No matter what background one comes from they can do right, it is a choice each one must make. The media tells each day of so many who have chosen to do wrong. It seems sometimes that wickedness is winning, but the Christian knows God will have the victory. The story of Daniel in the Old Testament shows how this works.

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked the city of Jerusalem on three different occasions (606 BC, 597 BC and 586 BC) and took away many of the people captive. Daniel was taken to Babylon in the siege of 606 BC and was not in the best situation.

Daniel was taken captive and became a slave to the Babylonians.

Imagine taken from your home land and family, enduring the life of a slave, yet in all that happened he determined to do what was right in God’s sight.

When he and the others arrived in Babylon, he was placed in a type of training program. He and some others were intelligent and able to work in the kingdom of Babylon in the future.

They were given privileges, one of which was special food from the king.

Daniel being Jew knew he was not to eat certain foods (Lev. 11).

It would have been easy for Daniel and his friends (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) to have gone along with the program, but they had faith in God. Daniel and his friends were determined to do right.

He made an agreement with those in his charge to not eat the king’s food but to eat simple food (pulse and water) and not to violate the Jewish law concerning food. His determination to do right brought great blessing to him from God.

Men today need to have this kind of faith and stop compromising Christian principles. Hardships can come to everyone. It is so important to have a determination to do right, no matter what comes our way. To do what is right one must know what is right.

Men need to go to God for the answer to this question of “what is right?”

God has from the beginning of time required things of man: first that man has a right relationship with him; and second that man has a right relationship with man. When the New Testament that is the law man is to follow today is studied, one will find that this line of thought is carried over today.

Jesus said, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30, 31).

Daniel showed great faith in God to do what was right. So when the question is asked, “What is right?” the answer is seen in the example of Daniel. Obey God according to his terms given in his word. Treat your fellow man as you would want to be treated.

Daniel did just that, he chose to follow God. God’s word tells how to be pleasing to God, obey the gospel by having faith, repenting of sins, confessing before men that Jesus is the Son of God, being baptized for the remission of sins and living for God.

Faith in God, obeying his will – that made Daniel great, and it will do the same for man today.