Daniel 5 - 10.13.2023

Scripture - Pick one verse that stood out to you.

Daniel 5:25-31

“This is the inscription that was written:

mene, mene, tekel, parsin

“Here is what these words mean:

Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

Observation - What about this verse stands out to you?

While these verses seem to apply very specifically to a once prince and consequent king of the Babylonians, a person in a position of power and influence the likes of which I have never had the opportunity to experience, I somehow felt the Lord was speaking to me personally this morning.

In my admittedly not so amazing memory I have never willingly profaned any artifacts that belonged to God the way king Belshazzar did. And yet this morning I felt as if God was warning me.

Application - How will you apply this to your life?

As a Christian I believe I had and have two lives - the old, before I knew Christ and the new, after I knew Christ. While the line between the ending of one and the beginning of another appears to be more blurry and more gray than not I feel the Lord urging me to not fall into the same trap as Belshazzar did. When my old life arrogantly cries out, ‘I should be ruling and reigning!’ my response will be ‘God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end old-life.’ When my old-life whispers that I should begin measuring my successes in this world, I will respond by letting it know that it has been weighed on the scales of God and been found wanting. And when my old-life shares its vision of the personal kingdom I have created, I will remind it that my new-life in Christ will divide it all away. For I live for one Kingdom now. With a new King in my heart. And this new Ruler in me is much greater than the one that was before.

Prayer - Write out a prayer.

Lord, my hope and my prayer this morning is that the posture of my spirit and my heart is corrected this morning. I have one King in my life. One King I choose to serve. One Teacher. One Master. One Lord. Help me to guard against my own pride. Teach me humility this morning Lord. Please help to realign my spirit and my soul that I may learn to be Your humble servant. Always and forever. In the name of Jesus, my King, my Savior do I pray. Amen.

-kenneth lee

Daniel 4 - 10.12.23

Scripture

‭‭Daniel‬ ‭4‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT

“As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’”

Observation

King Nebuchadnezzar has accumulated quite a fortune and built himself a pretty powerful kingdom since he has been king. One problem though…it was not by his own might that King Nebuchadnezzar acquired all these things. Rather it was through God’s might and sovereignty that King Nebuchadnezzar was allowed access to all these things. And now it looks like King Nebuchadnezzar will have to eat some humble pie.

Application

Everything I have is from God.

My house, my job, my car, and yes, even my beautiful family is from God. God gives me the strength and wisdom to do my job competently so I can have a job, and make income to support my family. God blessed me with a beautiful, hard working wife, that helps me manage the finances, care for our kids and home while I’m at work. God blessed me with 2 healthy daughters who fill our home with joy and laughter. It ALL comes from God! He is the source behind it all.

So let’s not get it twisted the way King Nebuchadnezzar did in this passage. It was never from our own might that we were able to accomplish the things we have done. It was always because God gave us the will, the ability, the strength, and the wisdom to accomplish and be successful at the things we do and here is a humbling thought for us to have. As hard and as long as it took us to accomplish all the things we have done, God can take it all away in an instant! So let’s make sure to give credit where credit is due. Give God all the glory! 🙏🏽🙌🏽

“The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety. Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.”‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭

Prayer

Father God, thank You for blessing me with so much in life. You are the source behind it all. You deserve all the glory, honor, and praise. Please forgive me for ever thinking that I accomplished what I have from my own strength. May I use the blessings that You have given me, to share with others about Your goodness and faithfulness. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi

Proverbs 17 - 10.11.23

Scripture

Proverbs 17:9 - Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

Observation

“The real lesson of Proverbs 17:9 is much richer than just an encouragement for us to forgive others and refrain from gossip – it teaches how Christians should live their lives. Simply put: Everything a Christian does should be driven and motivated by love.”

(Jordan Iacobucci, Insights into Life)

Application

We can break this verse down into two parts:

1. Fostering love covers an offense

2. Repeating the matter separates close friends

The first part is something I have been trying to work on. When I perceive an offense, I am trying to remember to: 1) Assume good intentions – maybe I misunderstood, maybe it wasn’t meant the way I took it; and 2) Allow time for God to work on my heart and attitude so that can I respond in a loving way. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath …” and I have been able to see that happen a few times recently!

I need to also to work on the second part of the verse. I frequently feel the need to share my story with someone. I justify it – if I can get it out, it will help me to move on. But I need to learn to pour it out to God instead of the people around me.  

Prayer

God, I want to be someone whose every thought and action is motivated in love. Thank you for the work you are doing on my heart. Thank you for forgiving me when I fail. Thank you for loving me and teaching me to learn to love others.

- Debbie Dunn