Memorial Day: Cookouts, Beach, Family and friends...the 'unofficial' beginning of Summer!
But what is Memorial Day, really?
It's a time to remember.
A time to remember the sacrifice that millions of men and women and their families in our country have made over the years to fight for our nation, it's values, it's unique history, and its people.
America still stands for freedom and liberty, and there are many in this world that reject these values. At times, these threats are acted upon, and we must defend ourselves.
That's when the men and women in our military have stepped up and given themselves for something greater. They've understood that some things are worth sacrificing for. Some things are worth putting our lives on the line for, and some things are even worth dying for.
Liberty and freedom are two of those things.
Since the war for our independence, it has been necessary for men and women of courage and conviction to stand up and defend America...to show a willingness to make 'the ultimate sacrifice'.
Jesus said "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:13)
Many have, over the years, shown a willingness to show that kind of sacrificial love...not only for family and friends, but also for fellow Americans they'll never meet!
Why?
Because we're unified as AMERICANs...as those who love freedom and liberty; those who still believe that "these truths" are self-evident: "That all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
Today, I am thankful for the millions of men and women over the last 236 years that have sacrificed their convenience, their comfort, their health, their time, their dreams, and their lives...for America!
Today, may God bless them and their families with the awareness that they made a difference!
We honor you, veterans.
Thank you!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Thrown to the Lions!
"If I follow Jesus, everything will go wonderfully"...right?
Not always.
Sometimes being faithful still leaves us open to trials, tribulations, and difficulties.
And somehow, that all fits within God's sovereign plan.
That means that, no matter what our circumstances, we are still called to "Trust and Obey"...and lean on Him to get us through!
Daniel had been faithful from the time he was a young man.
Through the violent overthrow of his homeland, the forced deportation that he and other young Israelites went through, being unfairly mistreated and 'set up' by others, and having to serve under several different tyrannical rulers, Daniel remained faithful.
Not only had he been faithful to God, but he had also been faithful in his service to the various kings. He had always shown integrity and leadership--because these things came not in response to 'nice kings' or 'good treatment', but rather from his relationship to the God of Israel!
As a result, even when things got tough, he remained faitful. Even when he was 'set up' by his fellow officers, he remained faithful to pray to his God several times a day...as had been his custom! He did not change!
As a result, he got caught breaking a law which the king, in his pride, had signed. This law said that anyone who was caught praying to anyone except the king would be thrown into the Lions' den.
Daniel's response? Continue praying and take the risk of suffering the consequences!
When Daniel was 'caught', he didn't try to get out of it. Instead, he committed himself to
God's prayer and protection and continued being faithful.
King Darius, for his part, tried to figure a way to get Daniel out of this predicament, but couldn't. He knew they'd both been set up, and he said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you from the Lions" (Daniel 6:16)
Darius knew this was a bad situation, and he didn't sleep at all that night. He paced until early in the morning, then went to the Lions' Den, and called out: “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”
Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”
The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God." (Daniel 6:19-23)
Daniel had continually been faithful to the Lord, and to serve those kings he was under. God had exalted him to a high office, but HAD NOT KEPT HIM FROM ALL TRIALS. Did Daniel struggle in that night? Was he afraid? Did he think his life was over?
We're not told...(although, given what he'd learned and experienced, he had reason to be confident).
Bottom Line:
Daniel was delivered from the lions! God faithfully and miraculously protected him, even though he had been allowed to go through the trial. He had not wavered. God allowed his faith to be tested, and honored his faith at the same time.
What happened next?
"Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den." (Daniel 6:24)
The King then praised Daniel's God, and encouraged others to do the same.
Lesson for us:
Next time you're going through a trial, check yourself: Have you been faithful? Are you committed to continually serving and honoring the Lord, no matter your circumstances?
If so, and the trial comes anyway, commit yourself to Him, call on His name, call out to Him in prayer, and HAVE FAITH that He will deliver you and get you through.
In doing so, He will use you to bring eternal glory to Himself...and it just may be that others (like King Darius) will give Him praise because of it!
Not always.
Sometimes being faithful still leaves us open to trials, tribulations, and difficulties.
And somehow, that all fits within God's sovereign plan.
That means that, no matter what our circumstances, we are still called to "Trust and Obey"...and lean on Him to get us through!
Daniel had been faithful from the time he was a young man.
Through the violent overthrow of his homeland, the forced deportation that he and other young Israelites went through, being unfairly mistreated and 'set up' by others, and having to serve under several different tyrannical rulers, Daniel remained faithful.
Not only had he been faithful to God, but he had also been faithful in his service to the various kings. He had always shown integrity and leadership--because these things came not in response to 'nice kings' or 'good treatment', but rather from his relationship to the God of Israel!
As a result, even when things got tough, he remained faitful. Even when he was 'set up' by his fellow officers, he remained faithful to pray to his God several times a day...as had been his custom! He did not change!
As a result, he got caught breaking a law which the king, in his pride, had signed. This law said that anyone who was caught praying to anyone except the king would be thrown into the Lions' den.
Daniel's response? Continue praying and take the risk of suffering the consequences!
When Daniel was 'caught', he didn't try to get out of it. Instead, he committed himself to
God's prayer and protection and continued being faithful.
King Darius, for his part, tried to figure a way to get Daniel out of this predicament, but couldn't. He knew they'd both been set up, and he said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you from the Lions" (Daniel 6:16)
Darius knew this was a bad situation, and he didn't sleep at all that night. He paced until early in the morning, then went to the Lions' Den, and called out: “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”
Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”
The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God." (Daniel 6:19-23)
Daniel had continually been faithful to the Lord, and to serve those kings he was under. God had exalted him to a high office, but HAD NOT KEPT HIM FROM ALL TRIALS. Did Daniel struggle in that night? Was he afraid? Did he think his life was over?
We're not told...(although, given what he'd learned and experienced, he had reason to be confident).
Bottom Line:
Daniel was delivered from the lions! God faithfully and miraculously protected him, even though he had been allowed to go through the trial. He had not wavered. God allowed his faith to be tested, and honored his faith at the same time.
What happened next?
"Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den." (Daniel 6:24)
The King then praised Daniel's God, and encouraged others to do the same.
Lesson for us:
Next time you're going through a trial, check yourself: Have you been faithful? Are you committed to continually serving and honoring the Lord, no matter your circumstances?
If so, and the trial comes anyway, commit yourself to Him, call on His name, call out to Him in prayer, and HAVE FAITH that He will deliver you and get you through.
In doing so, He will use you to bring eternal glory to Himself...and it just may be that others (like King Darius) will give Him praise because of it!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Keep Doing What you Do! (He never lets go!)
How faithful are we at following the Lord, and doing what we know is right?
It's easy when there's no opposition, but what if the pressure is built up? What if outright opposition or even 'persecution' begins?
What do we do then?
Reading Daniel Chapter 6 challenges me at this point.
Daniel has been through a lot in his life--the overthrow of his country, forced exile, unfair treatment...but he has always remained faithful to the Lord, God of Israel. Consequently, God has blessed him and caused him to prosper under a variety of rulers. He always seems to 'rise to the top'. All along the way, he always makes sure to 'give his all', being faithful to give his very best work, no matter who the ruler is over him. As a result, those rulers raise him up also!
Until a new king with some new 'rulers' comes in...that's when the going gets really tough.
King Darius, of the Medo-Persian empire, overthrows Balshazzar of Babylon. He establishes his own rulers, princes, etc., but he retains at least Daniel as one of the rulers. Daniel continues to excel in his work, so he is raised up and promoted. This does not go over well with the other administrators and high officers, so they try to find grounds to get him into trouble.
From this chapter, we can learn different lessons, depending on who we pay attention to. We can learn from Daniel, we can learn from the King, and we can learn from the co-administrators to Daniel.
Looking at lessons to learn from Daniel, it's easy to see the lessons:
Keep your integrity; Stay faithful to God!
The other administrators try to trap Daniel in his work. They assume he'll cut corners, be open to bribes, etc. They think they can trap him in some corruption and get him removed, but as hard as they search, they can't!
"Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy." (Daniel 6:4)
Daniel showed integrity in all his works. He was not a politician, but rather a servant of God. Consequently, he was not open to bribes, corruption, etc. (Yes, it is possible to remain true to the Lord while in a high position!)
In fact, try as they might, Daniel's enemies can't find anything against him.
They finally are left with one conclusion: "So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.” (Daniel 6:5)
Can you imagine that?
A leader who's enemies can only find fault against him in his relationship with God?!
How refreshing that would be!
So, what do they do?
They turn his devotion to his God into a problem.
They go to the king with a proposal...
“Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” (Daniel 6:6-9)
Daniel's enemies set him up! And they use Darius' ego against him!
They butter Darius up, feed his desire to be 'over' everything, and suck him right into their evil plan...he goes along with it, and signs the decree.
Daniel's response is classic, and something for us to learn from:
"But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God." (Daniel 6:10)
Daniel carried on with his prayers and devotion to the Lord, God of Israel. His faithfulness was not effected by opposition. He knew that the only reason he had risen to high positions in these governments was because God was with him, and he was not going to stop being faithful to God!
When opposition arises in our world, what do we do?
Do we crumble, give in, and go along?
Do we shrink back, trying to remain unnoticed?
Do we make a big production out of our opposition? or
Do we remain faithful to God, doing what we've always done?
Daniel chose the last course of action, and God protected him through it...but not without Daniel paying a price and enduring some serious consequences!
More on that next time, in the meantime, BE FAITHFUL! Keep Doing What You Do, no matter the opposition, no matter the cost!
He will never let you go!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Who's In Charge?
Who's your 'boss'?
Most of us work for someone else...who is it?
Do you know who your boss is?
It's possible that, if you work for a big company, your 'boss' also has a 'boss'. There are lines of authority.
Your boss can't go off and make stuff up on his own, and he or she does not have the right to change policy, just because they think it 'should be' a different way.
They are in charge of some people, but they are accountable to others.
Truth is, even those at the highest levels of the corporate ladder...and even the 'owners' are accountable to someone.
Maybe it's shareholders, maybe it's some government agency... Ultimately, of course, we are ALL accountable to God (even those who don't acknowledge Him).
Jesus knew 'authority' well.
Once, when He was in Capernaum, a Roman Centurion came to Him for help. A servant of his--one he loved like a son--was sick and near death. This Centurion was not the 'typical' Roman...he loved the Jewish people, and even helped build a synagogue! He came to Jesus to ask Him to heal his servant.
Jesus was going to go with him, but the Centurion turned to Jesus and said: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” (Matthew 8:8-9)
This guy knew what real "authority" was! He understood what it was like to have such authority that he could say 'go', and his men would go!
As a result, he understood Jesus' authority--that all He would have to do was say the word, and his servant would be healed! He KNEW of Jesus' authority!
Jesus' response? "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!...Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour."(Matthew 8:10-13)
Jesus knew that this man understood that HE HAD AUTHORITY that NO ONE else did!
Jesus, after all, was the divine Son of God.
He was "the Word, made flesh" (John 1) He still is!
So, do we treat Him and His Word this way? ...or do we put ourselves in the seat of power? ...giving ourselves the 'right' to make decisions as we see fit--according to what we think is 'right'?
As a Christ follower, I am to follow Him in every area of my life--my morality, my beliefs, my behavior, my relationships.
I do not have the right to reject what His Word says, because I don't 'think it's fair'.
There are many in this world who forget that.
Christ followers who have forgotten their place.
We sit under HIS authority, submissive to His Word and His Example. We will never do it perfectly in this life, but we certainly can't use that fact as an excuse to abandon our rightful position--at His feet!
No matter who you are--Teacher, Boss, Parent, Pastor, President, or any other role of authority, we must remember:
We answer to Him.
We follow Him.
We submit to Him--in word and in deed.
No matter what others say.
Remember that today--no matter what goes on around us, we are His. He has authority.
Most of us work for someone else...who is it?
Do you know who your boss is?
It's possible that, if you work for a big company, your 'boss' also has a 'boss'. There are lines of authority.
Your boss can't go off and make stuff up on his own, and he or she does not have the right to change policy, just because they think it 'should be' a different way.
They are in charge of some people, but they are accountable to others.
Truth is, even those at the highest levels of the corporate ladder...and even the 'owners' are accountable to someone.
Maybe it's shareholders, maybe it's some government agency... Ultimately, of course, we are ALL accountable to God (even those who don't acknowledge Him).
Jesus knew 'authority' well.
Once, when He was in Capernaum, a Roman Centurion came to Him for help. A servant of his--one he loved like a son--was sick and near death. This Centurion was not the 'typical' Roman...he loved the Jewish people, and even helped build a synagogue! He came to Jesus to ask Him to heal his servant.
Jesus was going to go with him, but the Centurion turned to Jesus and said: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” (Matthew 8:8-9)
This guy knew what real "authority" was! He understood what it was like to have such authority that he could say 'go', and his men would go!
As a result, he understood Jesus' authority--that all He would have to do was say the word, and his servant would be healed! He KNEW of Jesus' authority!
Jesus' response? "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!...Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour."(Matthew 8:10-13)
Jesus knew that this man understood that HE HAD AUTHORITY that NO ONE else did!
Jesus, after all, was the divine Son of God.
He was "the Word, made flesh" (John 1) He still is!
So, do we treat Him and His Word this way? ...or do we put ourselves in the seat of power? ...giving ourselves the 'right' to make decisions as we see fit--according to what we think is 'right'?
As a Christ follower, I am to follow Him in every area of my life--my morality, my beliefs, my behavior, my relationships.
I do not have the right to reject what His Word says, because I don't 'think it's fair'.
There are many in this world who forget that.
Christ followers who have forgotten their place.
We sit under HIS authority, submissive to His Word and His Example. We will never do it perfectly in this life, but we certainly can't use that fact as an excuse to abandon our rightful position--at His feet!
No matter who you are--Teacher, Boss, Parent, Pastor, President, or any other role of authority, we must remember:
We answer to Him.
We follow Him.
We submit to Him--in word and in deed.
No matter what others say.
Remember that today--no matter what goes on around us, we are His. He has authority.
Friday, April 13, 2012
The Hand Writing is on the Wall!
What would YOU do if you suddenly saw a hand--not connected to anything--suddenly writing on your wall (or maybe your computer screen)?
Well, I think I'd do a couple of things: 1) Freak out (just a bit); 2) Pray; 3) Read what was written, and 4) Try to determine WHO (or what) was doing the writing.
Well, in the book of Daniel, Ch. 5, that's exactly what happened.
The King--no longer Nebuchadnezzor (see previous posts about him, Daniel and Daniel's friends), but now Belshazzar is throwing a party. (Notes about him: He is either the son, or the grandson, of Nebuchadnezzor, who overthrew Judah and Israel (among other nations).
He apparently did not get the message and lessons that King Nebu had learned. (Note: His name, beginning with "Bel" shows his allegiance to the god 'Baal' in the O.T.--a notorious god who was worshipped by revelry, wanton violence, sacrifice of children, sexual promiscuity, and materialism.) He is throwing a party in the palace and he decides that he is going to reaffirm his domination over the Israelites AND THEIR GOD (again--note his allegiance to Baal). He does so by commanding that the wine goblets and other gold instruments--which had been made for, and dedicated to, the Temple of the Lord in Israel--be brought in and used in his drunken revelry.
This would show continued domination over the people of Israel, but also (very significantly) their God. "King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone." (Daniel 5:1-4)
As he proceeds to do this, he sees a hand suddently appear a write a message on the wall.
"Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him. The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!” But when all the king’s wise men had come in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant. So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned pale. His nobles, too, were shaken." (Daniel 5:5-9)
He freaks a little, and tries to read the message, but can't. He calls in all his astrologers, magicians and prophets to come in and read it...but they couldn't. This just freaked him out all the more!
Suddenly the Queen remembers Daniel, and that 'the spirit of the gods' is in him, and they call for him. Belshazzar offers him prestige, prizes and honor--IF Daniel can interpret the meaning for him.
His response is great: “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means. Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar.... and Daniel goes on to recount the greatness of Nebuchadnezzar, and the lessons he learned about humbling himself before the God in Heaven. “You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! So God has sent this hand to write this message:" (Daniel 5:17-24)
He says, KEEP YOUR GIFTS! Daniel is not interested in any so-called 'reward' or 'honor' that this king has to give. He bluntly and accurately calls Balshazzar out, and tells him the message... “This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. This is what these words mean: Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up. Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” (Daniel 5:25-28) BOOM! Here it is, king: You're done! God--the TRUE God--will not play. You've stepped WAAAY over the line, and you're finished.
Balshazzar's response was repentance, worship and humility, right? Wrong...he continued with his previous plan to 'honor and reward' Daniel--as if Daniel cared at all what this guy could give to him! There was no evidence of reflection, repentance, nothing! ...so how did it go for king Belshazzar?
"That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed. And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two." (Daniel 5:30-31)
What are the lessons for US? Humility, worship of the True God, willingness to reject the 'rewards' of this world in order to stand for the Truth...LOTS of lessons to learn!
Is "The Hand Writing On the Wall" today?
Is God calling us today to reflection on His past blessings, repentance, and worship of Him as the TRUE God?
I'll let you decide that...
Well, I think I'd do a couple of things: 1) Freak out (just a bit); 2) Pray; 3) Read what was written, and 4) Try to determine WHO (or what) was doing the writing.
Well, in the book of Daniel, Ch. 5, that's exactly what happened.
The King--no longer Nebuchadnezzor (see previous posts about him, Daniel and Daniel's friends), but now Belshazzar is throwing a party. (Notes about him: He is either the son, or the grandson, of Nebuchadnezzor, who overthrew Judah and Israel (among other nations).
He apparently did not get the message and lessons that King Nebu had learned. (Note: His name, beginning with "Bel" shows his allegiance to the god 'Baal' in the O.T.--a notorious god who was worshipped by revelry, wanton violence, sacrifice of children, sexual promiscuity, and materialism.) He is throwing a party in the palace and he decides that he is going to reaffirm his domination over the Israelites AND THEIR GOD (again--note his allegiance to Baal). He does so by commanding that the wine goblets and other gold instruments--which had been made for, and dedicated to, the Temple of the Lord in Israel--be brought in and used in his drunken revelry.
This would show continued domination over the people of Israel, but also (very significantly) their God. "King Belshazzar gave a great feast for 1,000 of his nobles, and he drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking the wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver cups that his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. He wanted to drink from them with his nobles, his wives, and his concubines. So they brought these gold cups taken from the Temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. While they drank from them they praised their idols made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone." (Daniel 5:1-4)
As he proceeds to do this, he sees a hand suddently appear a write a message on the wall.
"Suddenly, they saw the fingers of a human hand writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace, near the lampstand. The king himself saw the hand as it wrote, and his face turned pale with fright. His knees knocked together in fear and his legs gave way beneath him. The king shouted for the enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers to be brought before him. He said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever can read this writing and tell me what it means will be dressed in purple robes of royal honor and will have a gold chain placed around his neck. He will become the third highest ruler in the kingdom!” But when all the king’s wise men had come in, none of them could read the writing or tell him what it meant. So the king grew even more alarmed, and his face turned pale. His nobles, too, were shaken." (Daniel 5:5-9)
He freaks a little, and tries to read the message, but can't. He calls in all his astrologers, magicians and prophets to come in and read it...but they couldn't. This just freaked him out all the more!
Suddenly the Queen remembers Daniel, and that 'the spirit of the gods' is in him, and they call for him. Belshazzar offers him prestige, prizes and honor--IF Daniel can interpret the meaning for him.
His response is great: “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means. Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar.... and Daniel goes on to recount the greatness of Nebuchadnezzar, and the lessons he learned about humbling himself before the God in Heaven. “You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. For you have proudly defied the Lord of heaven and have had these cups from his Temple brought before you. You and your nobles and your wives and concubines have been drinking wine from them while praising gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor know anything at all. But you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! So God has sent this hand to write this message:" (Daniel 5:17-24)
He says, KEEP YOUR GIFTS! Daniel is not interested in any so-called 'reward' or 'honor' that this king has to give. He bluntly and accurately calls Balshazzar out, and tells him the message... “This is the message that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. This is what these words mean: Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign and has brought it to an end. Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have not measured up. Parsin means ‘divided’—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” (Daniel 5:25-28) BOOM! Here it is, king: You're done! God--the TRUE God--will not play. You've stepped WAAAY over the line, and you're finished.
Balshazzar's response was repentance, worship and humility, right? Wrong...he continued with his previous plan to 'honor and reward' Daniel--as if Daniel cared at all what this guy could give to him! There was no evidence of reflection, repentance, nothing! ...so how did it go for king Belshazzar?
"That very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed. And Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two." (Daniel 5:30-31)
What are the lessons for US? Humility, worship of the True God, willingness to reject the 'rewards' of this world in order to stand for the Truth...LOTS of lessons to learn!
Is "The Hand Writing On the Wall" today?
Is God calling us today to reflection on His past blessings, repentance, and worship of Him as the TRUE God?
I'll let you decide that...
Thursday, April 12, 2012
We Are Family!
Family...a wonderful thing (even though some of our families are more 'unusual' than others!).
Family is a blessing!
I come from a BIG family. If you add all siblings, in-laws, and kids, we Johnson's have over 80 people in our group.
And we love it!
Lots of differences, to be sure...but we are unified as "The Johnson Family" anyway.
The CHURCH is supposed to be like that!
Because of what unifies us (our love for God, through Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit), "We Are "Fam-i-ly".
Do we have differences?
Sure!
Are some of us more 'high maintenance' than others?
Absolutely!
...but we are FAMILY!
That's true of 'our' church @ KCC, and it's true of 'The' Church--all who call on the name of the Lord.
As the Scripture says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:3-6)
Jesus said that unity--that love--is what would show the world that this 'faith stuff' is legit.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-36)
So, if all that is true, we need to make sure that we are UNIFIED!
...and THAT is why the Comstock churches are doing more together.
THAT is why we are reaching out into our community--together--to show the love of God.
THAT is why we have scheduled another Unity Service. This one (which will be one hour) will be on Saturday, May 5 @ 5:00 here @ KCC. KCC's worship band will lead us, and we'll follow it up with a cookout.
Why?
Because we're family...and we're unified in Jesus Christ.
Put it on your calendar and let's make it a celebration!
Family is a blessing!
I come from a BIG family. If you add all siblings, in-laws, and kids, we Johnson's have over 80 people in our group.
And we love it!
Lots of differences, to be sure...but we are unified as "The Johnson Family" anyway.
The CHURCH is supposed to be like that!
Because of what unifies us (our love for God, through Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit), "We Are "Fam-i-ly".
Do we have differences?
Sure!
Are some of us more 'high maintenance' than others?
Absolutely!
...but we are FAMILY!
That's true of 'our' church @ KCC, and it's true of 'The' Church--all who call on the name of the Lord.
As the Scripture says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:3-6)
Jesus said that unity--that love--is what would show the world that this 'faith stuff' is legit.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-36)
So, if all that is true, we need to make sure that we are UNIFIED!
...and THAT is why the Comstock churches are doing more together.
THAT is why we are reaching out into our community--together--to show the love of God.
THAT is why we have scheduled another Unity Service. This one (which will be one hour) will be on Saturday, May 5 @ 5:00 here @ KCC. KCC's worship band will lead us, and we'll follow it up with a cookout.
Why?
Because we're family...and we're unified in Jesus Christ.
Put it on your calendar and let's make it a celebration!
Friday, April 6, 2012
FINISHED!
Good Friday.
On this day, we make a deliberate choice to remember something heinous, unfair, unjust, graphic and deadly...as "Good"!
Jesus' death on the cross that day was terrible. He'd been railroaded in an unfair trial, he'd been handed over to Gentiles by the Jewish leaders (who wouldn't do anything in cooperation with Gentile rulers--till this), and he'd been beaten, spat upon, whipped, ridiculed, and now, had been nailed to a cross.
The cross--an emblem of suffering and shame, a symbol of Roman power over people, a brutal instrument usually reserved for hardened criminals.
Yet, there was Jesus...Prince of Peace, Healer, Deliverer from Demons, Miracle Worker, Teacher...hanging on it.
Dying.
A terrible, dark day.
He hung there for 3 hours, gasping for breath, feeling the sharp pain of nails in his feet and hands, along with the wounds that had been inflicted upon Him earlier.
A "Good" day? Hardly!
Yet...there were these words he uttered while hanging there, suffering...
"And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).(Mark 15:34)
Actually, this was a reference to Psalm 22, which David wrote when he was feeling separated from God. That Psalm shouts in triumph that, no matter how David felt, he knew that God was there, and was at work, and would accomplish His eternal plan.
Jesus was reminding the people watching of the same thing: God WAS at work, and He WOULD accomplish His eternal plan!
As He hung there, Jesus was not 'defeated'. This was WHY HE CAME!
"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again." (John 10:17-18)
He knew that He had come to give up His life...to pay the debt that we owed, but could not pay.
He came to pay for our sins...and that's precisely what He was doing on that cross.
The Jewish leaders, the Romans...and Satan...all thought they had defeated Him, but they hadn't...
"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit." (Matthew 27:50)
When He had suffered and taken all those sins upon Himself, He cried out in a loud voice.
What did He cry?
"It is finished." (John 19:30)
Not a sigh of resignation, not a declaration of defeat...this was a cry of VICTORY!
This was exactly what He came to do!
He had Paid for the sins of the world!
He had made forgiveness of sins possible for all who would call on Him in faith!
He had paved the way for the growing, vibrant relationship with God that we can experience!
It was FINISHED! It was ACCOMPLISHED!
He had WON!
Now, you and I can call that Friday..."Good"!
We can add nothing to it, we can subtract nothing from it. His willing sacrifice of Himself--on our behalf that day--DID IT!
It is FINISHED!
On this day, we make a deliberate choice to remember something heinous, unfair, unjust, graphic and deadly...as "Good"!
Jesus' death on the cross that day was terrible. He'd been railroaded in an unfair trial, he'd been handed over to Gentiles by the Jewish leaders (who wouldn't do anything in cooperation with Gentile rulers--till this), and he'd been beaten, spat upon, whipped, ridiculed, and now, had been nailed to a cross.
The cross--an emblem of suffering and shame, a symbol of Roman power over people, a brutal instrument usually reserved for hardened criminals.
Yet, there was Jesus...Prince of Peace, Healer, Deliverer from Demons, Miracle Worker, Teacher...hanging on it.
Dying.
A terrible, dark day.
He hung there for 3 hours, gasping for breath, feeling the sharp pain of nails in his feet and hands, along with the wounds that had been inflicted upon Him earlier.
A "Good" day? Hardly!
Yet...there were these words he uttered while hanging there, suffering...
"And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).(Mark 15:34)
Actually, this was a reference to Psalm 22, which David wrote when he was feeling separated from God. That Psalm shouts in triumph that, no matter how David felt, he knew that God was there, and was at work, and would accomplish His eternal plan.
Jesus was reminding the people watching of the same thing: God WAS at work, and He WOULD accomplish His eternal plan!
As He hung there, Jesus was not 'defeated'. This was WHY HE CAME!
"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again." (John 10:17-18)
He knew that He had come to give up His life...to pay the debt that we owed, but could not pay.
He came to pay for our sins...and that's precisely what He was doing on that cross.
The Jewish leaders, the Romans...and Satan...all thought they had defeated Him, but they hadn't...
"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit." (Matthew 27:50)
When He had suffered and taken all those sins upon Himself, He cried out in a loud voice.
What did He cry?
"It is finished." (John 19:30)
Not a sigh of resignation, not a declaration of defeat...this was a cry of VICTORY!
This was exactly what He came to do!
He had Paid for the sins of the world!
He had made forgiveness of sins possible for all who would call on Him in faith!
He had paved the way for the growing, vibrant relationship with God that we can experience!
It was FINISHED! It was ACCOMPLISHED!
He had WON!
Now, you and I can call that Friday..."Good"!
We can add nothing to it, we can subtract nothing from it. His willing sacrifice of Himself--on our behalf that day--DID IT!
It is FINISHED!
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