“And when he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king began speaking and said to Daniel, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you continually serve, been able to rescue you from the lions?’” (Daniel 6:20, NASB).

The king describes God as the one Daniel serves continually. Continually means without stopping. That means that when Daniel was captured from his homeland in Israel and forcibly taken to Babylon, he didn’t stop serving His God. It means that when he was forcibly made a eunuch to work for the king, he did not stop serving His God. It means that when he was thrown into the lion’s den for praying, he didn’t stop serving His God. His service and devotion to God were not conditional. He worshiped the one, true God because He was the one, true God, not because God gave him everything he wanted.

Yes, God prospered Daniel and gave him favor in his new land. But it wasn’t easy. None of it was easy. From the beginning, Daniel was set on honoring God and not the ways of the world. Daniel and his friends turned down the king’s choice food to honor their God.

Do you, Christian, turn down the world’s offerings to honor your God? Or, do you try to have it all, the pleasures of the world and the pleasures of God? Do you serve the Lord continually or do you take breaks for “me time?” Do you serve the Lord continually or do you take breaks for vacation? Do you serve the Lord continually or do you do it on a schedule? Do you serve the Lord continually or do you believe you need balance in your life between work and play? The temptation is at every turn, especially in America.

Other people calling themselves Christians will even encourage you not to serve the Lord continually. There are distractions calling to us from every direction, including from the church. Can we keep our eyes on Jesus to serve Him continually? Loving God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength is not something you just do for a portion of the day. It’s 24/7/365.

That should sound thrilling to you, to love God with everything at all times forever. If it doesn’t, seek the Lord. Maybe you’ve been serving Him in your own strength and for your own purposes. Seek Him for His life of total devotion.