Daniel’s Devotion (Part 1)

Hello Friends!

Welcome to a new multi-week Daily Devotions series titled “Daniel’s Devotion”

The book of Daniel is basically a "timeline" of the "Gentile world powers" from the days of Daniel until and including the Tribulation period in the future – the seven years of God’s judgment on the earth. This time period is known as the "times of the Gentiles" or The Church Age…

Please join us over the next several weeks as we learn more about the “highlights” of this very important man of God – Enjoy!

Daniel’s Devotion (Part 1)

As the Babylonian Crown Prince Nebuchadnezzar was fighting in Egypt, he received the message that his father had died and he had been promoted to "King of Babylon." On his journey back to Babylon he passed through Jerusalem and noticed a strange type of worship of a different God than his god. The worship of this new God was going on in a Temple like he had never seen before. Knowing that he was to become ruler of the known world, he was determined to know something about this “new” religion. Nebuchadnezzar decided to take some "hostages" from the "royal family" in Jerusalem back home with him to learn more about this religion…

Chapter 1 of the book of Daniel is the sojourn of Daniel and three of his Hebrew friends “Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah” to Babylon to learn the ways of the Chaldeans:

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god – Daniel 1:1-2

They were to be trained to become a part of the group known as the "wise men" in Nebuchadnezzar's court:

Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego – Daniel 1:3-7

As we read this account we learn how teenage boys – Daniel was 15 years old when taken to Babylon – could purpose in their “heart” to honor the Lord with their obedience to His plan for their lives:

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself – Daniel 1:8

God would honor their obedience and give them "knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom":

As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams – Daniel 1:17

At the same time God was preparing young Daniel to minister to the King (chapter 2). Daniel would not only win the King's favor but reveal God’s plan for the future through the interpretation of the Kings dream. God would also use this man Daniel to give us the prophetic truths that describe many current events today giving us evidence that we are quickly approaching the time of the return of the Lord!

Because Daniel purposed in his heart to do right, God used him and his friends for His purposes to explain to us His plan for the future:

And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus – Daniel 1:20-21

The twelve chapters of Daniel are prophecies of the unfolding of the historic events that will take place on the earth leading up to the time of the coming of Jesus Christ back to the earth. Our study of some of these prophecies found in the book of Daniel will reveal to each student of God's prophetic Word that the events foretold 2,500 years ago are about to be fulfilled in the near future…

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation of Daniel’s Devotion…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

Listen to my Prayer

Psalm 55:1-3; 22-23

 Listen to my prayer, O God,
    do not ignore my plea;
     hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
     because of what my enemy is saying,
    because of the threats of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering on me
    and assail me in their anger.

Cast your cares on the LORD
    and he will sustain you;
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.
 But you, God, will bring down the wicked
    into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful
    will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you.

I have really been struggling lately with understanding the death of a young lady.  It's never easy to hear of someone young dying but this one, just has really bothered me.  I grew up in a small town where you just don't hear of a lot of crime or feel unsafe.  Well, my friend's sister, who still lived there, went missing on Oct. 18th.  She has 4 kids and was always faithful about showing up to work so this was really odd.  Last week, her body was found.  After two months of many people praying and searching for her, it was all over.  Right before Christmas, a time that is supposed to be joyous.  I just haven't been able to understand why.  It is believed that she was murdered.  She was found under the ice in a river. 

This small town seems to have dealt with a number of sensless deaths the past few months and my thoughts have troubled me. 

It is times like this that we have to cast our cares on the LORD and trust him.  We can say that we want to see justice served, but really, justice will be served when they face the LORD, if they have not repented of their sins. 

The Year of The Lord's Favor

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.  Isaiah 61:1-3

For most of my life, I would hear that the term A.D. meant ‘after death,’ as in after Jesus Christ died, and B.C. meant before Christ.  However after reading and studying for a Bible Study class, I found that first part was entirely wrong.  The term ‘A.D.’ is actually a medieval Latin term meaning “the year of the Lord.’ Thus, the beginning of the New Year is yet another reminder of the birth of our Lord and savior, and while many believe the approximate date is a little off (His birth approximated to be somewhere between 6-4 BC), there is a clear connection anytime the calendar changes.

The New Year brings forward a time where we have a chance to celebrate our own rebirth through Jesus Christ. The 61^st Chapter of Isaiah is simply titled ‘The Year of the Lord’s Favor.’ Its introductory verses point out what the coming of Jesus would mean to us all.  While we often focus on God’s awesome and mighty power, these verses also remind us how infinitely thankful we should be for His love and mercy.  The words are telling us how indeed Jesus Christ would change the world freeing us from sin, comforting mourners, bringing joy and praise, and planting the seeds of righteousness.

Psalm 118:24 states, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (NKJV) As other look to make resolutions, let us rejoice and be glad as the New Year is a reminder once again that Jesus is the reason for the season.  What thanks will you give God for this soon to be past year?  How will you give glory to God this New Year?  My prayer is that we are used by God to make this indeed a year of the Lord’s favor!  Amen and Happy New Year!

Tues Devo: Reflective moment(s)

Proverbs 27:19 “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man. “ (NASB)

Hello,

Naturally towards the end of the year we tend to think about where we stand in relation to the prior year. We reflect on things that happened, and set some form or goals or direction for the next year. While there is nothing wrong with that (I did some this past weekend!) I got to thinking about why we wait so long? If it is through reflection we look to grow and change, why do we wait?

Reality is a tremendous teacher – and it is often the least distorted by evaluating in close time proximity to the event.

Honest evaluation of how we respond and act – and with what attitude – in scenarios is a reflection of who we are. While the end of the year is a great time for reflection, let’s not just wait until then – we will miss the chance to learn and grow throughout the year.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill