Love Like This…

On 2016-09-212016-09-21 By Ed AlgreenIn Love, Love of God, Love others, Love your Neighbor, The Father's Love, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-09-21

Scripture

Bible Reference: Ephesians 5:1-2

Bible Text: Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)

My Take

No doubt some of my readers have said it before, and if you didn’t say it then you probably thought it, ‘I will resume friendship with that individual, but I will be fully guarded at all times (cautious)’, but isn’t it interesting how God chose to show us in these verses exactly how we are to handle such situations? Friends, when God sent His Son as a child in Bethlehem, it was for the benefit of the whole world – as the that little Sunday School song reads – “red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world” – all children! When Jesus was led to the cross of Calvary, it was for all who believe on Him – no conditions other than that noted. In these verses today, Paul is reminding his readers that God was not cautious about His love for us, but instead showed every sign of extravagance in loving even the unlovable. He went to the cross knowing that it was for those who refused to accept Him, or were unlovable to His kids. Paul encouraged us to not look at our neighbor who also struggles to show genuine love, but to imitate God for the unconditional, extravagant, wholehearted love that He displayed, and continues to display for us every day. So when we find ourselves struggling to love someone, let’s ask God to help us love like He did – that perfect, unadulterated, uncompromising, unselfish, love for all mankind. He did it, and as His children – fully dependent on Him and aiming to follow His example, we can do it also. Commit yourselves to Him in wanting to love like He did, and ask for His help and guidance to do so, won’t you?

Prayer

Father it is humbling to be reminded that You created us to love and worship You, yet we fail so miserably at that. You created us to love one another, yet we fail so miserably at that, and try to place ourselves above our neighbor, our friends, and those we come into contact with. Please forgive us Lord, and help us to stay so intimately in Your Word that it will have a lasting impact on our actions and our sometimes misguided thoughts and deeds. We really want to be like You Jesus – our example and our guide. For You not only instructed us, but You showed us through Your actions how we are to love one another. Please keep us accountable for all that You have taught us to do and say. May the words of our mouth, and the meditation of our heart be acceptable to You oh Lord, and for Your glory alone, AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Spending Your Life Like God Designed

On 2016-09-15 By Ed AlgreenIn Help, Helper, Sacrifice, Servants of GodLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-09-15

Scripture

Bible Reference: Ephesians 2:8-10

Bible Text: ⁸Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God.⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. ¹⁰It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

Ever reflected on your day and feel like it was a wash, or that you don’t feel like you accomplished enough to say that it was successful or meaningful? I believe we can see from this scripture today how we could mark success, instead of just looking at your task list for the day and not being able to check off anything on the list. Paul dealt with this issue with the Ephesian church, and he told them that for those who have ‘New Life’ in Jesus Christ, God designed it so that we would spend our lives helping others. So wouldn’t that be a neat thing to reflect back on each day? Instead of checking off your personal agenda items, that you chat with God and thank Him for allowing you to get directly involved in someone else’s life and help them in some way! Imagine the benefits friend. You would not only have helped them mark off an item on their agenda, that they had no idea of how they were going to accomplish that, but you also had the opportunity to be a witness to them of real, unselfish, godly love, and also to show them that God IS very much alive as He ministered to them through you (His child)! I believe that when God places a scenario in our path like that, He will use that for His ultimate glory. Yes, we may be used as His hands, or His feet on the ground, or His audible voice as we help and/or encourage in some small way, but when that person stands before God and gives thanks for His servant that He sent along to help them, and that caused their eyes to be opened to the love of Christ, then I believe it will be worth it all. We may never see the results this side of heaven, and we should never help someone with that selfish motive in mind, we are merely called on to be obedient servants of God, doing all we can with what He taught us through His awesome example. If we simply do that, and someone’s eyes are opened to the gospel and love of Jesus Christ, then praise God for using even us! So try looking back on you day and see how God miraculously placed someone in your path to help. Give God praise and glory for the opportunity and pray for the individual(s) you helped, that they saw a glimpse of Jesus and surrendered to His call on their life.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, may I be willingly obedient to all that You have designed for me to do today. Please touch the life of each reader so that they also may be open and obedient to all that you expect of them. May others be touched today with the love of Jesus as they come into contact with each one reading this blog, for I ask these things knowing that all glory will be Yours and for the sake of Your kingdom growth. What an awesome God that we serve! Thank You Jesus! AMEN!

Footnote

The Only Way Out

On 2016-09-14 By Ed AlgreenIn Faith, Salvation, Seek God First, Seek God's FaceLeave a comment

Wednesday, 2016-09-14

Scripture

Bible Reference: Galatians 3:21-22

Bible Text: …. If we could be saved by his laws, then God would not have had to give us a different way to get out of the grip of sin—for the Scriptures insist we are all its prisoners. The only way out is through faith in Jesus Christ; the way of escape is open to all who believe him.

Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take

I believe that often we will try the easiest way out. The way that is least embarrassing to us, or least obvious to others that we have or had a problem and really needed help. So for many, this may be through trying to obey the Word of God on our own. I once had a coworker tell me that he knew the good Lord would not allow his dad to go to Hell, because he was such a good man, and that no one could really point a finger at him for his wrong. This coworker later came to know the Lord himself and then understood exactly what Paul was clarifying here for the Galatian church. Friends, we must remember that God saw that the human race was incapable of helping ourselves by simply obeying His law, so out of His deep love for us, He miraculously sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. Too often we look at the law like, what’s the least I can do to keep out of trouble with the law makers, and seldom do we stop and ask God to help us obey every letter of the law in the way it was intended when written, so that others may recognize the sincerity of Jesus in us. So friends, this scripture today is good news for those who have heard the voice and direction of God, and want to surrender your life to Him so that He may direct your path and lead you in a righteous and upright life for His glory. Getting from where you are – steeped in sin and unrighteousness, can only be accomplished one way. ‘There is only one way out’, the scripture proclaims, and that is through seeking the face and person of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Surrender your life totally and completely to Him, so that He can accomplish His miraculous work through You. Friends, Hell is not a place where you would make it a point to go, but the ONLY way you will redirect your destination is by doing what I have already described to you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. When you truly believe on Jesus, you will submit to His will and obey His commands – indicating that He is in total control of your life. One other tip friends: Jesus has promised to return to earth to take His children (His bride) up to glory to be with He and His Father. But the timing of this event is unknown even to Jesus. Therefore, may I encourage you to make certain of your eternal destination urgently, for Jesus’ return could happen even today!

Prayer

Thank You Heavenly Father for yet another reminder of what must be done to gain eternal life. Our works are but filthy rags in Your sight, because we build those around our goodness instead of Yours. Please forgive us Lord for our littleness and open our eyes instead to Your wonderful, loving, caring, miraculous provisions that You have designed for us. Please help us to step aside and allow You to be God in our life, and in the lives of our family and friends. Lord, please touch lives today with the gospel and show Your love in such wonderful ways that many will come to accept You and surrender their lives wholeheartedly to You. There is so much to be done Father, but I am convinced of Your awesome power and desire to see our lost ones saved. Please work through me today so that I may be a genuine witness for You. I ask these things in faith, and for Your glory, AMEN!

Footnote

God’s Choice of Messengers

On 2016-09-12 By Ed AlgreenIn God's Will, ObedienceLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-09-12

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 16:14–18

Bible Text: 14 Afterwards, Jesus appeared to his eleven disciples as they were eating. He scolded them because they were too stubborn to believe the ones who had seen him after he had been raised to life. 15 Then he told them: Go and preach the good news to everyone in the world. 16 Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned. 17 Everyone who believes me will be able to do wonderful things. By using my name they will force out demons, and they will speak new languages. 18 They will handle snakes and will drink poison and not be hurt. They will also heal sick people by placing their hands on them.

Bible Translation: The Contemporary English Version (CEV)

My Take

I found the action by Jesus in this scripture to be very confusing, yet enlightening. Confusing, because I just couldn’t understand why Jesus chose to use the very ones that struggled in their faithfulness at His death, and were very doubtful of the messengers who came to them and shared the joy of see Jesus alive again.What was extremely enlightening, was to be reminded that Jesus chooses whom He wills to be His messengers, not who seems most logical to us. I have seen the most uneducated become the best soul winners, yet the super educated individuals with some of the best degrees, be so displaced in ministry and unsuccessful in reaching the lost. Friends, I believe that this is very much an eye-opener for those of us who sit back with all of the excuses about not being capable of doing the work of the Lord, for I believe that the evidence is clear that our God can use the one who feels incapable of speaking in public, like He did with Moses; He could use adulterers to become men after His own heart, like He did with David; He could use ones who were totally dejected as a brother, to become lord over those same brothers and their countrymen, like He did with Joseph; and He could certainly use 11 humble men filled with doubt about His resurrection to begin the first real revival that started the first new testament church. So please tell me again why so many Christians sit back today because they feel so inadequate, or uneducated, or recovering from some awful sin in their life, and then to look in the face of Jesus and say that they ‘can’t’ do something that He may be knocking on their heart’s door to so? I’m sure that many of us have done this at one point or another in our lives, perhaps this ‘confusing’ passage of scripture today will open our eyes to the need for obedience, without the worry of our worldly abilities. May I encourage you to be open to the call of Christ on your life today friend? No ‘but’s’ please, just be available, listen and obey the call of Christ!

Prayer

Father, You have blessed us with abilities to fit into this world and into our jobs without too much stress. However, You have also blessed us with a Savior who loves us, cares for us, and will perform miracle after miracle through us, if only we will make ourselves available to You in total surrender to Your will. Please cause us to place our faith and trust in You so that we can be usable instruments for You. There are so many who need You as Savior and Lord, and many of those we touch on an almost daily basis through kinship, our work, or perhaps through our social lives. May You be allowed to shine so strongly through us that these ones may be touched, and may they be led to believe in you. We are so undeserving Lord, but with Your power, and for Your glory, I believe that mighty things can be fulfilled, even through us. Thank You merciful Savior, AMEN!

Footnote

What Will You Do With Jesus?

On 2016-09-09 By Ed AlgreenIn Believe, Know and Believe, SalvationLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-09-09

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 15:9–13

Bible Text: 9 “Would you like me to release to you this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked. 10 (For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) 11 But at this point the leading priests stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. 12 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?” 13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

On the day that Jesus was presented to Pilate, the Jews were challenged with a question that I would like for us to consider today: What will you do with Jesus? The Jews wanted Jesus crucified because He was interfering with their popularity. They were envious of Jesus, as Pilate recognized (see verse 10). Friends, each day you are faced with a similar question, for you must make decisions such as these:

When you awake each morning, will you pause to give God thanks for a good night’s rest and another day with tons of opportunities, or will you give it up to happen-chance that you were more fortunate than many who awake each day in excruciating pain or homeless?
Will you take a moment to get into God’s Word and seek His guidance for the day, or will you affirm that you know it all and could handle every circumstance of that day on your own?
Will you look for every opportunity to make your christianity known and promote Christ, or will you find every possible way to escape letting your boss and coworkers know that you are a child of the King?
If your employer gave the word today that he wanted all ‘Christians’ fired, will you be looking for a job, or will you fall under the disguise of uncertainty on where you stand?

Friends, in each of these cases we would face a similar question as the one posed to the Jews. What will you have the world do with Jesus? He loved you enough that even while you were still drenched in sin, yet Jesus went to the cross of Calvary and sacrificed His very life out of sincere, unadulterated love – especially for you. Why? Because He wanted to make it very possible for you to have an easy choice of where you would like to spend eternity. So for those who do not know my Savior as Lord, your question is similar: Will you accept the offer from Jesus to let Him be your Lord, or will you ignore the offer and continue in an unappreciative state on the road to eternal damnation with Satan and his demons in Hell?

Prayer

Lord, thank You for making a way for us to one day be with you in Heaven. The answers to the above questions and scenarios seem very obvious, and therefore seems like overkill to even ask them of good, sound thinking individuals. However, I am very aware that Satan is just as active trying to distract his followers from hearing this Good News, as he was last weekend when many of my readers heard a similar challenge in their respective churches. Lord Jesus, please break down the barriers of indecision, stubbornness, pride and rejection today, so that my readers and all those that we will pray for, might hear Your voice very clearly calling them to You. Thank You for making a way. I now pray that we will fight the barriers and accept the free gift of salvation today and be proud to have You control our lives so that others may see and also believe, AMEN!

Footnote

How to Guard Against Temptation

On 2016-09-08 By Ed AlgreenIn Overcomer, Temptation, Wait on the LordLeave a comment

Thursday, 2016-09-08

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 14:38

Bible Text: 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I was touched by the fact that Jesus was going through so much emotionally in the Garden of Gethsemane, yet He didn’t get upset with his disciples over not caring about Him. Instead, Jesus gave them advice that they could use long after He had left them. He probably was also ministering to Peter for being such a ‘motor-mouth’, when he told Jesus that he would stick with Him through ‘thick and thin’, so Jesus had to remind him here that his spirit might be willing, but his body is weak. So what is the application in this verse for us today? I believe there are several things:

Unless we ‘watch‘, for the advisory (Satan) – being on guard for the things that are opposing God and His perfect design, then Satan will pounce on us through various temptations, causing us to sin against God;
Unless we ‘pray‘ to the Master and depend on His strength, His wisdom and His power, then we will quickly fall into the trap of Peter, where our spirit might be willing and wanting to obey God, but the weakness of our flesh will push us towards the things of this world and its master – Satan;
No matter how willing our spirit and personal desire might be, we are weak without the awesome power of the Holy Spirit that God has empowered us with. We must therefore learn to call on God and depend on Him for ALL things – even those things that we feel very capable of handling ourselves, to avoid failure and being ‘sucked in’ by the advisory. Remember, we can do ALL THINGS through CHRIST, who strengthens us! He’s our Rock, our Redeemer and our soon coming King!

Have you surrendered your life to Him friend? Will He recognize your voice when you call on Him as being one of His? It you have doubt, may I encourage you to read my ‘Footnote’ and follow my suggestions, so that you may KNOW – without a doubt, whose you are?

Prayer

Lord Jesus I thank You for Your awesome love and for caring for us, even when we should be thinking about others. You know what we need, and just as You expressed to Peter and his teammates in the garden, I believe You are still very interested in seeing Your children live according to Your will and way, because of being totally surrendered to You. In and of our own strength, we can do nothing towards being holy or totally dedicated to our calling of being ‘little Christs’ – Christians. We need You to help us live noble Christian lives in this world of hate, strife and sin. Not only will we be able to do all thing through Christ who strengthens us, but Lord I believe You will be at liberty to do all things through us – those who have totally surrendered to You and very open to allowing You to work through us. May You accomplish great things today Heavenly Father, and may we be found acceptable in Your sight, so that You may work through us, if need be. In total humility and surrender to You, I am asking these things dear Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

Find Out What The Lord Says

On 2016-09-06 By Ed AlgreenIn Biblical Decisions, Decisions, Jesus led decisionsLeave a comment

Tuesday, 2016-09-06

Scripture

Bible Reference: 1 Kings 22:4–5

Bible Text: 4 Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will you join me in battle to recover Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses.” 5 Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the LORD says.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

I believe that way too often we make decisions and then ask God to ‘buy in’ on our decisions and bless it. Friends, King Jehoshaphat has demonstrated in these verses today that this is not the order of things for the believer. Think about it, if you say that Jesus is Lord of your life, then you proceed into making your own decisions without first asking God and getting His permission, who really is lord of your life? When you make decisions and then ask God to bless your decisions, you are really saying to God that:

You are in control, but would appreciate His backing;
The decision sounds logical and that it would benefit you, even though you don’t have a clue what will transpire beyond the very moment in which you exist;
You know what you want for your future, and this decision seems to fit just right into that projected path. Notice that in all of the planning that king Ahad and king Jehoshaphat had spoken of, they did not include the piece where King Ahad would be killed in battle.

Friends, our insight and personal decisions are based on the facts at hand and the possibilities that exist, and the desires of our heart, based on our own abilities and the physical attributes available to us at that particular time. Let us always remember that God’s ways are not our ways and that His plans are based on eternity for His children, whereas our decisions are always selfish and based on very temporal and physical benefits for ourselves. One results in eternal ‘D&D’ (damnation and death), and the other results in eternity in heaven with Jesus and His Heavenly Father, God. Two completely opposing results – choose you this day whom you will serve, and who will guide your destiny, friend, and then be obedient to your Master.

Prayer

Lord, You have shown us over and over again that You hold the keys to our future and that You should therefore be consulted before making decisions, so that You can best direct us, in order that our path not be impeded. These verses today have served to remind us of this once again. Please patiently work in the lives of Your children once again today and help us to surrender ourselves to Your perfect will. Lord, it is so critical that we be obedient to Your will, and not stumble and fall because of selfish decisions made because we couldn’t possibly know what’s in store for us in the very next moment. You’re in control Lord, and I pray that You will help us to ensure that our lives are always in sync with Your perfect plan for us. May we learn to surrender everything to You, for our ultimate good, and Your eternal glory, AMEN!

Footnote

Most Important Commandments

On 2016-09-05 By Ed AlgreenIn Commandments, Love, Love God, Love others, Unconditional loveLeave a comment

Monday, 2016-09-05

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 12:28–31

Bible Text: ²⁸ …..“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” ²⁹Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. ³⁰And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ ³¹The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

Many are caught aback by all of the commands in the Bible, and especially in the ten commandments, folks looking for a reason to whine and complain, tend to complain about the negativity in the commands. While we don’t see any of that in these verses, there was strong curiosity as to which one(s) were most important from Jesus’ perspective. Hearing the response from Jesus, makes this something that I believe His followers today really need to pay particular attention to, as I believe these contain very important demands for us still today. So here they are:

⁴“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.^[a] ⁵And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:4-5
¹⁸“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18

There is an old pop song that included the words “All I need is love” throughout the song. I believe that the one characteristic that each of these important commands are built on is “LOVE”! In the first instance, we are told that we are to love our Maker, Creator, Savior and Way Maker with all of our being. Friends, it might strike some of you to ask, “well who wouldn’t”. Unfortunately there are many that don’t recognize our Master and Creator, so of course they have no reason to love someone who, in their opinion does not exist. May I remind you that many are looking at us to see whether we, who are called by His name, truly love God from the very depths of our being. What do you think? Would your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, be convinced enough through the love they see from you for your God? As we look at the second commandment, I want you to reflect on the last time you really got mad, or upset at yourself. Now, what did you do to yourself? Did you seek to hurt yourself or deprive yourself from some special treat or event? Did you tell others how evil you were and unlikeable you were? Did you build up strong fences or defenses to keep others away? Then friends, why do we do these things to our neighbors? Remember, neighbors are ones who we come into contact with. Sometimes they are sweet as ‘pie’ to us, and sometimes we get really upset at the things they do. You know, similar to what we probably do unconsciously to others! Jesus wants us to love these neighbors in spite of their faults – as much as we love our very own selves. How are you doing with that child of God?

Prayer

Lord God, thank You for first loving us. You set the plumb line as an example for us. So often we fall so short on demonstrating the sincerity of love that You showed for us, for You loved us, even though You had no sign of love in return. Please use Your Word today to encourage, challenge and provoke us into loving You unconditionally with all our being. As we do this, I believe it will be a lot more natural for us to love one another, but please help us with that also dear Lord, for I believe that we will quickly brush others aside when they show no signs of love for us. Help us to love like You love us Heavenly Father, for I ask this all for Your ultimate glory, AMEN!

Footnote

The Reason Jesus Came

On 2016-08-20 By Ed AlgreenIn Effective Ministry, Reflective of Jesus Christ, The ChurchLeave a comment

Saturday, 2016-08-20

Scripture

Bible Reference: Mark 2:17

Bible Text: 17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

The attention given to the unrighteous, reminds me of a friend who is attracted to the one who sits at the back of the church and may be feeling dejected. I am also made keenly aware of why our churches are not reaching many of the unsaved in our communities. Think about it, who do most of our church members hang around? Fellow Christians, right? What happens to a pastor or church leader who may be seen hanging around a questionable crowd? Jesus said that He came for those who know that they are sinners. Wouldn’t that be a bold statement for a church to acknowledge that they exist for the sake of the unsaved? Who generally devours most of your pastor’s time, the saved or the unsaved? Where do most of your budget dollars go – towards reaching the lost, or patting the backs of the saved and keeping them entertained? Will the unsaved feel welcomed at your worship services, or will they feel looked down on by the masses? Are you a part of a ministry that imitates the desire of Jesus, or are you ministering in opposition to the plan of Jesus?

Prayer

Lord, may we Your children be willing to minister to those in need of a Savior more than we minister to those just like us. You came so that the lost might be saved and see the Kingdom of God. Please help us to keep that as our focus of ministry. I ask these things in the strong name of Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote

Confident Faith In God

On 2016-08-12 By Ed AlgreenIn Confidence, Faith, Faith in Action, Genuine FaithLeave a comment

Friday, 2016-08-12

Scripture

Bible Reference: Daniel 2:19–23

Bible Text: 19 That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 20 He said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. 21 He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. 22 He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. 23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

At many workplaces there is a bonus given for referring prospective employees to the company. However, the bonus is only paid after the individual is hired and after they have passed their probationary period. Kind of making sure that this is a ‘sure thing’ with this new employee! Also, consider this: if someone told us something that they believe about a person, and then asked us to take action on that ‘belief’, we would probably be very hesitant to take any action until we could verify the facts, right? Well, in our scripture today, we read about how the lives of Daniel and his friends, plus many more, were threatened by an order from King Nebuchadnezzar, where they would be thrown into a fire pit if they couldn’t tell him what his dream was or what it meant. We read about the sincere prayer of these men, asking God for a revelation and the wisdom to understand the meaning of the dream. What I found most interesting is that after Daniel’s vision from God, there was no anxiousness for Daniel to run to the king and see if he got it right, but rather, Daniel had a time or praising the Lord for answered prayer! There was no doubt! There was just plain confidence, that God had given him THE answer! This was again evident as Daniel went before the king, for he TOLD him what his dream was, and what it meant. It was not presented as a question, or with any sense of doubt. I encourage you to read the rest of this chapter, because this had an enormous impact on the king. So how can this be applied to our lives? Friends, if we truly have faith in God and if we truly believe in the awesome power of our God, then I believe that we will trust Him to lead us aright. Our God has proven Himself over and over again! There is no reason to doubt! Have faith in God! Lets work at developing such a prayer life that our confidence in our God will be maximized, and that He will receive all the glory from every prayer that is answered for us!

Prayer

Father, I would imagine that You must look at us sometimes and wonder why do we bother to pray, since we are such sceptics. We have been reminded of Your awesome power again today in the scriptures, but we have also been reminded of the great confidence of Your faithful servant, Daniel. Lord, may we be faithful in our prayers, and also faithful to believe in the responses from You, the One to whom we are praying. I believe that You are still alive, and I believe that You still answer our prayers. Please help us to remove all doubt and to place our faith and trust in the King of all kings, and Lord of all lords – the Creator of this universe and the Sustainer of all life! You are my God and I praise You for all things, and for all You do for me every day – especially in Your answered prayers! AMEN!