Daniel Chapter 5

The Writing on the wall.

What does God teach us when we go against his will?

Do you ever wonder if God punishes us for our sins?

Read Chapter 5 of Daniel and see what the consequences were for King Belshazzar when he mockingly used the goblets from the temple.

He more than likely knew their significance. Belshazzar was showing off for his friends.

I am convinced that God isn't out to punish us. I am equally convinced when we sin against Him we have to live with the consequences.

Am I so far removed from what Belshazzar did?

Do I mock God by the lifestyle I live? By the way I act when I am around certain people? By the clothes I wear? By the T.V. shows or movies I watch? By my actions when I get behind the wheel of the car? By the way I treat people when I am in a bad mood vs. the way I treat them when I am in a good mood? Etc., etc., etc.

We can all fall victim of mockery to a certain existent. It is easy to look at a story like Belshazzar and shake our fingers at how he mocked God. But when we think of our own lives are we so far beyond doing what Belshazzar did?

How do we treat the Sabbath?

See you Sunday!

In Him......

Laurie

Daniel - The Fiery Furnace

Daniel Chapter 3 is a story of bravery and courage!

Daniel has 3 friends that have been with him since the beginning. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. All three friends love God. All three were appointed to high positions by the king because of their true commitment to serve their God and not the many pagan gods of Babylon.

Many have heard this story. King Nebuchadnezzar builds a statue and wants all the people in the kingdom to bow down to his statue. Shadrah, Meshach and Abednego will not bow down. They are thrown into a fiery furnace, 7 times hotter than usual. This furnace is so hot that the soldiers that threw the three men in died from the heat. You can read the rest of Chapter 3 to see the ending.

I want to know what is going through these three men's minds as they refuse to bow to the kings statue. This is what they say to Nebuchadnezzar. "King, we don't need to talk about this anymore. We might be thrown into the blazing furnace. But the God we serve is able to bring us out of it alive. He will save us from your powerful hand.......But even if we knew that our God wouldn't save us, we still wouldn't serve your gods." vs. 16-18

Wow what powerful words to say to a king that has the power to kill you right then and there.

I think about life and all its challenges. Illness's, divorce, death, money, job loss, etc., etc., etc. As I face life's challenges am I tempted to throw in the towel and just give up on all of it? Or do I stand firm and say what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said.....

Do I say.......

"Satan, I don't want to talk about this any more. I can face all the challenges that life can throw at me but I will not give in. I will not abandon my God. Because no matter what, I know my God will never abandon me. My God can take me out a fiery furnace if He wants to. Even if he chooses to let me endure the fire, he will never abandon me. I will always follow His will. I will learn from the fire what He wants me to learn. I know He will protect me. I know He will give me strength.

That is what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's story is teaching me today!

I hope you gain in site with your walk with God through this story. I would love to hear what you learn. Share it with me sometime, will you?

In Him.......

Laurie

Daniel - God Protects Me

God Protects Me is October's Truth of God!

We will study Daniel Chapters 1-6 this month. Our lesson for October 4th will be taken from Chapters 1 & 2.

Daniel is a poor young Jewish boy from a land far away. He and his 3 friends were captives living in the kings (Nebuchadnezzar) palace in Babylon. They were given the best food. The best education. The best of everything. They had been brought to Babylon to serve in the royal palace. King Nebuchadnezzar wanted the best to serve him.

Daniel requests a simpler diet from his attendant. Daniel rejects the kings diet. He requests a diet of fruits and vegetables not the rich food at the kings table. Is he crazy? Imagine the reaction of the attendant.

Bottom line is, Daniel doesn't forget what he learned at home. Daniel remembers the basics of his faith and doesn't get sucked in by all the temptations of the world. Daniel has confidence that God will protect him if he does the right thing and doesnt sucome to the pressure of his surroundings.

Does this remind you of going off to college?

What happens when our kids go off to college? They are thrown into a sea of temptations. All the things that are bad, that we as parents protect them from are now available to just 'give it a try'. No harm done. Just do it. Try it. Heck not college. Our kids face these challenges as young as middle school. Sometimes sooner.

That was Daniels life. But he stood firm and proved to the attendant and everyone else in the kingdom that at the end of the day if he did what he knew was right before God he would be blessed. In Daniels case just like off to college, he wasn't going to be popular with his choices. Daniel had to prove that following God's way wasn't only wise but better.

Daniel and his 3 friends (Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah) were the strongest and brightest of all attendants. Verse 20 of Chapter 1 says this......

In all matters requiring wisdom and balanced judgement, the king found the advice of these young men to be ten times better than that of all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

My prayer is that I am providing the right tools for my son to be a Daniel in this world!

Have a blessed week.

Laurie

God's Sign - Genesis Chapter 9

"I have put my rainbow in the clouds. It will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."

If you ever listen to Christian talk radio there is a church that advertises called the Church of Glad Tidings. I remember it because the pastors wife always ends the advertisement by saying...."God keeps His promises."

His rainbow in the clouds is a beautiful reminder to us that God keeps His promises. What about when we don't see His rainbow? Does he still keep His promises? We seldom have reminders so vivid as a rainbow but we need to remember He always keeps His promises, rainbow or no rainbow.

Can I say that? Can I honestly say, even as a mom, that I keep all my promises? Maybe most of the time. Sometimes some of the time. But certainly not ALL of the time.

Well, God keeps ALL His promises all of the time.

I trust that!

As we conclude the month of September remember what you have learned through the story of Noah and his unbelievable faith. Noah against the world. Trusting everything God tells him.

I pray you have that kind of Noah faith! I pray that if God tells you to build an ark, you build it. I also pray I see you building that ark and I lend you a hand!

God Bless your week of (still) much needed rain!

In Him......

Laurie

Noah - The flood reseeds! - Genesis Chapter 8

How much can we endure?

Septembers Truth is God is truth. Noah is an awesome example of truth. God said and God did! Noah never seemed to question God's truth. Was this time in Noah's life joyful, pleasant, fun, exciting, boring, frustrating, hard, filthy, agrivating?

I would bet the later adjectives describe Noah's 150 days of floating and nearly 2 additional months of waiting for the ground to be solid enough to walk on. Yet Noah trusted in God's truth. Noah endured a floating zoo for over 1/2 a year.

How much can we endure?

Chapter 8 vs. 1 says; But God remembered Noah.

Noah did all God asked him to do. Finally the flood waters reseed. God tells Noah to get off the ark. Take all the animals off the ark. It was over. Noah could celebrate. Noah builds an alter to God. Noah thanks God. Noah remembers that this journey is over. It was lonely, hard, frustrating, scary, etc., etc., etc. But God remembered Noah. Don't forget that. vs. 1 God remembered Noah.

Do you ever feel like Noah?

You feel like you are on a floating zoo? 6 months, a year, two years. A tremendous journey that you were not equipped to deal with (or so you think)? You endure. You try. You curse! But you walk on! You endure. You know that God is truth and that if you keep following his path the end will be something you can celebrate. You'll have a barbecue with your friends. You will tell them the awesome story of the journey God sent you on and you will celebrate the blessings that came from this incredible journey!

The point is we are all Noah! We are all asked to build an ark. Sometimes God asks us to bring people with us and sometimes God asks us to go it alone.

God remembered Noah. That doesn't mean he thought about him in passing. That meant God was with Noah every step of the way.

If we hold fast to the knowledge that God is truth the end will always be something to celebrate and He will give us the answer that we can look back on and say; "Thank you God. That is why you sent me on that journey. Thank you."

In Him......

Laurie

Genesis 7 - God is Truth - Noah and the flood.

Have you ever ventured into a new setting and you feel excited but afraid at the same time? You may feel joyful about the new adventure but sorrowful about leaving something behind? Or maybe your excited because this new venture will have so many rewards but nervous because it will take a lot of planning and a lot of work?

I would imagine Noah must have felt those emotions.

God was calling Noah and Noah alone to go and do great things. But with that came great responsibility. He had to make sure the ark was built to specifications, able to handle all the animals, his family. Food had to be provided and chores delegated to care for the animals. I cannot imagine the stress of it all.

Noah had to be sad as well. Noah knew that all the people in the world were going to be destroyed. When the rains came, did they come banging on the door pleading for him to make room for them on the ark?

When you venture into that new land. Maybe a new job. A new neighborhood. A new marriage. A new baby! You are elated, yet there is always something terrifying about the new, isn't there?

So what did Noah do? Noah knew that God is truth. So no matter what God told him to do he did and he trusted Gods way was the best way. Noah followed God's plan. The Bible said Noah was a godly man (Genesis 7:1). The Bible also says; Noah did everything the Lord command him to do. (Genesis 7:5)

I want to encourage you through all things in your life. Your spouse. Your friends. Your families. Your job. Pray for Gods guidance and His protection. Most of all I encourage you to have confidence to place ALL things in Gods hands. God is truth. He knows best! Not us.

Everything happened exactly as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.
Genesis 7:16b

Let God shut you in!!!

AMEN

In Him......

Laurie

Genesis 6 - God is Truth

We kick off September with our new curriculum. I am so excited to share it with everyone! Especially the kids.

The Truths of God!

September for Nursery/Preschool is God is Truth told through the story of Noah.

Genesis Chapter 6 is our introduction to Noah. We will teach the lesson about God speaking to Noah.

God is very disappointed with His people. They are bad! The Bible says;
(vs. 5) Now the Lord observed the extent of the people's wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart.

How could we break God's heart?

One man. Noah, stood out among all the others. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time.

Okay! Have you ever thought or heard this? (Be honest.) "People will think I am weird if I show outwardly that I am a Christian." Look at Noah! Do you think he cared? The ONLY blameless man living on earth. Probably the only man God talked to.

What is our beef about; praying in public, telling folks you will pray for their family, inviting people to church, sharing our faith with others?

Noah was alone!!!

God was angry with good reason. So God destroyed the entire human race except for Noah and his family.

What happened? Why did they stray so far away?

I wonder if God feels that way about our world today. So much wickedness and evil in our world. Is he sad? Who is Noah today? You? Me?

Is God happy with me? Or am I making him sad.

Am I pleasing God today? Or am I following the wicked world?

Am I consistently following God's will (his truths) and enjoying a close relationship with Him (vs. 9)?

My job is to do God's will. Everything else will come if I follow God's truths!

I do not want to be the one that makes God sad. I want to be like Noah and find favor in God's eyes.

AMEM!!!

In Him.....

Laurie