We Are Chosen!
Read Ephesians 1:3-14
“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” (v 4)
Some Thoughts…
Here is a mystery. God chose His people – every believer – before He spoke the word “Let there be light”. Before He made a thing He predestined to make adopted children out of rebellious humanity through His true Son, Jesus. Jesus told his disciples this truth – “You didn’t choose me, I chose you…”(John 15:16).
So as much as I want to take credit for coming to Christ, I can take no credit. The work of salvation is God’s doing completely…and what is it I’ve been chosen for?
1) To be a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God (Romans12:1-3) – for that is the Old Testament image of “holy and blameless” here is verse 4.
2) I am to find true loving companionship as an adopted child into God’s eternal family
3) My life is to bring praise to the God who called me.
A Prayer…
Father, thank you for making it possible for me to know and experience you. I am humbled and a little fearful of my status as your child – a position I can’t merit or deserve…and to think that you chose me to be holy is a challenge, because so often I feel so unholy…make me more like you today…holy, blameless, and full of praise. Amen.
Dr. John Stott gives three important truths we cannot escape in the Biblical Doctrine of Election.
1.It is a divine revelation, not a human speculation. The Bible teaches it, we cannot escape it.
2.It is an incentive to holiness, not an excuse for sin – “holiness” is the very purpose of our election.
3.It is a stimulus to humility, not a grounds for boasting – it is God’s love (v4b) that chose us, not our status, or merit.
How Long Must We Wait?
Read Daniel 12:5-13
“As for you, go your way till the end; you will rest, and at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” (v13)
Some Thoughts…
How often I ask the desperate question, “HOW LONG LORD?” I suppose it is a natural question for any person of faith to ask (it crops up often in scripture; especially those dealing with the “end of all things”). And when I run across this question in scripture, I’m always intrigued to hear God’s answer. It is always the same…wait, trust, and live in ME. And here in the final page of his book, Daniel is given a particularly encouraging way of stating that answer.
(1) God reassures Daniel that the time-line of history is in His divine all powerful hands, not easily grasped by human thinking (“a time times ½ a time” – see v 7).
(2) Then next the Lord reminds His prophet that during these “times”, evil and righteousness will move forward as if side by side extended in battles of eternal proportion (v 10 – see also Matt. 13:24-30 wheat and tares; and Matt. 25:1-13 10 virgins.) Yes, this sin-stained existence must carry on until it is time (11:35; 12:9).
(3) Then finally our Gracious God tells his faithful old servant to “go his way” – keep on the path of faith you are on, Daniel; remain strong in the face of opposition, continue to seek me when no one else will, stay bold in your witness of Me and My truth (see 1Corinthians 15:58; 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3). Go your way, Daniel, and let your mind and your “how-long-question” rest in Me. Keep your mind stayed on Me, don’t toil over My affairs, just keep living by faith, rest in Me, my son…and know that there is a special place I’ve made just for you waiting you at the end of your journey (John 14:2).
So, as we come to the close of the book of Daniel, the message is clear. God is still on his throne! He is in control of everything, even when a Godless world system seams to hold the power and the control; the time is coming when all the nonsense will make sense. It doesn’t really matter how long it seems to my temporal thinking. God says to everyone who will believe like Daniel to go your way, walking by faith, holding onto His invisible hand and the end will come when it comes…wait, trust and live in Christ: our only way, truth and life.
A Prayer…
Everlasting Father, You see it all; the first light of creation all the way to the final sunset of time…and beyond into the far reaches of eternity…You’ve got it all mapped out! And yet You give me a choice to do life Your way or to just walk away into darkness…But, I choose You, because You’ve chosen me. Father, as evil rages, even at times right next to me, I pray for a persevering Spirit that will hold tightly to your hand and loosely to this passing existence. And, on my way, let me shine like a star to point as many people to You as my feeble life will allow (12:3)…I will wait, trust and live in You! Amen.
I will not live in fear … I will live in Christ!
The Book of Life… Not just a New Testament idea…
Read Daniel 12:1-4
“…But at that time your people — everyone whose name is found written in the book — will be delivered.” (v 1b)
Some Thoughts…
It is passages like this that affirm my faith. The God of the Bible has been working out His purpose from day one: Salvation by grace for all who believe and faithfully follow God’s “One Way” – In the time before Christ, there was still only one way – it was God’s way (Salvation through sacrifice and obedience). Those who lived before the time of Christ believed all that they knew and understood about Yahweh and trusted their lives to His One Way – avoiding the beliefs and practices of the nations around them.
God’s faithful few believed and continued in His will and mercy…and their names are written in His Book. God reveals His plan…it is our responsibility to follow His plan to the “T” (see Deuteronomy 29:29)…and God will sort out all the details (see v 2).
There is much I don’t understand in scripture, but the story of salvation rings true for me. And I believe without a doubt that Jesus is the way – the only way – He truly fulfills all that was done before Him through the Jewish sacrificial system and the prophesies of the coming Messiah (the only man in history to fulfill over 300 Old Testament prophesies!). And in scripture, God give us no other option than Jesus of Nazareth to bring the proper conclusion to God’s love story.
A Prayer…
Father, I believe, and I am thankful that you saw fit to reveal YOURSELF and YOUR plan to me. Help me to live today in the reality of YOUR rule and mercy as I show grace to those you place in my path. And I pray that my life will be useful to point more to your loving plan to save them too. Amen.
Join the Resistance!
Read Daniel 11:2-45
“…With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant,
but the people who know their God will firmly resist him…” (v 32)
but the people who know their God will firmly resist him…” (v 32)
Some Thoughts…
There is much in this chapter that, frankly, loses my attention…OK, I get bored reading it. Yet when I stop to consider the magnitude of the accuracy of predicted history, I’m amazed. These verses describe the rise and fall of the Persian empire and the rise of Xerxes and Alexander the Great, then depicts the battles of the four kingdoms that arose after his end with a focus on two (Ptolemy and Salamis). There is much for a history buff (I confess, I’ve not studied enough to be one).
But my curiosity is tweaked and my eyes reopened from drowsiness when I consider the faithful ones who stood strong in the face of a ferocious man (Antiochus Epiphanies – v 21). He came hard against the Jews, and those who would be unmoved, even to the point of death; they took his wrath and they were refined by divine flames (v 35).
I’m in awe of this ancient book! Its words ring true for me, even when it may appear to drone on and on and on… God is in control! Yes His grace always forces us all to choose Him or reject Him, but regardless of individual encounters – of which God is constantly involved – and regardless for personal faith and practice, God is at work bringing the final touches on “His Story” together and then just as verse 35 says, “it (the end) will still come at the appointed time.” Oh may my faith in Jesus keep me firmly trusting in His promises!
A Prayer…
Father, Oh Majestic author of my life and all lives, I will wait for the final chapter in faith and trust … I will choose to play the role YOU destined and scripted for me personally, and I will do my best to “resist firmly” anyone who tries to bring a re-write to YOUR already composed masterpiece. Yes I will wait in faith and obedience until the appointed time that you will write “The End”. Amen.
The Raging War Is Won!
Read Daniel10:13-11:1
“…but the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days…” (v 13)
Some Thoughts…
There is more than we can see happening around us all the time…a cosmic war of Spiritual proportions. And here in this chapter is a window into this reality. As Daniel fights a prayer battle for three weeks there was an even greater Spiritual battle raging. Little did Daniel know that his earnest prayer for understanding and his efforts to humble himself before God were helping gain victory in realms unseen by human eyes.
Whoever this prince is, he is defeated by Daniel’s celestial visitor, yet this was just one more battle in a line of more to come (see v20). Daniel’s desire to gain understanding of the big picture of God’s plan led him right into the battle ground of eternity…and there as he trembled and lost his breath, God empowered him with strength and peace to live and obey.
That is still God’s desire for us all. The battles may still rage, but the war is won in Jesus (see Romans 12:7-13). We may still grow weary, but there is power in the cross of Christ! Live today, even though entrenched in a battle, like the war is won! (see Ephesians 6:12-18)
A Prayer…
Father, I praise Your Name; You are my King and my God. I will fight the good fight today…seeking souls in need of YOU. For the war is won, let me play a part in a victory in another battle for souls today. Amen.
The Lost Art of Humility
Read Daniel 10:1-12
“At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks…” (v 2)
Some Thoughts…
God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble… (See 1Pet. 5:5; Prov. 3:34; Is. 57:15) The question that arises for me today is this; how often do I humble myself and make drastic changes in my daily routine when I encounter a truth of God or become convicted of sin and my desperate need for the grace of God? How often am I brought to my knees in genuine repentance? Not often…
Daniel had been given a view of life that got his attention and he turned quickly to God. He fasted and prayed for three weeks! THREE WEEKS of silence and self-deprivation. He humbled himself before God, but there seemed to be no response from God for a long time. Yet verse 12 gives a clue into the heart of God. He sees our hearts and knows our thoughts. The moment…the very moment we are willing to reorient our lives to Him, He prepares the answers we need and bestows the power we require to live life His way.
But in the mystery of God’s ways, it seems that real spiritual transformation, many times, takes place when we finally come to the end of ourselves. Daniel’s energy and strength were gone. He needed a touch from God… so he waited… prayed… mourned… searched… And finally a response form the Almighty; a message that left him trembling. Not the answer he had hoped for, but an answer nonetheless. God had acted on behalf of Daniels words and his heart of humble dependence on God… “Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before Your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.” (v12)
I wonder… am I to that point? Do my sin and the sins of the world break my heart and trouble me to the point that I seek God with a consuming passion? Or am I content with a quick “oh well, hope things will work out” kind of prayer. Am I humbling myself before God? Will I ever stop the regular activity in my life long enough to allow God room to speak to me?
A Prayer…
Oh God, You have my attention…humble me; remove the things that keep me from hearing Your voice, seeing Your answers to my questions and receiving the strength to live in Your power. Forgive me for not slowing down long enough to listen. I’m listening now… Amen.
He makes all things new!
Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
“…yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (v 16b)
Some Thoughts…
As I began to journal again after the fastest “long” summer in recent memory, God reminds me again of my life-source. It is found in Him day-by-day; in the quiet moments when I turn from the frustrations and tragedies of daily living where sin seems to reign and bring tragedy on life after life (including my own). When I turn from what I see and focus my whole-heart’s attention on what I believe, there is renewal in the unseen (v18). I regain perspective when my Savior reminds me that all those things, and trends, and ruined lives, and selfish choices… It is all passing away. It is all temporary! And one day all that seems to trouble me and weigh me down with depression and distress will be locked up in the capsule of time, and then real life will begin in the unseen eternity that awaits anyone who will, with the simplest faith, trust Jesus to be Lord (v5).
And I am renewed with that view on eternity that makes today’s trials so small and short-lived in comparison to the glorious existence that awaits us … face-to-face forever with Jesus!
“… So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen…”(v18)
A Prayer…
Father, keep my focus clear this school year. Keep discouragement at bay with Your day-by-day renewing Spirit. Give me eyes to see the unseen …to see behind angry eyes, to look beyond proud attitudes, to see Your creation, Your children in need; in need of renewal that only comes from a change of scenery… from the temporary-seen to the eternal-unseen. I love YOU my LORD! Amen.
God’s plan outlasts my vision…
Read Daniel 9:23-27
“…the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing…” (v26)
Some Thoughts…
Here was Daniel distraught and frustrated under the reign of a corrupt ruler, doing all he knew to support this pagan enemy that God, because this is what God had commanded the captives to live, have kids, and support for 70 years (Jeremiah 25). The man of God was at the end of his rope…when would this all end? How much longer before God’s people and Holy place would be restored in Jerusalem?!?!
And, as he prayed, the answer came…well it probably wasn’t what Daniel had expected. (And with God it seldom goes the way we might expect – it is always much farther reaching.) God gives Daniel a general timetable of 70 weeks (70 x 7). A general term used for approximated times as if to say when the time is “just right”… and mixed with this answer seems to be a window to the even more important and distant future of the sacrifice of Jesus (v24) and the end of all time. Yes the people would return, yes the Temple would be restored, but there would be something more!
How often is it that I want specific answers to my selfish and shortsighted prayers? God reminds me in this passage again; it’s as if I can hear Him saying, “Trust me, walk with me, listen and learn, and let ME take care of the future.” So I’ll just keep walking in faithful obedience, and leave the grand details of History in the hands of the Father of History!
A Prayer…
Father in Heaven, I will trust YOU, I will obey, I will wait. Amen.
so near, yet far away…
Read Daniel 9:20-23
“While I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight…” (v20)
Some Thoughts…
God is so near, yet so very far away! Here is Daniel in agony, pleading with God; “Oh Lord, listen! Oh Lord, forgive! Oh Lord, hear and act!” (v19a) Daniel had turned his eyes from the writing of Jeremiah and looked “to the Lord God” (v2) He wasn’t looking for a visit from an angel, he was seeking intimate audience with his “great and awesome God”. (v14) And while still catching his breath as he cried to God, Daniel sees Gabriel in fast flight coming towards him! God remained (it would appear) far off, and sent his messenger to comfort Daniel with understanding.
I so quickly forget the majesty of my great God. I tend to view Him as always near, even at my beck and call, yet He does not serve me, I serve Him. He is a God that stoops near to those who love Him, He is “at hand”, yet He is so much more. He dwells in the Heavens, and in the depths. He has a life totally apart from me! Yet he includes me in His thoughts…how gracious and loving! I must never again pray the model prayer that my Savior spoke for me without pausing at the word “heaven”…for God is my “Abba” father – close at hand ready to meet my every need, but He is also the God of Heaven. He dwells in places my mind can’t even imagine. Yes my great and awesome God is near, yet He is so very far away!
A Prayer…
My Father, who is in Heaven…hallowed is Your name…Your kingdom come, Your will be done…
Forgive me for thinking for a moment that I have any right to question or talk back to You, my King. Make Your reign obvious in me, just as it is in the Heavenly realms. When you speak and tell me to move, may I have no hesitation, and when I pray keep me ever mindful of Your will and the needs of other around me long before I dwell in the prison cell of my own self-pity. May You move and act because of Your name, Your fame, and Your reputation, not for my happiness or even temporary peace. I will trust You for those things my father. I love You. I will serve YOU my King! Amen.
God waits on our acts of faith
Read Book Daniel 9:4-19
“…We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy.” (v18b)
Some Thoughts…
There was Daniel at the time of the evening sacrifices (v21), deep into a study of the Prophet Jeremiah and the truth of God cuts into his soul. I wonder if he was thinking something like; “What a messed up deal! Here we are with no way to atone for our sins, and we are so full of it! From the highest religious leader, to the least child in a crib, we are still living in rebellion to our God!” (see v5-6, v8-11)…what a mess!”
Then somewhere in his grief it hits Daniel… “but God is a merciful God, I know it, I’ve experienced His hand, even here in Babylon. He is bigger than the sacrificial system. He can tear it down or restore it; after all He is King of Kings. He is God.” And in mid-prayer Daniel turns his eyes again to heaven and leans on God’s grace, he pleads for God to do something because His name’s sake is more important than Daniel’s sins. (see v15-19)
And Daniel’s faith is strengthened as he rests in the hand of a merciful, gracious, loving God. Then God answered his prayer. (v20) You see, God was at work in the middle of this desperate prayer to bring this man to a place where he could hear God and gain understanding. God had the answer the moment Daniel began to pray (see v23 – “as soon as you began to pray…”), and just like Our Gracious God needed his servant to make some self-discovery before he could hear properly, so it is for any searching soul who bows a head in prayer.
A Prayer…
Father, help me to see YOU the way I need to see YOU so that I can hear YOU the way you need me to hear YOU. Amen.