There is a VBS song where the boys sing out, “I want to be like Daniel,” and then the girls respond with “I want to be like Ruth.” It’s typically a competition to see which group can sing louder all while promoting the idea that we should want to be like the heroes of the Bible. Daniel is someone to look to for an example of unwavering faithfulness. Ruth, likewise, is the model of submission and hard work. I hope that we could all sing “I want to be like Daniel and I want to be like Ruth.”
And most of us do want to be like those great champions of faith. We want to have the faith of Daniel and the heart of Ruth. But here’s the thing: in order to have what they had, we have to do what they did. Faithfulness and submission are not things that are granted, but things that are worked for. Before Daniel had the faith to look at a lion’s den and say, “I’m still not going to stop praying to my God,” he had spent a lifetime refusing to eat luxurious foods that were not kosher and relying on God, instead of the plethora of idols in Babylon, to give him wisdom in ministering to the king. Ruth’s faithfulness and submission was refined through the hard times she faced: losing her husband, moving to a foreign land, having no food or money in store, living with a mother-in-law that was bitter. We sing “I want to be like Daniel / I want to be like Ruth” but I bet in the back of our minds we’re adding on “but can I be like them without having all the hard stuff?”
Do you know what the difference is between a millionaire and the majority of the population? It’s not the money that makes the difference. The money is a result of the difference. If you take a million dollars away from a millionaire, chances are, they are going to get their fortune back. Whereas I will never have a million dollars to begin with. What makes a millionaire different is the way they think about finances and the habits they have to acquire wealth. You can’t keep thinking and acting like the majority and expect to wind up different.
Daniel and Ruth were millionaires when it came to faith and submission. If we want to be like them, we can’t just wish that those qualities will show up (I’ve also prayed for a million dollars before; it hasn’t shown up either). To be like Daniel and Ruth, we have to do what they did. And that starts by making a change.
What are you going to change to grow in your faithfulness?