When my son was a little boy, he asked for a pocketknife for Christmas. He was interested with those who could take a piece of wood or a stick and whittle it into a figure or an animal. Watching an experienced woodworker use a little knife to create amazing little figures was fascinating to a young boy.
Of course, I got him his first pocketknife, and we talked about how it was very sharp. We talked about how to hold the knife and how to begin the process of whittling away. I warned him not to put his finger on the blade and to respect it. Of course, the first thing he did was rub his finger across the blade – and cut himself. Just a slight bump against the blade and the cut was deep enough to draw blood – and a few tears.
The writer of the book of Hebrews describes the Word of God as being sharper than any type of edged weapon (4:12). Like a pocketknife, it can cut deep – deep into the mind and heart of the believer. God’s Word judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Like an impartial judge sitting on the judgement seat, the Word of God judges what is within us. The Word of God judges if we are resting in God’s grace or in human works. We can work hard and perform many good deeds for ministry. But those good deeds will not save us. Only the grace of God through faith in Jesus can save us from our sin. We can fool other people, but the Word of God makes it very plain that we cannot fool God. He will judge us rightly and with justice. If our faith is in Christ, we will find a sympathetic savior, who while tempted in every way, did not sin. He is perfect – and wants us to trust in His father as He did. The Word of God makes it very plain – our salvation is through grace by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot pretend to “earn” our way into God’s Kingdom. His Word testifies to the truth – that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) and trusting in him allows us to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
Remember to honor and obey God’s Word. While it contains the awesome message of salvation, it also opens our lives up to the all-knowing, all seeing eyes of God. Sharp indeed!
Questions for Discussion:
How could Jesus experience EVERY temptation? (4:15)
One of the great truths of the Bible is the humanity of Jesus Christ. Jesus, our Lord and Our Savior, was born of the virgin Mary through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Our God created Jesus to be His messiah – God’s chosen One to save his people and rule as King in His future kingdom. Jesus always existed in the mind of God. In the beginning was the Word (John 1:1). The Word, or Logos in Greek, is the eternal program of salvation and restoration through Jesus Christ. It is the wonderful plan of God to make a way for believers to enjoy fellowship with Him in the eternal coming Kingdom. As such, at a time of God’s choosing, He created his messiah. He brought his great plan of salvation, the Logos, into reality. Our Lord Jesus was born into the world, a little baby, born of the virgin Mary and celebrated as our Lord and Savior. He was born into the world through God’s power to be fully human, and fully God’s son. He is the begotten one (first among everything).
The book of Hebrews tries to explain why Jesus had to be made perfect and why he had to be a human – like you and me. But why did Jesus have to be just like us? Jesus was created by God to be His only Son. In order to serve both God and mankind, Jesus had to be a special man – the sinless and perfect Son of man. Both divine (Son of God) and human (Son of Mary) – He is the perfect one to exist as the “mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 2:5). Hebrews 2:14-18 teaches us that He had to be made with flesh and blood – he had to be a man. This is so His death on the cross might break the power of the fear of death. His resurrection is proof that a man can be raised up to eternal life. He was created specifically to save Abraham’s descendants of faith (that’s you and me). In being a man, he could be God’s High Priest, serving God and making atonement for the sins of the world (Hebrews 2:17,18).
With Christmas coming very soon, we remember the birth of Christ. That little child, born and placed in a manger, the son of Mary, would become the savior of the world. In God’s great wisdom, He made a way for us to enjoy fellowship with Him forever in His coming Kingdom. Thank Him for the gift of his Son, His human Son, the Christ Child who takes away the sin of the world.
It’s hunting season here in Ohio! All around the countryside, hunters are sneaking though the fields, climbing tree stands, and checking their trail cams. The deer are careful and on alert, listening and sniffing the air for the sign of trouble. Failure to sniff out the enemy can have deadly results for the hunted.
As Christians, we have to be on guard against temptations and situations that can cause us to fall away from the Lord God. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us to “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”. Peter, in his letter to the Christians across Asia Minor (modern Turkey), has tried to encourage the believers to stand firm in the face of persecution. Instead of getting revenge or lashing out against people who have hurt us, Peter encourages us to rejoice in our sufferings and be thankful for the opportunity to do good to those who hurt us (1 Peter 3:8-12).
It is easy to want to strike back, to say something hurtful, or to defend ourselves. But God has a higher purpose in mind behind our suffering. He wants to shape and mold us into mature Christians. Sometimes, we have to endure hard times to allow that change towards maturity to occur. It is tempting to want to respond in kind to those who hurt us. We have to stand firm and resist the urge to take the bait!
Peter reminds the Christians that this is a sneaky trap, set by our enemy, the devil. We have to be on the alert, and watchful to avoid falling into the traps set by the enemy. Like deer trying to avoid the hunter, we avoid the traps of temptation by seeking to do God’s will. Peter asks us to be alert and sober minded. Resisting the temptation to lash out at our enemies or to hurt other people is not easy. But the more we resist, the easier it is to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. God wants us to trust Him. As we obey Him, He will “restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).
One of the strongest building materials is steel. All the great towers and skyscrapers today are built out of steel. It is a very hard metal and very durable. But it does not start that way. It begins as a piece of iron ore. To transform the iron ore into steel, the iron must be heated to extreme temperatures and exposed to blasts of super hot air to blow out the impurities. When it is quickly cooled, the result is steel – a pure form, durable, and able to stand the test of time. It is only tough and useable because of the intense “heat and violent blasts of air” that transforms it.
The apostle Peter wrote his letters to Christians scattered out across Asia Minor (Turkey today). The Christians there were struggling because of hardship and persecution. Living a life of faith in God was very difficult and dangerous. As the Roman empire continued to persecute the Christians across the empire, the apostles, like Peter, worked hard to encourage the children of God.
Peter reminds us in his letter that we have a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3-4). No matter what kinds of trouble we experience in life, we can be assured that the hope that we have in Jesus is true and eternal. We know this because Jesus has been raised from the dead, proving that every promise that He made is true. No matter what kinds of sorrow we face in this life, we can be assured of an “inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. Kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Jesus promised to return to this world to make things right. Then, our promise will be revealed before our very eyes as we enjoy eternity with God the Father and His son Jesus Christ in God’s glorious earthly kingdom.
Despite being persecuted and threatened by the Romans, Peter reminds the Christians that they are to put their faith in God and serve Him. Like the first Christians, God allows us to experience trouble and sorrow because, like heat to iron, He wants to create a tougher, more usable child of God. God desires for each of us to endure troubling times. We are a chosen people (1 Peter 2:9-10). As God’s chosen people, we can be assured that He will use hard times to strengthen us. It is God’s will that we suffer for doing good (1 Peter 3:17). Jesus suffered greatly on the cross. But the result of His suffering has brought us closer to God (3:18). Who knows what incredible things God will bring about because His people are willing to suffer for doing good?
Questions for Discussion:
Are good works the way to earn a blessing? (1 Peter 3:9-12)
Why be gentle and respectful to unbelievers? (1 Peter 3:15)
Everyone likes to get a letter in the mail! Especially around Christmas time. Getting a letter from a friend or loved one might seem old fashioned, but letters have a way of being more personal and intimate. Receiving a letter from a mentor or person you respect is especially important when the letter includes an important message.
The Book of Titus is a letter written by Paul to his “true son in the common faith” Titus. Titus was an early Christian leader and a close friend of the apostle Paul. He is best known as being the leader of the churches in Crete and Corinth. He was sent by Paul to these churches to help them solve problems. In this letter, he asks Titus to ask the people in the churches to stop arguing with each other over silly things and to focus on doing good things in the name of Jesus.
To help the church at Crete, Paul sent recommendations on how to pick good leaders to look after the church (Titus 1:5-9). Having leaders who are qualified is important in leading a church. Like shepherds of a flock of sheep, the “elders” of the church look after us and protect us from making mistakes that can harm us. Their job is to help us do good works for God.
Paul also reminds us that we should always do good because we are Christians. Paul writes that the grace of God “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions”. As Christians we should always seek to serve other people and be good to them. Sometimes it is hard to live obediently for God. Paul asks us to be “self-controlled” and live upright and godly lives. It’s not easy, but God wants to help us and to “purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good”. (Titus 2:11-15).
It is important to always remember that God has shown His mercy to us not only because He wants us to be good, but so that He could adopt us into His family. Paul hopes that each of us “might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). Living a godly life is how we declare our thankfulness for His great mercy. As we accept God’s gift of grace, it makes us want to do good things for the Kingdom of God.
Questions for Discussion:
In Titus 2:2, what does it mean to be “self-controlled”?
What does Paul mean when he says to “avoid foolish controversies” in Titus 3:9?
The final chapters of Daniel give us a peek into the future. It also gives us a look at how things exist in the spiritual realm. In Daniel chapter 10, Daniel was given a great vision about the future – a future filled with great conflict. The vision was so terrible that Daniel refused to eat (choice foods) or bathe (“use lotions”) for a full three weeks! As Daniel pondered the meaning of the vision, God was already at work “behind the scenes” (within the spiritual realms).
After a few weeks of giving his whole devotion and confusion to God, Daniel gazed across the Tigris River and saw a man clothed in linen, with a fine belt of gold around his waist (Daniel 10:4-5). Daniel quickly realized this was no ordinary man – this was a man who looked like beryl (a green gemstone) with a face like lightning. His eyes were like flames and his arms and legs beamed like bronze. His voice was very loud (Dan. 10:5-6). Daniel, recognizing this man as an angel sent from God was overcome with fear and fainted! How would you react if you saw an actual angel?
The angel was not there to frighten Daniel, but to encourage him. The angel touched Daniel and woke him up with gentle words of encouragement and affirmation. The angel informed Daniel that he had been sent to him by God – and a reminder that God greatly loved him. God was pleased that Daniel was a man who devoted his heart to understanding. He was a man who humbled himself before God (Daniel 12:11-12). As a result, God sent this angel to give Daniel a special message – and a gift of encouragement.
Many times we pray to God and wonder if He will answer us. Sometimes, we can feel so small that we wonder if God even hears our prayers. Daniel must have felt that way as he struggled for three weeks without choice food and wine. Where was God? Would God give him understanding of the terrible vision? We often struggle when it seems that God has not heard or answered our prayers.
But the angel allowed us to take a “sneak peak behind the scenes”. From the moment Daniel began to pray – on the very first day of prayer – God had heard him and sent out the angel on this important mission to meet with Daniel. Why the delay? The Angel explains that as he went forth from God, he was attacked and battled with the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” (Dan. 10:13). This spiritual battle between the angel and demonic wickedness lasted for 21 days and was only broken by the appearance of the arch-angel Michael (Daniel 10:12-14). What a battle!
In the book of Ephesians, Paul encourages us to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” and to equip ourselves with the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-11). By preparing for spiritual “battle” we have the advantage to defeat wickedness. Paul explains that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities…” (like the prince over Persia who fought against the angel) “…against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Believe it or not, there actually is an unseen, spiritual world. It is the heavenly world of our God and all spiritual forces – good and evil. Just like Daniel, we often seek God for comfort, guidance, and an answer to our prayers. Sometimes, we need to keep praying. And keep hanging in there – because the battle can be long. Through our faithfulness and endurance, God can ultimately demonstrate His grace and truth. Put on the full armor and stand firm!
Questions for Discussion:
Why do you think God allowed the angel to be detained by the spirit over Persia?
We cannot see the spiritual realm, but we are impacted by what goes on there. How can our full armor of God make an impact in the “heavenly places”?
One of the most important Christian disciplines is learning how to pray and to keep praying. For some of us, we learned to pray almost before we learned to walk! For others, we learned about the discipline of prayer later in life after we decided to follow Jesus. Prayer is an incredibly important part of our Christian lives. To pray, or “entreat or implore” (fancy words for asking for something or giving God thanks) is necessary for any Christian. God wants to enjoy a special relationship with you. Praying allows you to express your desires, your faith, your devotion, and love to God. Jesus even took time to teach his disciples how to pray (Matthew 6:5-15).
Daniel understood the importance of prayer. Time and again God had strongly supported Daniel during his captivity in Babylon under several kings. Through it all, God had given Daniel special insight in which to interpret dreams and speak truth to powerful people. In Daniel chapter 9, we see Daniel praying for the people of Judah and for answers about his dreams – which were a series of confusing dreams full of monsters and beasts!
Daniel is also praying for Judah, his homeland with Jerusalem as its capital. For many years, Judah was held in captivity by the Babylonians, Medo-Persians, and Chaldeans. All this time, God faithfully protected Daniel and blessed him. Now, after many years of captivity, Daniel understood that the time was approaching when God would restore the people of Judah to their homeland. Daniel intercedes for his people by praying to God. In his prayer he confesses the sin of Judah to God, declares that only God is righteous, and agrees that they deserve the punishment put upon the nation. But Daniel also thanks God for being a God of mercy. Daniel understood that the punishments of God only come after we reject His mercy. Daniel believed in God’s word and looked forward to the day when God would rescue His people.
However, as he is praying, he is surprised when the angel Gabriel arrives bringing a special message from God (Daniel 9:20-23). The angel declares to Daniel that from the moment he began to pray, the word went forth from God to deliver a special message. The special word from God to Daniel? You are greatly loved (Dan. 9:23). God would declare the interpretation of the dreams, but before anything else, God desired to express His love.
When we pray to God, we often ask God to help us with something, to bless someone else, to bring deliverance or to confess our sins. Whatever the reasons for you to pray to God, the most important thing to realize, whatever the answer to prayer might be, is that God loves you. He loves you because of who you are and for your faithfulness to Him. The message throughout the entire Old Testament can be shortened down to this: God wants you to love him and obey him. We might not get a special visitation by Gabriel, be we can be assured that God hears our prayers, acknowledges our prayers, and lovingly acts upon them.
Questions for Discussion:
Why was Daniel praying to God? What was he looking forward to?
What types of things do you believe occur in the “spiritual realms” when you pray to God?
Why is it important for God to express His love for Daniel before getting into the interpretation of his dreams?
Have you ever heard someone say “I see the writing on the wall…”?
Sometimes the truth of a situation can be so obvious and plain that we can do nothing but accept it as reality. After the reign of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, his son Belshazzar took the Babylonian throne (Daniel 5:1-2). As a son, he no doubt saw the amazing transformation of his father from a king who worshipped gods of gold and silver to a devoted worshipper of the one True Living God (Daniel 4). But he failed to acknowledge God as the source of his wealth and power. Instead, Belshazzar gave praise and thanksgiving to the old gods of his father Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:4). As a consequence, The One True Living God (our God Yahweh) decided to destroy the Babylonian empire because of the sinfulness of its leader, King Belshazzar.
What Belshazzar needed to read was “the writing on the wall”. Daniel tells us that the “fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace” (Daniel 5:5). The king was terrified and pleaded for someone to help him understand the writing that had appeared on the wall. Once again, Daniel was brought before the king to interpret the strange message – Mene, Mene, Tekel, Peres.
As we have seen, Daniel was a devoted follower of the One True Living God. All the days of his captivity in Babylon, Daniel had been richly blessed by God. Daniel was able to read the writing on the wall. He delivered the terrible message that Belshazzar would be brought to an end, that he had been found guilty of sin, and that his kingdom would fall to his enemies. Stunned by the message, Belshazzar rewarded Daniel for his honesty and skill in deciphering the message. That very night, the king would be killed by the enemies of Babylon, the Medes and Persians.
It is difficult to face the truth of sin in our lives. Each of us, like Belshazzar, has been “weighed in the balances and found wanting” (Daniel 5:27). Each of us has been found guilty by God because of the sin that is in each of us. His word says that each of us has sinned and fallen far short of God’s glorious, holy standards (Romans 3:23). Like Belshazzar, we deserve to suffer the consequence of that sin (Romans 6:23). But God desires to offer His grace to each of us. He wants to forgive us of our sin and restore us to a right relationship. He gave us this chance by delivering up His only Son to be the “atoning sacrifice” to take away our sin (Romans 3:25). Though we deserve spiritual and eternal separation from God, He graciously offers to us a path of salvation. Some believe that Nebuchadnezzar may have submitted himself to the one True God. This new faith in God could have resulted in his redemption. God himself refers to Nebuchadnezzar three times as his “servant” (Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6, and 43:10). Perhaps, just maybe he was a recipient of God’s amazing grace.
The message is so clear and is freely given to each of us. It is as if He wrote the message clearly upon the walls of our hearts and minds (Ezekiel 36:27-28). The message of grace, freely given by God, to offer us salvation and adoption into His family – through faith (Ephesians 2:8). This very moment, will you read the “writing on the wall” and place your faith in the Son of God, for the forgiveness of sin?
Questions for Discussion:
Why did God continue to bless Daniel during the reign of three different kings?
Why do you suppose Belshazzar fully accepted Daniel’s interpretation of the writing on the wall?
Daniel consistently stood for God despite dangerous opposition. How can you faithfully submit to God in your situations?
Part of walking with God involves making choices. Sometimes, these choices are very hard when you must decide between what you know is right and what is comfortable or easy. Often, through the power of His Holy Spirit, we often know what we need to do to please God (John 16:13). However, we live in a world that is against everything that God desires for His people (1 John 2:15-16). How do we continue to please God in compromising situations that challenge our devotion to our Father in heaven?
Often the land of the Bible found itself in conflict. When Daniel was a young man, Judah, the southern kingdom of the Hebrew people, was struggling under the leadership of King Jehoiakim. Judah had denied God and allowed foreign nations to pollute their devotion to God. Judah began to welcome idol worship (false gods) and began to lose faith and obedience to God. As punishment, God allowed the kingdom of Babylon to destroy Judah and enslave the people. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar believed in integrating conquered nations into the Babylonian empire. He ordered that some of the more cultured Judean youths be captured and moved to his own palace in the city of Babylon. There they would be assimilated into Babylonian culture. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all of the tribe of Judah (Daniel 1:6).
Daniel and his friends were boys who dared to worship and follow God despite the culture they lived in. Even before they were captured by the Babylonians, Daniel and his friends resisted the cultural changes and influence of the Judean culture. Instead of bowing to foreign gods and worshipping idols, they chose to submit and follow the one true God. When their kingdom was punished and destroyed and they found themselves being hauled off to Babylon, they relied on the God who had always sustained them (Psalm 55:22).
In order to begin assimilating the captured youths into Babylonian society, Daniel and his friends were ordered to eat the king’s food and drink his wine (Daniel 1:5). Many times in the ancient world, the food that a king ate was food that had been offered to pagan gods. These foods would violate God’s law (Lev 1:1). Daniel resolved (“purposed in his heart” – Proverbs 4:23) that he would not compromise his devotion to God. As a result, God ensured that Daniel would receive favorable treatment among the heathen leaders of Babylon.
Daniel and his friends grew in influence, knowledge, and even physical fitness. They had clearly become the favorites of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 1:20). God had recognized their faithfulness and their obedience to His word. He blessed them with learning and skill in literature and wisdom (1:17). Instead of bending their beliefs to impress their new masters, Daniel and his friends continued to remain devoted and obedient to God.
Daniel’s friends (now renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago) would once again be thrown into a situation in which they were forced to choose to obey God or Nebuchadnezzar. Challenged to bow down and worship a golden image of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel’s friends choose to obey God (Daniel 3:17-18). They understand that this choice could result in their deaths, but they had resolved long before to honor God – no matter what the cost. As they were thrown into the fiery furnace, God demonstrated his faithfulness as no one was consumed by the flame. In fact, in the midst of the struggle, God sent His angel to walk with them – inside the flames (Daniel 3:25-27). We are never truly alone. Amid our own “fiery furnace”, God faithfully cares for us.
As Daniel teaches us, obeying God and being devoted to Him is much easier when we decide in advance to obey Him. As Daniel resolved to follow God, we too should resolve to follow God whenever compromising situations come along. It is not easy to remain faithful to God in every situation. Jesus promised to give us a “Helper” to help us live lives of devotion to God (John 15:26; 16:7). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is given to each of us who believe, God will help us to overcome sticky situations. It may not “feel” good at the time, but ultimately God will walk with us because of our obedience. Just as he walked with and helped Daniel, God will walk with and strengthen you. Resolve in your own heart to follow God today!
Questions for Discussion:
Have you “resolved” in your own heart to follow God in every situation?
Who is the Helper promised by Jesus? Do you rely on God’s power to sustain you during sticky situations?
Besides rewarding Daniel for his faithfulness, what other motives would God have to reward those who are faithful?
Seek Grow Love 