“Honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10
As we enter this season of thankfulness, I am thankful for the benefit I gained through the story of Daniel from the Bible, who showed great courage and loyalty to God under the most extreme circumstances. May his story also encourage you this season.
There are some of the books of the Bible that I have not delved into during my career. One of those books is the Book of Daniel. A couple of months ago, I discovered a book: “The Daniel Code: Living Out Truth in a Culture that is Losing Its Way.”
In the beginning of the book, O. S. Hawkins speaks about the remote control. In most households, the person holding the remote control determines what the rest of the family will watch on TV. This might not be as big an issue these days, since we can watch shows on our phones and tablets, completely avoiding the fight over the remote control. But it can be seen as a metaphor for the desire of most human beings to control our circumstances. For instance, we value freedom to make our own choices in life. For young people, it might be the kind of car they would drive, the profession they want to go into, the college they will attend. As we get older, there seems to be fewer things that we have control over. Yet there is something that we never lose control of and that is our belief in Jesus Christ. In fact, the more life tries to pull us down, the stronger our faith.
The author makes a good case for the situation that Daniel found himself in when he was taken to Babylonia during the exile. The king had decided that he was going to take some of the young Hebrew men under his wing, train them in their language, literature, lifestyle, etc. He even changed their name and wanted to change their loyalties. After three years these men would become part of the Royal Court. Daniel was one of these young men chosen. He allowed his name to be changed and welcomed the educational aspects that were offered to him. There were other things, though, that were not negotiable. Daniel found himself out of his comfort zones, with all these demands being made of him by the king, yet he stood firm to remain loyal to the Hebrew traditions, such as dietary requirements. In this way, Daniel was resistant, consistent, and persistent.
Most of us know about Daniel being thrown into a fiery furnace and surviving, but do you recall why that happened? It was because Daniel and his friends refused to bow down and worship the statue of King Nebuchadnezzar. As the author points out, God never promises us that when we take a stand for Him, we will avoid the fiery-furnace experiences of life. God did not rescue them from that experience, instead he joined them, and freed them from their bonds.
We are in a season of decision making. The author continues, “if we allow God’s Word to shape our inner principles, we will respond to Life’s fiery furnaces with faith that God will ultimately deliver us.” One decision we are making is who will lead our county, state, and nation for the next two to four years. The other is how we will support the mission and ministry of this congregation with our time, talents, and treasures not only through 2024 but into 2025.
We may lose control over our mortal faculties, but we will never lose control over the way we worship and serve the Lord. The scriptures teach us to love the Lord our God with our whole heart, mind, body, and soul and love all others as God loves us. Regardless of what is happening in us or around us, this should always be our top priority in life as it was for Daniel.
To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
. I thank God for you,
Pastor Kathy Nealand
“So, here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.” Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)
“ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So, they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20
“So, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:1-2
“I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
“Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?” Matthew 21:42
"Walk by the Spirit . . . led by the Spirit . . . live by the Spirit . . . keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:16, 25
“[Paul Gives Thanks to God] I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge.” -1 Corinthians 1:4-5
As we begin a new season in the church, it is good and right to think about what we mean when we pray “give us this day, our daily bread.” It is all about God’s provision. If we see God as a parent, we know that if we have a need, God will provide exactly what we need. The scripture verse above proves the case. Ask and it will be given to you. Knock and the door will be opened.
All children are precious to God. Psalm 139 speaks to God knowing us before we were born. At our conception we are “children of God.” We belong to God by way of grace. However, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we know that we are children of God (John 1:12). To acknowledge that we are children of God is a sign that our rebirth from above has begun to take place in our lives. It says that we accept the fact that regardless of our age, we need and want to be parented by our heavenly Father.
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9, NIV)
