“Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been.” Oswald Chambers
I recently celebrated a birthday. No, it wasn’t a milestone, but getting close to another milestone as the years go by. To use a sports analogy, I am in the fourth quarter and the clock winding down and out of time outs. Having retired from full time employment at the end of 2022, it has been a weird year for me the last 14 months. The Lord is good and has opened new opportunities for me, this ministry website being one. But at times it is hard to adjust my mind and body to something completely different from what I’ve done for 45 years.
The devotional I read on the morning of my birthday was Oswald Chambers entitled ‘What’s Next to Do?’ It contained these words, “Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been.” It got me thinking the way I was feeling over the past year was probably natural due to the duration of my employment. And it also got me to realize it was where God wanted me to be for those years, but that time has ended and the game isn’t over, there’s one quarter to go.
Just as God’s will for me included a 45-year career in retailing, He has His will for set me in these milestone years for something that I have never done. Looking over my shoulder at what once was is being disobedient to God who has a new call on my life. The same is true for each one of you no matter what stage of life you are in. When it’s time for God to move you out from where you have been, don’t look back, but look forward to where God wants you to be, and become something you have never been.
“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:13-14 NLT
You may have heard of the ‘Great Commandment.’ You may even be able to quote it. But is it one commandment or two commandments? Jesus, in concluding His answer to the question ‘which is the great commandment in the Law,’ said “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Mt. 22:40 ESV) Sounds like it is two, but they have a common denominator, ‘love.’
A lawyer of the Pharisees, who was an expert in Mosaic Law, asked Jesus a question as so many others to trap Him in His words. The lawyer asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” (Mt. 22:36 ESV) The Old Testament Law had the Ten Commandments included in the five books of the Law known as the Torah which also contained additional laws given to Moses for God’s people Israel. At the time Jesus was on the earth in the first century, there were additional laws added to the total of 613 put in place by Rabbis and scholars over the years. Even though most of those were man-made traditions for the Jewish rulers to maintain their positions, Jesus narrowed them all down to two.
In answering the lawyer’s question Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt. 22:37-39 ESV) Jesus carefully put the two-part commandment in divine order. The great and ‘first’ commandment is to love God with all your heart, signifying your whole self, body, soul, and mind. Then likewise, you are to love your neighbor as yourself, not advocating self-love, but in concert with the ‘golden rule’ to love others as you would want them to love you.
Our moral duty as human beings on the earth are to love God and to love our neighbor. Jesus makes is so simple for us to understand and so easy to do if we only take the effort to do so. No need to obey 613 commandments. Two simple commands; love God, love your neighbor. If we truly love God, we will be obedient to all moral conduct. Loving our neighbor, even those who block your driveway, will come naturally as God loves them. This two-part great command is all that is needed, for if obeyed all other laws and commands will be follow suit for ‘Love Covers Them All!’
“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.’” Daniel 4:30 NLT
A godless society provides the right environment for seeds of pride to grow. Without having God to answer to, it becomes all about me. All my accomplishments are of my doing. The successes I enjoy are through the skill sets I have developed over the years. They are the product of hard work securing a vast education and using that knowledge and experience along with my natural abilities and keenness. Such rationalization is applauded nowadays. There is nothing wrong with being successful. Higher education should be pursued, and a good strong work ethic is a positive trait and is looked upon favorably. But Christians need to be careful in developing skill sets to remember where our natural abilities come from, and who is guiding, leading, and helping us along the way. Jesus reminds us, “For apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn. 15:5)
In our continued weekly ‘Living in Babylon’ series, we come now to chapter 4 of the book of Daniel where see the insanity of human pride. Last week in chapter 3, Nebuchadnezzar erected a statue representing himself to be worshiped. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused, the king had them thrown into the fiery furnace. To Nebuchadnezzar’s amazement the Lord God sent His angel to deliver them from the flames. Nebuchadnezzar had a change of heart saying, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” (Dan. 3:28 NLT) He then made a decree that no one is to speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But in a pagan culture, a change of heart is centered on the power of a god and not recognition of the true God. Nebuchadnezzar had another change of heart.
Nebuchadnezzar praises God again in chapter 4 by saying, “I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how powerful his wonders! His kingdom will last forever, his rule through all generations.” (Dan. 4:2-3 NLT) The king has another dream that troubled him and calls for the wise men to interpret it. These are the same men who couldn’t help the king in chapter 2 and cannot help him now by interpreting his dream. Nebuchadnezzar then calls for his ace in the hole, Daniel, who has accurately interpreted his dream concerning the statue with the head of gold. Daniel does indeed give the king an accurate interpretation to his latest dream, one that troubles Daniel as well.
I’m sure we have all heard the saying, ‘pride comes before a fall.’ Perhaps some of us witnessed such a disaster. Daniel was not only going to witness one, but he would be the one to inform the king that it would happen to him and in the most humiliating way. Although the king had praised God’s wonderful signs; the seeds of pride within Nebuchadnezzar’s mind have been sprouting and growing now for some time. The Lord would tell the king through the dream Daniel interpreted that he would be disposed from his kingdom by a period of insanity that would come upon him due to his pride. He would be driven out into fields and live like a wild animal for seven years until he came to senses and acknowledges that God rules over all the kingdoms of world. And so it happened, “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.’ While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom.’” (Dan. 4:30-31 NLT) The king was driven out by his pride.
Living in modern day Babylon has its challenges for Christians. The sin of pride is certainly evident in our society. But we must also acknowledge that pride is at the root of all sin. Christians must be careful not be influenced by the culture and allow the seeds of pride to find fertile soil in our hearts and minds ready for planting. Lest we join in the insanity of human pride.
“And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:8b-9 NLT
The message of salvation we preach today is the same one as Paul instructed us to preach two thousand years ago. It has not changed. In fact, Paul said in his day writing to the churches of Galatia, “Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.” (Gal. 1:8 NLT) The message is simple, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Ro. 10:9 NLT)
In Romans 10, Paul was writing in his deep concern for his Jewish brethren to be saved. Paul himself was a former Jewish scholar and teacher who knew all the traditions and Laws of the Jewish people. He also knew practicing those laws will not get you into heaven outside of Jesus Christ. The first thing Paul needed to establish is the deity of Christ. In using the Greek word, kyrios, for Lord, which is found over 6,000 times in the Septuagint, (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) Paul was affirming Jesus’ deity. Believing in your heart is not just an emotional state of response, but of your intellect and will. Your entire being recognizing Jesus is the Lord God who came down from heaven, died on the cross for sins, was raised from the dead, and is alive today is true belief and you will be saved.
This is the message we preach in 2024. In will be the message preached in 2034, and the one preached 1,000 years from now should the Lord Jesus not return by then. It is the only true message of salvation from the Lord Himself explained in detail with clarity in His Word. “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 NLT) This is the message we preach!
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” Romans 5:3-4 NLT
Have you ever had one of those days where everything is going wrong? Your alarm didn’t go off, congested traffic made you late for work, you stepped off a curb into a puddle only to realize in your haste you were wearing two different types of shoes, and the ATM is out of order. How would you react to escalating problems that are piling up all around you with your day just beginning? The way you handle them will determine how the rest of your day will turn out. If handled correctly will also give you a firm foundation in building endurance and character.
Paul writes in Romans, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.” (5:3 NLT) The apostle’s advice is to rejoice in our problems and trials. He is not saying we should rejoice ‘because of them’ but ‘in them.’ Rejoicing in our problems and trials makes us aware that they are there for a purpose. As Christians we know God always has our best interests at heart.
Working through trials in difficult times with the Lord’s help is what is best for us. It develops endurance as Paul noted and that leads to strength in our character. Suffering of any kind for believers in Christ is always beneficial and will produce positive results. When we learn to persevere in our small everyday problems as they mount up and become bigger, we will have the strength of character in the Lord to overcome them. Paul says our character also strengthens our confident hope of salvation. Thank God for your everyday problems, for He sends them to help you develop endurance and strength of character for the bigger problems in the days ahead.
“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” Romans 5:2 NLT
The most coveted championship ring in all sports is the NFL Super Bowl Ring. Depending on the design and the materials used to produce them, they range from $30,000 to $50,000. The winning team orders the standard 150 rings. There are many who are not in uniform and on the field but are on the sidelines and within the organization in various support positions. The distribution of the Super Bowl rings is at the discretion of ownership. Obviously, every player and the coaching staff receives a ring, along with those deemed vital to the team’s success on the field. But there are others receiving a ring who may have a sense of an undeserved privilege in receiving one due to their limited role. Clubs have been known to give rings to the members of the practice squad and even the cheerleaders among others.
Have you ever felt you have been put in a place of undeserved privilege? Perhaps you received an award with your corporate team members for outstanding accomplishments knowing your input was of a limited nature. Awkwardness surrounds you as you share in the glory with your teammates. No matter how hard you try you cannot shake the undeserved feeling until your team leader says you were brought on to share in this joy. You may have felt undeserved, but your team leader wanted you on the team.
God wants us on His team. He has made it possible by sending Christ to provide the way for us through His death and resurrection. Romans 5:2 says, “Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” (NLT) It is by our faith in what Jesus Christ has done for us that we are brought into this place of undeserved privilege. An important note to remember is that everyone God’s team is an undeserved member. God chose us for His team, not for our abilities, but because of His love for us. We now have the undeserved privilege with our teammates to share God’s glory confidently and joyfully with others in need of a ring.
‘“For the time is coming,’ says the LORD, ‘when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this will be his name: ‘The LORD Is Our Righteousness.’ In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.’” Jeremiah 23:5-6 NLT
October 7, 2023, is a date that will be remembered around the world, but especially in the land of Israel. On that date the terrorist group Hamas attacked incident civilians in the privacy of their homes and a music festival in the early morning hours. It was the deadliest attack in Israel’s history with 1,200 deaths and some 240 individuals taken hostage. Modern day Israel as a nation has been under attack since its independence as the state of Israel after the British Mandate expired in 1948. They have successfully defended the country from on-going attacks from their enemies all around them, and I believe will continue to do so.
World leaders and politicians support the idea that the only road to peace in the Middle East is a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinian people. The concrete barrier that must first come down is for there to be agreement that the nation of Israel and the Jewish people have the right to exist and to defend itself. Hatred for God’s chosen people, the Jews, is not limited to our time, but has been real throughout history in the pages of the Old Testament. Sad to say, there will be no true peace in Israel in the immediate future, but there will be real true lasting peace one day. A time is coming that Israel will live in safety, and that means peace.
The prophet Jeremiah tells us of a coming king, a descendant from the throne of David, that will rule in Jerusalem, and His name is “The LORD Is Our Righteousness.” It is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who will rule with wisdom and justice not only in Israel but the entire world in His earthy kingdom. And Isaiah the prophet says, “In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.” (Is.11:10 NLT)
Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, will return on that day and the nation of Israel will finally receive Him as their Messiah. And He will rule in righteousness. “In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety.” (Jer, 23:6b NLT) Until that day, let us Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.’” Mark 2:27 NLT
“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.” Isaiah 58:13 NLT
God has given each of us a gift, a Sabbath day of rest. This day of rest is not only for our physical bodies, but also for spiritual and mental restoration. The Lord God knows the limitations of our bodies for He created us. We can only go so far before we need to be replenished. Six days seems to be the appropriate number. God Himself confirmed this in His example in the creation of the universe, the earth, and every living creature. He rested from all His work on the seventh day. But the eternal God does not need to rest, and we do, so He established a day for us to rejuvenate our minds, souls, spirits, and physical bodies. Jesus concurred with this in Mark 2:27 when he said, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people.” (NLT)
So, the question becomes, what day is your Sabbath day? Most Christians think Sunday is to be our Sabbath day and understandably so. Sunday is the day Jesus’ followers, the church, gather for worship, and that should not change. But is Sunday always your Sabbath? During 45 years in retailing, my Sabbath day was not Sunday. Required to work every Saturday and most Sundays, my Sabbath would be my day off sometime during the week. Fortunately, it was consistent throughout my career with Tuesdays as my regular day off. Tuesday became my Sabbath.
Keeping the Sabbath day is not about following a bunch of rules and regulations of what you can or cannot do. It is a day to refresh ourselves in the Lord our God. It is a day to allow our bodies to recover and to be nourished for the week ahead. It is a day to mark as holy (or separate from the other six days of the week) to engage in spiritual, mental, and physical restorations in the Lord. Keeping the Sabbath, as Isaiah says, isn’t pursing our own interests but enjoying it by honoring it with everything you do whatever day that is.
“But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead—haven’t you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead.” Matthew 22:31-32 NLT
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The question, ‘Is there life after death?’ has been debated over millenniums. Almost every religion known to man has a belief of some form of an afterlife, and in as many different forms as there are the number of religions. Greek Philosophers and ancient Greek mythology had their theories as the ancient Egyptian religions had theirs. Different factions within Judaism and Christianity have several views on life after death. Some are embedded in tradition and some in scripture as interpreted by Jewish and Christian leaders over the centuries to our current day. But to ensure we are on solid ground, we look to the truth of God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, and Jesus’ interpretation of life after death.
Jesus had an on-going back and forth with the religious rulers of His day who were looking to discredit Him in any way they could. After shutting down the Pharisees and the Herodians, the Sadducees where next to take a crack at Jesus. They came to Jesus with a question about the resurrection of the dead. A foot note needs to be placed here; the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, and the absurdity of their question proves their intent to entrap Jesus. They wanted to know; a woman married to more than one man during her lifetime whose wife would she be in the resurrection.
Jesus answered their question by not only confirming there is a resurrection, but also those waiting for the bodily resurrection are indeed very much alive. Jesus cited from the Torah, as the Sadducees only recognized Moses’ authority in the first five books of the Bible. Jesus quoted a direct statement from God Himself when Moses faced Him, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Ex. 3:6 NLT) Jesus then confirmed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as living. “So he is the God of the living, not the dead.” (Mt. 22:32b NLT)
Is there life after death? Yes-Jesus said God is the God of the living: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We are all eternal beings and will be very much alive after our earthly bodies die. Where will you be living in eternity? Will you be with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the rest of all who have trusted Jesus as savior. You can be sure you will be- “For Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (Ro. 10:13 NLT)
“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.’” Daniel 3:28 NLT
The third chapter of the book of Daniel records the first of two favorite children Sunday School stories found in Daniel. Of course, I’m referring to the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. As the story goes, these three young men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (their Hebrew names) refused to bow down and worship the gold statue Nebuchadnezzar had erected. The king demanded worship of the statue at the instant of hearing musical instruments. Any who refused would be thrown into a blazing fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to die than to worship any pagan gods, even a golden statue set up by the king himself.
I’m sure Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t anticipate this tragic event happening. They were in obedience to the Lord in participating for the welfare of Babylon, their new home. They were also in Nebuchadnezzar’s service as a few of the most educated and wisest officials in the king’s court. But they were living in a pagan culture with no regard for the God of the Hebrews, the true God, and was governed by a ruler who was as fickle as the weather.
King Nebuchadnezzar had earlier praised the God of Heaven for revealing his dream to him through Daniel, but he quicky forgot God. He elevated himself by erecting a statue overlaid in gold to represent himself and his kingdom as in his dream, the head of gold in chapter 2. An announcement was made to gather all the officials of Nebuchadnezzar’s empire to pledge their allegiance in the dedication of the golden statue. “Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up.” (Dan. 3:2 NLT) The king demanded worship of the golden statue which represented his kingdom, but also possibly the god Nabu meaning ‘Nabu, protect my son!’, or ‘Nabu, protect my boundary!’ The Jewish people were truly living in a pagan culture, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will soon find out how much it would cost them.
Much like in our day with the tolerance, D.E.I., reproductive rights, and hate speech police watching every move of Bible believing Christians, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had their own thought police keeping tabs on them. Their colleagues in the king’s court blew the whistle on them. Daniel 3:8 &12 says, “But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews…. But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.” (NLT) Naturally these men were jealous and envied the three Hebrew officials who had a higher rank than them. Not only did they have powerful positions, but they did not bow down to the cultural demands of Babylon. Those in authority today are under supreme pressure to compromise to get along with the culture, but it also comes at a high cost, not only affecting themselves but others as well.
When brought before the king; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had their minds made up. They didn’t need to think or pray about what their answer would be. “(They) replied, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you……Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.’” (Dan. 3:16, 18b) The king was furious by their outright refusal not to obey an order he had given. Not to be humiliated in front of those who were present he ordered them to be thrown into the blazing furnace. God miraculously saved them sending an angel in the heated furnace. Not a hair on their head was singed, nor the smell of smoke on them. But going in, they did not know if God would indeed save them.
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We haven’t yet reached that point in our present-day Babylon in the United States, but other believers in other parts of the world have and will continue to do so. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before we are faced with a Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego experience. But if or when we are, will we be willing to die saying, “that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
Word for the Soul 