws to eat certain foods, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself” (verse 8).

“And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, ‘I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king’” (verse 10).

But Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had made up their minds that they would not compromise their convictions, so Daniel asked if they could eat their own food for 10 days. “‘Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.’ … And at the end of the ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies” (verses 13,15).

It goes on to say, “As for these four young men, God gave knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”

At the appointed time, King Nebuchadnezzar interviewed the young men, and “among them all none was found like Daniel, [Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego]; therefore they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm” (verses 19-20).

How courageous these young men were! It seemed as though much more could have been theirs if they had been willing to conform to the Babylonian way of life, but they wouldn’t. As a result, God was able to use them mightily for His glory, and in the long run Daniel was exalted above all the king’s other counselors.

As has been the case throughout history, many people today are willing to compromise their principles in order to be accepted or more successful. But this story shows how one such seemingly small decision can have a great effect in the years to come. If Daniel and his friends had compromised early in life, they would not have stood their ground later. Daniel would not have triumphed in the lions’ den (Daniel chapter 6), or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel chapter 3).

They were in a difficult position and took a stand. We today who love God and want to stay true to Him are in a similar position, as all around us people try to rule God out of their lives and thoughts and programs. Rock-solid realities—God’s sovereignty, the truth of His Word, and godly standards of moral conduct—are being replaced by the shifting sands of apostasy, rationalism, and materialism.

What about you? Will you stand up for your convictions, or go along with the crowd? Will you stand out for Jesus Christ and the only real standard for today, the Word of God, or will you do that which seems more expedient and compromise? Will you take a stand against the world, or cut the corners of bedrock principles and make dim and shadowy the Word of God?

The Kingdom of God is founded on absolute things—absolute truth and candor and sincerity. And always there is the kingdom of evil that is no less absolute in its falseness. The question is whether or not you are going to see that the issues of Christian living and Christian duty are sharply defined.

Will you take a definite stand today? You can’t conform to both the things of God and the things of the world. The Christian life is a transformed life, not a conformed life! God’s Word says, “They trusted in the Lord and were never confounded” (Psalm 22:5). You will not be confounded if you trust in Him fully and never conform at the price of compromise.