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Sunday, October 09, 2022
Saturday, October 08, 2022
Bible Reading Reflection from Daniel 1-12
[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (FG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]
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"But
Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with
the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow
him not to defile himself."
Normal
people follow the crowd. Normal people are actually "fools." That's
why everyone wants to be somebody, better than normal people. Even smart and
good people under pressure give up. Good people when they see others prospering
through compromise, and when nothing bad happened to such, and everyone seems
to be doing, they too are often swept away.
Well,
a faithful man shines best in persecution, in darkness, just as your mobile screen
shines best in darkness. Daniel was mandated to eat the King's food, by the
order of the King. Daniel was a young boy, a captive, not even a citizen. He
shone in this situation, and God honored him. There's no excuse when you say, "Everybody
was doing it, so I thought it was ok." It should have been, "Everyone
was doing like that, so I decided to be different. It motivated me all the more
to be different"
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"But
there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King
Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of
your head as you lay in bed are these:"
Live
differently because of your conviction upon your daily walk with God, and when
people ask "Really?" you should be able to say, "Not really,
but there's a God in heaven, and He is my God."
Start
using "There's a God in heaven" in day-to-day life's conversation! π
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"If
it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of
blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He
does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your
gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."
Everyone
will pray more if God answers each time he/she prays. Everyone will serve God
if God rewards him/her accordingly. Everyone will praise God if God blesses him/her
prosperously.
And
if you do that, you are not different from anybody. And if you stop when God
doesn't respond, or if you would continue only if God continues, be aware that
your god is yourself; you don't know the God of the Bible.
Satan
thought Job would stop worshipping God if God stopped blessing him. Job knew
the real God of the Bible. So, even in unthinkable suffering, Job worshipped
God. He said that he will still worship God even if God slays him! Wow! Habakkuk
decided to worship God even if there be no fruit on the vines and no herd in
the stall. Daniel's three friends chose to worship God even when they were
under torture. Even if God abandoned them to be burnt up, they will worship
only God. These people truly know God.
Now,
relate that to your prayer life. Relate that to your walk with God. Even if God
shatters your dream, will you choose to live for Him? And btw, life is full of
disappointments, shattered dreams, and failures. It will always be no matter
whether you're righteous or wicked. And God does not exist to fix your problem.
You exist to worship God. And he who lives for God, God makes sure to honor
him.
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"Then
Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts
alarmed him. The king responded and said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream
or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar replied, ‘My lord, if only the
dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!’"
Daniel
served the king faithfully, desiring his well-being, his prosperity. This king
is a pagan king and Daniel was a man of God.
You
can serve your boss, your company, your government faithfully. You can desire
their prosperity even if they don't know God. You can still love them and work
for them. Look at Daniel.
But
Daniel never compromised his conscience, so he was thrown into the pit of
lions. Daniel was always godly. He would do nothing evil. But he lived with these
pagan people without complaints, without disappointment. He seemed to enjoy his
life. After all, everywhere is sinful and sinners all around. Even inside the
church. So, live life.
However,
in v27, we see the real color of Daniel. He always must have been preaching the
gospel of repentance. He even preached to the king. True love speaks the truth.
Daniel really loved the king enough to tell him the truth to repent.
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"...O
king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. ππππ£π ππ€ π πππ ππ πͺπ π¦π£ ππππππ π in whom is the spirit of the holy gods..."
The
book of Daniel is famous for the phrase "there is a God in heaven."
And deservingly, it is mentioned "there is a man in your kingdom"
concerning Daniel.
Live
a life that people may say about you like that— there's a man who can do this.
Be that man! Joseph Chamberlain said,
"On every committee of thirteen persons there are twelve who go to the
meetings, having given no thought to the subject and ready to receive
instructions. One goes with his mind made up to give those instructions. I make
it my business to be that one."
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"Then
these men said, ‘We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel
unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.’"
Would
we be blameless and faultless like Daniel! Even at the highest scrutiny, he was
pure.
Jesus
challenged His accusers if they could find any sin in Him; they couldn't!
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"Until
the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the
Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the
kingdom."
Believers
will be vindicated and be rewarded. After all, the universe is God's universe,
therefore, the people of God will rule the universe again.
The
godless, wicked, unbelievers, sinners are just like a vapor; they shall not
last. We will reign with Messiah!
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"And
through his shrewdness He will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; And he
will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at
ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, But he will be broken without
human agency."
Even
the high and mighty of the earth are nothing in the sight of God. The most
powerful person ever in world history will be the Antichrist. And some of the
most powerful people ever will be those who oppose God.
No
surprise if powerful people are full of anti-Christian activities, values, or
teachings. And no surprise if we lose and they succeed in a moment. They shall
lose and we shall triumph in the end. For believers, victory is not primarily
the survival of the physical body, but the endurance of the faith on this side
of heaven.
The
real victory in every sense awaits, not in this life!
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"So
I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications,
with fasting, sackcloth and ashes."
The
discipline of a pious man. Piety is an art we must recover again.
Prayer.
Supplications. Fasting.
It
even had sackcloth and ashes!
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"But
the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days;
then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been
left there with the kings of Persia."
Do
not misapply this verse to think that fasting or prayer or spiritual discipline
should last for at least 21 days. Daniel never had that thought. Actually, he
intended to keep going until he understood v12. Probably he thought a day
fasting would be okay, or a week, but he would go on until he understood.
Do
we pray like that? Do we wait on God like that? Or do we give an ultimatum to
God? Why do we set fixed days or amounts of time for certain things, which btw
is not wrong? Actually, Paul recommended that to the Corinthians. But do you
think through why, and know why any fixed days or amount of time? Daniel didn't
have a fixed number of days, but until he understood.
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"In
the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be an encouragement and a
protection for him."
An
angel protecting king Darius. God sustains life. The devil wants to steal,
destroy, and kill.
It's
God who sustained Hitler till his death. It's God who sustains Modi, Kim Jong
Un, everyone. When He said, it's done, like the dogs that come for the crumbs
under the table when the master had his lunch, the devil will pounce upon.
God,
indeed, sustains both the righteous and the wicked. Nobody lives on his own by
his own strength or wisdom. Actually, even this angel was unable to battle
against the demonic force, so Michael, the commander of God’s army had to help
him. And puny man thinks he can hold off, that he can handle by himself!
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"Many
of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting
life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt."
It's
like the book of Revelation. The resurrection of the dead – to life and to
shame. And Daniel was assured of the resurrection to everlasting life in the
last verse of the last chapter of the last book of the Major Prophets of the
Old Testament (v13)
Thursday, October 06, 2022
Bible Reading Reflection from Ezekiel 40-48
[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (SSEU), a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]
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"The man
said to me, ‘on of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give
attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in
order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see.’"
Declare all
that you see. That's it
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"Then he
brought me to the nave and measured the side pillars; six cubits wide on each
side was the width of the side pillar."
Is there
anything profitable in chapters 40-41? π Of course, it's boring, and one would want to take scissors and cut
them away like Thomas Jefferson. Unless one understands why these are included.
It tells us what matters to God. He is detailed in His description of what is
sacred to Him, and man ought to fear and tremble before Him.
How casual we
are in church! We even say, "Come just as you are" Well, God doesn't
say that. Some of the things God said, "None of you shall appear before me
without an offering"
Hmm!
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"When the
priests enter, then they shall not go out into the outer court from the
sanctuary without laying there their garments in which they minister, for they
are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they shall approach that which
is for the people."
A different
dress for God and a different dress for people. Well, the cleanest, best, most
expensive dress should be for God. God deserves the best.
And some
people dare to come to church in half pants and a t-shirt. Well, some people
come almost naked as well. Well, let sinners do whatever they like. But godly
people revered God!
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"He said
to me, ‘Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles
of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house
of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by
their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die’"
In the previous
account of Ezekiel, God's glory was departed, and so, God allowed His house to
be profaned, desecrated, and destroyed. Now is the time for restoration. The
glory of God comes back, and there shall be no desecration anymore.
Takeaway: It's
the withdrawal of God that leads to the destruction of the temple.
As long as God
remains, nothing can touch the people or temple of God. It reminds me of a
situation when American Soldiers abandoned Afghanistan last year!
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"The LORD
said to me, ‘This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall
enter by it, for the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall
be shut.’"
When Messi
retired from Barcelona there were some people who demanded Jersey no 10 be
retired. Now, think of that and re-read this verse. God is unique and nobody
should even dare to imitate Him, and must treat God differently!
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"Thus
says the Lord GOD, "Enough, you princes of Israel; put away violence and
destruction, and practice justice and righteousness. Stop your expropriations
from My people," declares the Lord GOD."
How God wants
leaders to reflect God's nature! To be caring, helping, and resourceful.
Human Leaders
tend to corrupt, to abuse, to oppress, to cheat, to discriminate, to flatter,
to nepotism, to oh... so many things...
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"Then he
said to me, ‘These are the boiling places where the ministers of the house
shall boil the sacrifices of the people.’"
God has a long,
long list of prescriptions for how he must be worshipped. And how different
that we love to say we can worship God as we like!
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"He said
to me, "ππ π π π πππ, πππ§π πͺπ π¦ π€πππ π₯πππ€?" Then he brought me back to the bank of the river."
Well, God is
revealing (illuminating) the truth, and we shall see if we take time to think
about God. I would like to think one of the ways is meditating in the word of
God.
We live in
this world, and we don't need to spend a laborious hour studying the culture
and times in this world. When we are deep in the word of God, we will detect
the ups and downs of our world.
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"The city
shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day
shall be, 'The LORD is there.'"
That's the
name. A name has meaning, significance, and reason. And how interesting is it
that its name is "the LORD is there."
Tuesday, October 04, 2022
Bible Reading Reflection from Ezekiel 33-39
[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (SSEU), a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]
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"Yet your
fellow citizens say, 'The way of the Lord is not right,' when it is their own
way that is not right."
Context:
Ezekiel was one of the most eccentric, ludicrous prophets of God. Certainly, I
would not wish to live like him. God told him to walk naked for 3 years. And
God told him to sleep only on his left side for more than a year and another 40
days only on the right side.
Ezekiel was to
be an object lesson for the people of his times. He was a living lesson for
them, an example, demonstration, prediction. In chapter 3, he was made a
watchman, to warn people. And now, in chapter 33, he was reminded of his task:
watchman! Well, the majority of the people would not listen to him. Those few
who listened to him shall live. And people complained; they were like us.
One of the
most common sayings in our life is "that's not fair" maybe, to
parents, teachers, friends, everyone. And we dared to think like that of God
too. And some people even said, God is not great and that He is not fair. That He
is a malevolent bully.
Well, this v17
reminds us that it's we who are not fair. Whatever God does is fair, right,
good, actually the best! Nobody can suggest or improve God's ways! Let's remind
ourselves every day that "God is God, and I am not God."
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"Therefore,
thus says the Lord GOD to them, ‘Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat
sheep and the lean sheep.’"
First, Shepherd
and Sheep. God has 3 main indictments against the shepherds:
1. They did
not feed them.
2. They didn't
strengthen the sick, the diseased, the broken.
3. They did
not look out for the lost sheep.
What are
those? They have to be Discipleship, Counseling, and Evangelism. That's
pastoral ministry! Rather, they eat them, were indifferent, and dominate over
them. Unfaithful pastors want money and popularity. They are abusive, immoral,
greedy, and indifferent to the state of the soul.
Second,
Ezekiel went on to pronounce judgment upon the false sheep and true sheep.
They looked like sheep but actually not. Wolves in sheep's clothing. They were
starving the true sheep to suffer, to be scattered, and to die.
Third, between
the true sheep: the fat ones and the lean ones. The fat ones are selfish
and arrogant.
Ezekiel 34 has
direct teaching for all of us.
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"As you
rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate,
so I will do to you. You will be a desolation, O Mount Seir, and all Edom, all
of it. Then they will know that I am the LORD."
One of the
recurring themes, repeated phrases in the book of Ezekiel is "then
they will know that I am the LORD." God, indeed, wants to be
known. And one day everyone will confess Jesus is Lord. God is going to
accomplish this either by the glory of salvation or by the terror of judgment.
Blessed is the
one who knows God in His love, not in His wrath!
πΌπ«πππππ ππ:ππ-ππ
“‘Then you π¨πππ π£πππππππ£ your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you wπππ lπ ππ₯ππ yourselves in your own sight for your ΙͺΙ΄ΙͺΗ«α΄Ιͺα΄Ιͺα΄s and your α΄Κα΄α΄ΙͺΙ΄α΄α΄Ιͺα΄Ι΄s. I am not doing this for your sake,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘let it be
known to you. πΉπ ππ€πππππ and cπ πππ π¦ππππ for your ways, O house of Israel!’”
This is what
repentant people do. This is what a true believer does. Those who do not loathe
their sins cannot possibly be true converts. And since we sin every day, we
must come to God every day in contrite spirit.
True joy
thrives in godly sorrow over sin!
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“He said to
me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord GOD, You know.’”
Also, read
v11-14.
Almost every time
I set out to preach, I ask this question, "Can the dried bones
live?" I am no man of great faith, but I want to believe dried bones
can live by the preaching of God's word. I've got to preach to myself so that I
believe in the efficacy of preaching.
Every great
preacher believes dry bones can live. Every preacher must ask "Can these
dry bones live?" when he sets his face towards his hearers.
Yes, my bones
were dried, yet he made me alive. Everyone who is alive in Christ now was once a
dried bone. So, definitely, these dried bones can live.
πΌπ«πππππ ππ :ππ
"I will
magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many
nations; and they will know that I am the LORD."
Magnify,
Sanctify, Verify.
Let the
business of God be our business. To verify among people that our God is God. To
sanctify Him that He is not like other gods or like man, that He is distinct. To
magnify Him that God is the absolute ruler of all. He is the Potentate, Despot,
Lord!
He does
everything for Himself and the creatures find their happiness in fulfilling the
business of God. If you have complaints, watch Tom Hank's movie series Toy
Story, where Sheriff Woody expressed that their purpose, happiness, and
fulfillment lie in making Andy happy.
Even Hollywood
seems to be more logical than Arminians and Wesleyans. π
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"According
to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them,
and I hid My face from them."
Sometimes, God
seems to be silent, hiding from us. Actually, most probably He is, because He
did hide before, and warned to hide again because of sins.
But there's
good news for the penitent heart. God will show His face again v29.