We represent Christ in vivid and urgent times. Advancing technologies, coupled with the loss of spiritual values, have created an age of peril and constant challenge. We never thought we'd see a day of such rapidly crumbling foundations or such brazen evil. Here are three D's we need for viewing life through the lens of eternity and standing firm amidst a deteriorating culture.

Determination

Above all else, we've got to live with determination as young Daniel did in pagan Babylon. He and his friends were enrolled in a godless educational system, given secular names, clothed in Babylonian garments, and fed an extravagant diet. But Daniel placed boundaries in his life. He knew the lines he would not cross. The Bible says, "Daniel was determined not to defile himself" (Daniel 1:8, NLT). The New International Version uses the word "resolved." The New King James Version says he "purposed in his heart." The New American Standard Version says he "made up his mind."

I like those terms. Every portable electronic device, used incorrectly, is an invitation to evil. Every screen in your home is potentially lurid. Every conversation in the workaday world has the potential to be profane, rude, or ill advised. Every meal is a temptation to gluttony. Every motive that propels our actions is suspect. The shifting values of the world leave us defensive and uncertain. In a time of moral confusion, family breakdown, church marginalization, economic uncertainty, and rising secularism, we've got to be determined to stand firm for Christ, to be resolved, to purpose in our heart, to make up our mind.

One of the most interesting characters of the Reformation was Desiderius Erasmus, born in Rotterdam in 1466. He was exceptionally intelligent; and, following the deaths of his parents when he was thirteen, he gave himself to studying in the schools and monasteries of Europe. He became one of the greatest scholars and most creative writers in Christian history, possessing a heart for the original texts of the Bible. As he studied the Greek New Testament, he realized God sent Christ to ransom us at the price of His blood. He grew critical of the church of his day, especially of those who "refashioned the Holy Scriptures as though they were made of wax." He endeavored to get the Greek New Testament into the hands of Christians and to restore the church to true spirituality. His efforts paid off, for his influence ignited such stalwarts as Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, the Reformation heroes of Germany and Switzerland. In words that could be spoken in our own day, Erasmus said:

When all is dark, when the world is in tumult and men's opinions differ so widely, where can we take refuge if not in the Gospel teaching? This generation is the most corrupt there has ever been. When did tyranny and greed lord it so widely and go unpunished? When was so much importance ever attached to ceremonies? When did iniquity abound with so little to restrain it? Our plight would indeed be sorry if Christ had not left us live coals of His teaching. We must blow up those coals into flame. The winter of our wickedness never brings the fire of love so low that it cannot be rekindled. Christ is like a source of eternal fire.¹

Yet when Luther blew the coals into a flame, Erasmus (by then old and ill) didn't know what to think. He vacillated between Luther and the Pope. He anguished. He refused to take sides. He was afraid to study Luther's writings for fear he would have to render an opinion about them. And today he is remembered as the fountainhead of the Reformation who, when push came to shove, lost his nerve.

That may not be a fair analysis of Erasmus, but the lesson shouldn't be lost on us. When push comes to shove, let's be more like Daniel than Desiderius. Let's be determined and resolved to remain faithful to Christ and His moral values and His doctrinal truths whatever the cost.

Devotion

We've also got to live with devotion to our Lord Jesus. Devotion is different than determination. I may be determined to remain true to my wife, but it's another thing to be devoted to her. The word "devotion" conveys wholehearted love. As it relates to Christ, this means strong and consistent fellowship with Him.

It's important to have the right convictions, but deep convictions without divine fellowship turns us into mere zealots. If we hold the truths of the Gospel without spending time with the Giver of the Gospel, we'll lose the internal sweetness of our faith. Christianity is not just a cause to which we are dedicated; it is a Christ to whom we are devoted.

I think it's important to have a little desk somewhere, a table, a chair, a quiet spot, a private place, a closet—and there to meet with the Lord every day in devoted Bible study and prayer. It's not simply a routine, but a relationship. It's a shelter from the storm, the shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land. If we are going to be dedicated to the truths of Christ, we must be devoted to the time we spend with Him.

Demonstration

That leads us to a life of demonstrating Christ to the world. Some years ago, Ralph Carmichael wrote a wonderful little song called "A Quiet Place." It is about our daily devotional life, that time when we find "a quiet place, far from the rapid pace, where God can soothe my troubled mind." I like the way the song ends. Carmichael wrote:

Whether a garden small,
Or on a mountain tall
New strength and courage there I find.
Then from this quiet place
I go prepared to face
A new day with love for all mankind.

When we are dedicated to our convictions and devoted to our Lord, we leave our quiet place of fellowship to demonstrate His love to those we meet during the day. We become active and vibrant examples of the children of God. We let our light shine before men that they might see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

Today the foundations of society are crumbling, and unthinkable evils are prevailing. But we can stand firm in the conflict and flourish in our testimony if we look at our world through the lens of eternity. That means living a life full of determination, devotion, and demonstration.

¹Quoted by David Bentley–Taylor in My Dear Erasmus (London: Christian Focus, 2002), 94.