Are you a "self-made" man or woman?

Daniel 4

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:5b-6

“I hate pride and arrogance.” Proverbs 8:13b

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18

In what do you take pride? In your strength or wisdom or wealth? In the things you have accomplished in your life? We really don’t have any basis for pride, because, apart from God, we can’t do a single thing. However, it is always appropriate to thank and praise God for all He has given us and everything He has done through us. But we should always remember we owe it all to Him. King Nebuchadnezzar forgot this.

The king had a dream, and he called Daniel to interpret it for him. In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw an enormous tree with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit. The animals found shelter under it, and all the birds lived in its branches. The tree provided food for all the creatures. Then a messenger from heaven came down and commanded that the tree be cut down, the branches trimmed, the leaves stripped, and the fruit scattered. But the stump and the roots were to be bound with iron and bronze and remain in the ground.

A further part of the king’s dream was this prophecy in Daniel 4:16, “Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live with the animals among the plants of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a man and let him be given the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him.”

Daniel was very reluctant to interpret the dream for Nebuchadnezzar, but he did. He said the tree represented the king, who had become great and strong with a far reaching kingdom. But God had decreed that the king would be driven away from people and live with wild animals. The stump and roots signified the the kingdom would be restored to the king when he acknowledged that God is sovereign. Daniel warned Nebuchadnezzar to renounce his sins and perhaps escape the fate described in the dream.

A year later Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of his palace in Babylon, and he said, “Is this not the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty powers and for the glory of my majesty?” Just as he finished bragging, he was driven outdoors, and all the prophecies in his dream came true. He ate grass like cattle. His hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. But after the allotted time, he was restored to his kingdom. He had learned his lesson because he said, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” Daniel 4:37

Father, if I am walking with pride in myself and my accomplishments, let me learn from Nebuchadnezzar. Apart from You, I can do nothing. May gratitude replace pride. Amen.

What If God Doesn't Deliver You?

Daniel 3

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."  Daniel 3:17-18

After Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar what he had dreamed and what it meant, the king fell prostrate before Daniel and said, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries." (from Daniel 2:47) Then the king gave Daniel many gifts, made him a ruler over the entire province of Babylon, and placed him in charge of all its wise men. At Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as administrators over the province of Babylon, but Daniel stayed at the royal court.

You might think that Nebuchadnezzar would worship Daniel's God, the only One who could interpret the king's dream. But the king built a golden image ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up in the province of Babylon. He summoned all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image. This invitation was a command performance. Daniel's three friends, who were provincial administrators, were included in this invitation, but apparently Daniel was not.

After the crowd had gathered, a herald stood up and announced that, when the people heard music, they were required to fall down and worship the golden image. Those who failed to worship the image were to be thrown into a blazing furnace. Some of the astrologers came before the king and told him that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had not worshiped the golden image. No doubt they were jealous of the king's favor toward these Jewish men.

The king was furious, and he summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He reiterated the consequences of disobedience to his order. And he asked the men what god could rescue them from his hand. Nebuchadnezzar had a false idea of his own power and of the power of God.

The three men said their God could deliver them, and he would deliver them, but if he did not, they still refused to worship the idol. This defiance sent the king into a rage. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of his strongest soldiers to tie up the three men and throw them into the furnace. The fire was so hot that the soldiers were killed by the flames as threw their prisoners into them.

The king looked into the furnace and saw an amazing sight. Four men were walking around unbound and unharmed. The king told the men to come out, and everybody crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not burned their bodies, singed their hair, nor scorched their clothes. The men didn't even smell of smoke.

Nebuchadnezzar praised the faithfulness of the three men to their God and the faithfulness of their God to the three men. He said God had sent an angel and rescued his servants, and he declared that no other god could have saved them as their God did. Our faithfulness to God results in glory and praise to His name.

Father, may we stand firm and be faithful to You in every circumstance.  Give us courage when we are tested.  May our lives glorify You and cause others to praise You.  Amen.

Are You Praying for Wisdom?

Daniel 2

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."  James 1:5

Daniel and his friends were careful to obey God, and God gave them great knowledge and understanding. He also gave Daniel the ability to understand dreams and visions. This ability was put to good use. In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign he had a dream that troubled him, and he summoned all the wise men to tell him what he had dreamed and what it meant. The astrologers asked the king to tell them what he had dreamed and assured him they could interpret it. However, the king kept insisting that they tell him both what he had dreamed and the interpretation. Scripture doesn't tell us whether the king had forgotten his dream or whether he was just testing the wise men in his kingdom. When the wise men said it was impossible for them to know what the king had dreamed, Nebuchadnezzar became so angry that he ordered them all put to death.

Men were sent to find Daniel and his friends and kill them. Daniel went to the king and asked for time so he could interpret the dream for him. Then he and his three friends began to pray earnestly. God heard their prayers and revealed the dream and the interpretation to Daniel during the night. Then Daniel prayed a beautiful prayer of praise and thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us to pray about everything, but it also reminds us not to forget to thank God for His answers to our prayers. Daniel did not forget.

When Daniel went before the king to explain the dream, he gave God all the credit for revealing the dream and its meaning. Only God could have done that. Our heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers.

The dream was of a large statue with a head of gold, a chest and arms of silver, a belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of clay. A rock smashed the statue, and the pieces of the statue were blown away, but the rock became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

The statue represented kingdoms that would exist throughout history. Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold. After him inferior kingdoms would arise, followed by a divided kingdom represented by the feet of part iron and part clay. The rock represented the kingdom that God will set up. It will never be destroyed but will crush all the other kingdoms, bringing them to an end. But God's kingdom will endure forever.

The king honored Daniel greatly, but he also recognized the greatness of Daniel's God. When we obey and glorify God, it can cause even unbelievers to recognize and acknowledge Him.

James has told us if we lack wisdom to ask God for it, and He will give it to us. Do you need wisdom and guidance for any situation in your life right now? Have you remembered to ask God for it? If not, will you follow Daniel's example and pray about it?

Father, thank You for hearing and answering our prayers.  Thank You for giving us wisdom, insight, and direction when we ask.  Amen.

Are You Dieting? Why?

Daniel 1

"Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then..."  Ephesians 6:13, 14a

Under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem. The king ordered one of his officials to pick out some of the finest of the young Jewish men, bring them to Babylon, educate them in the Babylonian language and culture, and prepare them to serve the king. Among those who were chosen were Daniel and three of his friends, who were given the Babylonian names of Belteshazzar (Daniel), Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

The king assigned these young men a daily portion of food and wine from his own table, so they were served the fine food that the king ate. But they decided not to eat the food furnished by the king. God had given His people dietary laws concerning what they should not eat, what they could eat, and how it was to be prepared. No doubt eating the king's food would cause Daniel and his friends to break some of these laws. Also, the Babylonians and other people of that era and in that vicinity customarily offered a portion of every meal, including wine, to their gods, and it may have been that these young Hebrew men did not want to eat food that had honored false gods. Regardless of the reasons, they saw eating the king's food and drinking his wine to be a violation of their consciences.

These men were young and far away from home. They were no longer under parental authority. They were in a strange land with different customs. It would have been so easy for them to do as the Babylonians did, to copy their customs. If you had been in their shoes, what do you think you would have done?

Daniel resolved not to defile himself by disobeying God's laws. He asked the guard who had been appointed over him and his three friends to give them vegetables and water for ten days and see how they fared on this diet. Daniel wisely operated through the proper channels with respect for authority, even though it was pagan authority. When he stepped out to stand firm on God's instructions, his three friends followed his stance. When we lead out in the right direction, others will often follow.

At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his friends looked healthier than the other young men, so they were fed vegetables and water from then on. This was a low fat, low sugar, low carbohydrate, and very healthy diet, probably much healthier than the rich food of the king. The modern eating plan called The Daniel Plan is named and modeled after Daniel and his diet.

There is a wonderful little poem which challenges us to :

"Dare to be a Daniel.

Dare to stand alone.

Dare to have a purpose firm.

Dare to make it known." 

When we decide ahead of time that we will obey God in any situation, God opens up ways for us to be obedient. When we honor Him, He helps us do the right thing.
Father, whatever our circumstances may be, I pray that we will always stand firm in obedience to You.  Amen.