Today’s Readings: Psalm 57; Daniel 6:1-15; John 10:1-10; 2 Timothy 4:9-22; Psalm 59
Featured Reading: Daniel 6:1-15
Over the years I’ve learned that heroes come in many different forms. One of the individuals I most admire is a man named Eli Herring. Eli played offensive tackle for the Cougars of Brigham Young University in 1987 and 1991-94. Eli was extremely talented and was a sure bet to make it in the National Football League. The was just one problem: Eli was a devout Mormon and refused to play football on Sundays. He made his convictions clear to all of the NFL teams. In spite of that fact, the Oakland Raiders insisted on drafting Eli in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL draft. Now at that point it would have been easy for Eli to rationalize that he had tried to walk away from football but circumstances wouldn’t allow him to do so. He undoubtedly would have made millions of dollars had he set aside his convictions and played football. Instead, Eli stuck by his principles and walked away from the offer. Today, Eli is the father of six and works as a school teacher and assistant football coach at Mountain View High School in Orem, UT. When I first heard Eli’s story, it reminded me of the story of another principled person of faith – Daniel. Today’s reading from the book of Daniel spells out the moral dilemma Daniel faced. And while Daniel’s decision didn’t involve fame and fortune as did Eli’s, it did involve taking a considerable risk to position himself against the prevailing societal values around him. Thankfully, Daniel took the principled position and did the right thing. In both Eli and Daniel’s case, there definitely was some cost associated with doing the right thing. For Eli, the cost was literal (lots and lots of $$$$). For Daniel, the cost was figurative (a little time in the lion’s den). Both individuals, however, left us with great examples of the challenges that are inherent in living a life of faith. So how has your faith impacted the way you live your life? Have the principles that have grown out of your faith put you at odds with society, or have society’s norms dictated the way you live out your faith? Til next time…
Featured Reading: Daniel 6:1-15
Over the years I’ve learned that heroes come in many different forms. One of the individuals I most admire is a man named Eli Herring. Eli played offensive tackle for the Cougars of Brigham Young University in 1987 and 1991-94. Eli was extremely talented and was a sure bet to make it in the National Football League. The was just one problem: Eli was a devout Mormon and refused to play football on Sundays. He made his convictions clear to all of the NFL teams. In spite of that fact, the Oakland Raiders insisted on drafting Eli in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL draft. Now at that point it would have been easy for Eli to rationalize that he had tried to walk away from football but circumstances wouldn’t allow him to do so. He undoubtedly would have made millions of dollars had he set aside his convictions and played football. Instead, Eli stuck by his principles and walked away from the offer. Today, Eli is the father of six and works as a school teacher and assistant football coach at Mountain View High School in Orem, UT. When I first heard Eli’s story, it reminded me of the story of another principled person of faith – Daniel. Today’s reading from the book of Daniel spells out the moral dilemma Daniel faced. And while Daniel’s decision didn’t involve fame and fortune as did Eli’s, it did involve taking a considerable risk to position himself against the prevailing societal values around him. Thankfully, Daniel took the principled position and did the right thing. In both Eli and Daniel’s case, there definitely was some cost associated with doing the right thing. For Eli, the cost was literal (lots and lots of $$$$). For Daniel, the cost was figurative (a little time in the lion’s den). Both individuals, however, left us with great examples of the challenges that are inherent in living a life of faith. So how has your faith impacted the way you live your life? Have the principles that have grown out of your faith put you at odds with society, or have society’s norms dictated the way you live out your faith? Til next time…
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