The Resumption... maybe

 I just rediscovered that I have this blog. I love it. I may have to resume talking to myself in pixels. 

We'll see if I have something to say...

Daniel 4

God had a plan for Nebby and He was not about to let the man get away with rejecting Him.

See, as we read ahead, God had more plans for Daniel. It was through this miraculous story of Nebuchadnezzar's fall and return to sanity that he and his household were saved. We see his daughter recounting this story to her son, the new king, when he was faced with a similar encounter from God.

I LOVE that God will not let us go. He has a plan for our lives. He may send us to some pretty horrible places, but like our previous chapter shows, He is right there in the fire with us. He is faithful and fulfilled his promise to restore the kingdom to Nebby. And He will be faithful to me.

Daniel 3

One of my favorite stories in the Bible.

Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego are sentenced to the fiery furnace as punishment for not worshipping the golden statue of Nebby. (I guess he figured that if he was the head of gold, he could change the story and make himself the whole body of gold - that's another post.)

The best part is in verses 16-18 where they display their absolute trust in God to deliver them. Yet it is followed by, "But if not..." Don't you love the kind of faith that completely trusts God to deliver us, yet still trusts Him when He doesn't appear to be coming to our rescue. Faith that says I trust you even if... that says circumstances are not the basis of my trust, You are. They trusted God because they knew Him. Whether they were thrown into the fire or not, they knew God was still God.

What amazing faith!

And how were they rewarded? Jesus himself went into the fire with them. BEAUTIFUL! Rather than avoid the fire, they encountered Jesus in a most real and personal fashion. Isn't that exactly what he wants for us? Real encounters, not just some superficial relationship with a faith that's never been tested.

Daniel 2

Upon hearing the dream of the multi-metallic statue and the interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar praises God. But as we learn in Chapter 3, Nebby did not actually decide to serve God, rather he only heard what he wanted to hear. He focused on the "I am the head of GOLD" part of the vision and not the "God sets up and takes down rulers" part.

We do this, too. We hear from God and take out what we want to hear. How often are we convicted of something through the Holy Spirit and then turn that conviction on another. We say, "Yes, I shouldn't have gossipped, but you know who really gossips, God? Let me tell you..." Or we feel the urging of the Holy Spirit to read our Bibles and then condemn those who don't.

I need to be careful to hear all that God is saying. I cannot just take one part and run with it. If I ignore the whole counsel of God, I become like old Nebby. I can praise God, but I am not serving Him.

Daniel 1

My Uncle Kent is using his blog to go through and comment on Scripture. Much like I wanted this blog to be originally. While I am still reading the Bible daily, I have definitely let this blog slip as I run out of time to reflect on what I just read. I'm thinking it's New Year's Resolution time!

Anyways, we are reading Daniel right now. So here is my take-away on chapter 1:

I think a central lesson in this chapter is that we can stand up for what is right, as Daniel and his friends did when they refused to eat the king's meat and drink his wine, and trust God with the consequences. I don't mean we condemn others. Daniel and his friends did not point fingers at and harrass the young men who continued to eat and drink at the king's table. Rather, they took a personal stand and said that although others may choose to act one way, we won't. They looked in the mirror and made sure what they saw was pleasing to God.

We see that God rewarded their faithfulness.

Numbers 15 (Part Two) - Burning out by doing good

This chapter has a very serious warning I think we overlook too easily.

There was a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath. Although work on the Sabbath was prohibited, picking up some sticks hardly seems a serious infraction. And yet, much of the Old Testament is a picture of what God will fulfill in the New Testament through Jesus.

Jesus came to be our Sabbath rest. It is in Him that we are to find ourselves refreshed and revitalized. Because of Jesus death, we no longer have to work to obtain God's favor. We can rest in His work, it is finished. This goes against everything in me that wants to do more, accomplish more, work harder in order to be approved by God. I simply cannot imagine Him loving me for just me. There has to be more that I can do to show Him I am worthy.

So this poor man worked on the Sabbath. He gathered sticks to light a fire. Maybe his family was cold. Maybe his neighbors needed the heat. Maybe he was just being a nice guy, stepping up. Maybe he wanted to be thought of as helpful, someone you could count on.

He ended up being stoned to death.

The fire he sought to light ended up burning him instead. He did not follow the direction of God. He did not rest. He messed up God's picture of being saved through faith, not works. He went out on his own, doing something ostensibly good, and got burned.

There's a lesson in there somewhere...

Numbers 15 (Part One) - God still has a plan

This chapter starts out with, "When ye be come into the land of your habitations..." When. Isn't that a beautiful word - when. God sentenced this complaining, faithless generation to wander the desert for forty years, but He was still going to fulfill His plan.

I know I can delay, mess up, stall God's plan by my own shortcomings, but God is so amazing. He WILL see His plan for my life come to fruition.