November 29
Daniel 6:1-28 | PS 119:129-152 | Prov 28:21-22 | 2 Peter 3:1-18
Oswald Chambers wrote, "We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God through our own efforts. Until we get there, our Lord is powerless. He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves. We must enter into His kingdom through the door of destitution." God will not overpower our free will. So, we must strive to avoid independence, and embrace dependency on Him. This is completely opposite to the philosophy of the world. We read in 2 Peter 3:11, 14, "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,...Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;". We have a choice, we either focus our eyes on that which is temporal, on that which will not last, which often results in self-reliance; or we focus on that which is eternal, on that which can never fade away, which will lead us to dependence on Him. Our salvation, our hope, is dependent upon the finished work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We must realize when we read Daniel 6, that the prophet Daniel was around 88 years old at this time. He had spent his entire life with his eyes focused on God, not the things of the world, through one major trial after another. So, when this newest threat surfaced, Daniel did what he had always done. He relied on God, and refused to alter his relationship or dependency upon Him, as we read in Daniel 6:10, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days." The story is familiar to most of us. Daniel's life was preserved in spite of being thrown into a den of lions. But to Daniel, with his eyes on God, he was prepared no matter what happened in the lion's den.
The question is where are our eyes focused? What is our finish line? Is it a wedding, a child, a house, retirement? These are all earthly things, though each pleasant. Paul had his focus correct, as we read in Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." We are encouraged to do the same as we read in Hebrews 12:1-2, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Decide today, and for that matter each day, where you will place your hope, trust, and focus.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: