Backbone
“Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm” (Daniel 6:3).
Charles H. Spurgeon once told the story of a class of boys who were having a Bible lesson on Daniel. One boy was asked to read some verses aloud, and when he came to Daniel 6:3, which reads “because an excellent spirit was in him,” by mistake the boy read “because an excellent spine was in him.” While it was undoubtedly poor reading, it was nonetheless an excellent lesson, for Daniel was a man of real backbone. And this is precisely what is needed in young people today — or in any of us for that matter. It takes real fortitude and purpose to stand for the Lord at a time when the enemy seems extra busy to get us off track. When we were children we used to sing the following chorus, which has a timely message for all of us:
Dare to be a Daniel
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.
