Month: July 2018

Re:Verse reading–Daniel 6 (day six)  

As I write this, Anna and I are wrapping up a few days of respite in the Hill Country (that’s the reason for the delayed posting). It was needed. Getting away, waking up in the morning to deer in the field in front of you, with hills rolling in distance, reading God’s Word, prayer, all of it has been refreshing to our souls. Daniel’s respite was his upper chamber in his house with the windows opened facing Jerusalem; there he would pray three times a day. When he faced new pressures from the state, he would go pray. When he faced jealous colleagues, he would go pray in his upper chamber. When his day was easy, he would go pray. Prayer was his respite on good and bad days; it was a part of his everyday rhythm.

You don’t have to go to the Hill Country for respite, but you need it daily like Daniel. Where you do you go pray? Where do you go to refresh your soul when the pressures mount? Find a time and a place; go pray. Your soul needs it.

Re:Verse reading–Daniel 6 (day five)  

For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,
And His dominion will be forever.

When and how did Darius learn about the Living God?  Certainly the culmination was after the lions den. Could he have been both watching and listening prior to the lions den?  Daniel’s custom (see vs 10) communicated God’s character and nature. I suspect there was more to it than that.  The king’s words sound like they came from someone else. And now that Daniel has come through the lions den unharmed, those words made sense and now have significant meaning to the king. Could those words be Daniel’s?  Could Daniel have been not only living a faithful example, but also talking and teaching about the Living God he was following. Daniel’s influence was due to his faithfulness to AND his testimony about the Living God.  Are we consistent and faithful in both our actions and our words?

1 Peter 3;15  But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. 

Re:Verse reading–Daniel 6 (day four)

Daniel was in exile in Babylon, but God had commanded His people to prosper and serve their enemies. Daniel had served Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar faithfully…now he is serving Darius. Even as he served, Daniel faithfully worshiped God and gave witness His glory.

So when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, did God deliver him because he was such a good man and it was unfair the way he was being treated? No. God saved Daniel so the Babylonians would see His glory and worship Him. In verses 26-27, Darius proclaims God as the eternal, living God. Daniel was the recipient of redemption to bring glory to God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8)

When God brings redemption to your life, do you give glory to God? It is not our goodness…it is His grace.

Re:Verse reading–Daniel 6 (day three)

We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.

In a world in which the faces of out groups—be they religious minorities or other socially or economically marginalized factions—change with the ebb and flow of revolutions and empires, the prohibition against religious tests for public life has loomed large in the formation and development of our nation.  The Founders recognized that to view a human being through the prism of a belief system you do not share is to discount his character, or at the very least to fail to examine it.  That wisdom came directly from the influence of Christian thought.  Are you holding this truth to be self-evident?  Treat that out group like you are one of them, because one day, you will be.  It has always been so for Christians.

Re:Verse reading–Daniel 6 (day two)

…and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously. vs. 10b

The deliverance of Daniel was not due to a random selection by God. Daniel’s faith was secure, and had been for some time. He didn’t experience some last minute epiphany that he should be a righteous man. Daniel’s routine, his custom, was to spend time with the Lord. Whether there was a decree or not, Daniel would have been seeking after the Lord. The miracle of the lion’s den was simply a manifestation of the work the God was doing in the heart of his servant.

What is your custom? Is your daily walk reflective of a crisis, or is it a pattern you have followed for years? There is no need to wait for struggle to come to commit to a righteous existence. Daniel had no fear. Not because he knew the Lord would deliver him from the lions, but simply because he trusted completely in the Lord.

Re:Verse reading–Daniel 6 (day one) 

“Soon Daniel distinguished himself above all the other presidents. . .because an excellent spirit was in him.”–v 3

The Bible has a peculiar concept of spirituality.  Larger than most of us imagine.  More comprehensive.  His Spirit lives in us.  Animates us.  Motivates us to excellence in every field of endeavor.

Politics can be a an expression of spirituality.  Should be!  Marriage. . .yard work. . .medicine. . .childcare.  In these and other material duties, the believer has opportunity to demonstrate the difference the Spirit makes.  Faithfulness.  Integrity.  Innovation.  Daniel excelled because the Spirit was in him.

Christians do not deny the value of material things.  We subordinate them to a larger and better love of God.  Material things are blessings and duties from God rather than competitors to Him.

Do you have an excellent Spirit in you?

“Aim at Heaven and you get Earth ‘thrown in’.  Aim at Earth and you will get neither.”–C. S. Lewis.

Re:Verse passage – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day seven)

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13

The key phrase here is “all your heart”. Your search for God is not cursory, it must be an all-consuming search.  The difficulty comes when we have the best of intentions, but our heart is not in it.

What do we do when our head knows that we should desire God more than we do?

What do we do when we really do not want to worship with all our heart?

This morning you may not want God more than you want anything else.  You may want lunch more than worship, or you may want a raise more than you want a relationship with God.  If that is true of you this morning let me offer a couple suggestions that have helped me in tiresome days.  First, repent, confess to God that you know your heart is not in it. Fervently spill your heart out before God asking Him to intervene and redirect your heart. The other step is to act obediently.  Even when you don’t want to worship or seek God, suppress the flesh and look up toward our God.  Repentance followed by obedience will bring about great blessing in your life softening your heart making it moldable for our God.

 

Seek the welfare of the city,…for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Jeremiah 29:7

“Love your neighbor as your self.”-Jesus

It does us good to do good to others. Is that okay to say out loud? Should we be motivated to do good to others because it is a good return on our investment? According to Jesus, yes. It’s okay to seek your own welfare while pursuing the welfare of others. That’s how God’s economy works. Jesus even said, “it’s more blessed to give than to receive.” Clearly, he inspires us to give sacrificially to others by offering us greater blessing.

Now, this is true in two ways. The first is obvious, when you invest in the welfare of others, overtime it can only bring great benefit to you; giving begets giving (and thus receiving). The second is a greater blessing, when we give or seek the welfare of others we point others to the greater benefactor-God. We give because God gives, in fact no one can out give Him. So, when we give we glorify God, and that is a superior blessing.

“’Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’”

God’s design for His children to be engaged and interact with society and culture has not changed.  He doesn’t want believers insulated and isolated from the lost and needy.  Rather, He instructs us to “live” in the regular patterns and rhythms of life with Godly passion, perspective,and purpose.  This will be a catalyst for conversations and opportunities to share the gospel and glorify God.  Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Re:Verse passage – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day four)

It is not exactly the way that the Israelites would have written the script…70 years in exile in a foreign land, hosted by a conquering enemy.  What was God thinking?  ‘We are His chosen people…surely our enemy will be defeated and we will return to our land.’  But God had a plan of rescue and redemption.  In the meantime, Israel was to be a blessing to the Babylonians.  They were to pray for them and seek the welfare of the city where they were exiled.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas found themselves beaten and locked away in the depths of a prison.  They would not have chosen this experience, but they witnessed to God’s goodness in spite of their circumstances.  God had a plan of rescue and redemption for them and He received the glory.

Where has God got you now?  Are your circumstances difficult? Regardless…good or bad…allow God to work through your life to bring redemption to others and glory to Himself.