Dad's Ramblings -- God Is Not Mocked

GOD IS NOT MOCKED
 
Daniel 5:3-5
 
"Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lamp stand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace...."
 
People have the idea that they can misuse and abuse God's holy things with impunity. They profane his holy name, treat as nothing His holy commandments, and worship other gods, all the while thinking there are no consequences. But God is not mocked and they will reap what they sow (Galatians 6:7). God will have the final word.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The holy cannot be profaned without consequences.
 
Have a God-conscious day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Respect For The Holy

RESPECT FOR THE HOLY
 
Daniel 5:1-2
 
"Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave a command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them."
 
Belshazzar made a tragic mistake. He took that which was holy – separated for God's use – and used it for common activity. It seems to me that in our culture there is little regard for the holy.
Marriage is a holy union, but it is often defiled. One day of the week is to be set apart for God, but we treat every day the same. God's word is holy, but it is treated as just another book. As Christians, our bodies are holy, but we misuse them horribly. Life is sacred, but abortion/murder of babies is considered okay. The list could go on. As God's people, we should set an example of revering the holy, and "distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean" (Leviticus 10:10).
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: It is dangerous to treat God's holy things as common.
 
Have a holy day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Journey To Faith

THE JOURNEY TO FAITH
 
Daniel 3:28-29; 4:2, 34
 
"Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, 'Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego .... There is no other god who can deliver like this .... I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me .... At the end of the time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever...' "
 
Nebuchadnezzar was on a journey to faith. He started as a pagan with no understanding of the true God, then progressed to acknowledging the God of the Hebrews, then to understanding that God was involved in his affairs, and finally came to personal faith in the Most High God. His journey had its ups and downs. It began with a dream that was interpreted by Daniel, and he recognized that Daniel's God was the God of gods (2:46). But since God was not his God, he erected the golden statue to be worshiped. When the Hebrews were delivered from the furnace, he again saw by that sign that their God was the true God. But it was not until he was restored from seven years of insanity that he finally came to full personal faith (see 4:28-33). God is so gracious and faithful. Even in the ups and downs of our journey, he is still ready to reveal Himself. For some people, it takes awhile before they humble themselves to confess Him as the true God – and some never do. But that does not stop God from revealing Himself over and over again.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The journey to faith has its ups and downs, but God keeps revealing Himself.
 
Have a revelation day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Smelling Like A Rose

SMELLING LIKE ROSE
 
Daniel 3:26-27
 
Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, come out and come here.' Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire .... the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them."
 
The Hebrews came through their fiery trial smelling like a rose. I confess that trials can cause me to have a stinking attitude. The reason the Hebrews came through smelling so good was because they had been with Jesus.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: The secret of a sweet smell is being with Jesus.
 
Have a rosy day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- Jesus Walks With Us In The Fire

JESUS WALKS WITH US IN THE FIRE
 
Daniel 3:20, 24-25
 
"And [Nebuchadnezzar] commanded certain might men of valor who were in the army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them in the burning fiery furnace .... Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke to his counselors, 'Did we not cast three men into the midst of the fire? .... Look,' he answered, 'I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.' "
 
This story is a Sunday School favorite, but it still contains a dynamic truth: Jesus walks with us through the fiery times. No matter how hot it gets, He is there. Praise His glorious Name!
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Jesus walks with His people through the fiery trials of life.
 
Have a "walking with Jesus" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The "IF NOTS" In Life

THE "IF NOTS" OF LIFE
 
Daniel 3:17-18
 
" 'If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.' "
 
What a statement of faith! They declared their belief that God was able and would deliver them. But they also allowed God to be God. Whether God delivered them from the furnace alive, or delivered them by death, they would serve Him. "If Not...." Some people question their faith in God when things don't go the way they think they should. God does not always do what I ask or want, but He is still God and I will serve Him. A Met Life commercial says that they are there "For the 'if' in life." God is God in the "If Nots" of life.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: God is still God even when life does not happen according to my plan.
 
Have a "faith" day. Love you.
 

Dad's Ramblings -- The Choice

THE CHOICE
 
Daniel 3:15-16
 
[King Nebuchadnezzar said,] " 'Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the ...music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?' Shadrach, Mechach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.' "
 
Everyone is confronted with the choice of whether to serve the true God or some other god. Nebuchadnezzar had a revelation of God through Daniel's interpretation of his dream, but chose not to bow to that God. It continues to amaze me that people can see the works of God and still not worship Him. The Apostle Paul wrote of these people when he said, "What may be known of God is manifest in (margin: among) them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made....[they] changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man...." (See Romans 1:18-23). The three Hebrews also had a choice – to bow to the world's image or to serve the true God. To them it was a no-brainer. "We don't need to even think about our answer." They knew the true God and were rock-solid in their faith.
 
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Everyone has the opportunity to choose to worship the true God or another god.
 
Have a worshiping day. Love you.