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Royalty and Ruin
The Great Results of True Health Reform
When the time came for the Hebrew youth to be examined for the
service of the kingdom, “among them all none was found like Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.” Their keen comprehension, their
wide knowledge, their exact language, testified to the unimpaired
strength and vigor of their mental powers. “Therefore they served
before the king.”
At the court of Babylon men of the highest talent had gathered
from many lands. They were richly endowed with natural gifts and
exhibited the broadest culture the world could bestow. Among them
all, the Hebrew youth were without an equal in physical strength,
mental vigor, and literary attainment. The erect form, the firm
step, the admirable appearance, the undimmed senses, the untainted
breath—all were marks of the nobility with which nature honors
those who obey her laws.
Daniel and his companions were far more successful than their
fellow students in acquiring the wisdom of the Babylonians. They
obtained their knowledge under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
having made the knowledge of God the foundation of their education.
They prayed for wisdom, and they improved every opportunity to
become intelligent in all lines of learning. They followed the rules
of life that could not fail to give them strength of mind. Praying
constantly, studying faithfully, keeping in touch with the Unseen,
they walked with God as did Enoch.
True success in any line of work is not the result of chance or
accident or destiny. It is the outworking of God’s leading, the reward
of faith and discretion, of virtue and perseverance. Fine mental
qualities and a high moral tone are not the result of accident. God
gives opportunities; success depends on the use made of them.
Here we can see the divine principle of cooperation. To make
God’s grace our own, we must act our part. He gives his grace to
work in us to will and to do, but never as a substitute for our effort.
As the Lord cooperated with Daniel, so He will cooperate with
all who strive to do His will. By His Spirit He will strengthen every
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true purpose, every noble resolution. Those who walk in the path
of obedience will encounter many difficulties, but the Lord is able
to counteract every agency that works for the defeat of His chosen