Golden Image

King Nebuchadnezzar built a gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet thick. He set it up on the Dura plain in the province of Babylon. He then ordered all the important leaders in the province, everybody who was anybody, to the dedication ceremony of the statue. They all came for the dedication, all the important people, and took their places before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected. (Daniel 3:1-3)

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In today’s Babylonian mindset there are many worthy images to bow down to… There is the image of perpetual youth that is displayed before us on TV. and magazine cover. These are young women who are tall and thin and without blemish. The young men are also tall, handsome, and muscular. They are sported as our very best and that all should be like them… they are intently gazed upon, photographed, talked-about and exalted.

Our society is built on such illusions. Illusions of human ability, achievement, and advancement. The belief is that all that is worthy can and will be found within the human mind. A mind-set that requires worship… driven by performance.

Babylonia is very religious. They are always doing, always performing, and always engaged in some sort of sacrifice. They have written and unwritten long lists of do’s and don’ts, they love legalism. Everything needs to appear proper; the appearance of goodness and kindness is their continual hallmark. They never offend, they never scold, they never rebuke, ‘to each their own’ is one of their motto’s… as long as you still pay homage to their religious image...

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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)

Regardless of the outcome three men stood with courage and conviction before an unjust King and an unrighteous false religion. They resolved in their heart to only worship the God of their fathers and to do so unashamed. To them honoring God was more important than appreciation and acceptance.

God seeks such men and women who have such conviction… who have His heart in mind and who seek His honor rather than illusion.

The God we serve is not an illusion. He is more than willing to prove himself strong to those who standup for Him.

Returning Thanks

Daniel said, Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever, For wisdom and power belong to Him. It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, And the light dwells with Him. To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, For You have given me wisdom and power; Even now You have made known to me what we requested of You, For You have made known to us the king's matter. Daniel 2:20-24

God had answered Daniel and his friends prayer by revealing to Daniel the King’s dream and the interpretation also.

Once the dream was revealed Daniel’s first priority was to give God the glory and the thanks. Daniel’s prayer of thanks reveals to us his understanding, wisdom, and his humility.

God is in the prayer answering business. He delights to answer our prayers. Do we delight in returning to him our praise and thanks for answered prayer? Too often it seems prayer is answered and we give it little notice; our lives are too busy to notice or there is something wrong with our thankfulness.

I see this occurring in my life and it disturbs me. For there are a whole lot of God-like attitudes that I fail miserable at but how much effort does it require for me to be… thankful!? Can’t I or we at least do well with being thankful to a God who shows us such love and care and mercy?

Our first priority is our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Our answered or unanswered prayer is not a ‘condition’ by which we gauge our gratefulness. It is God who rules, who controls, and who does what is best according to His own mind… not according to ours. That God would even hear and answer our prayers shows the greatness of His mercy, His love, and His care for us!

Should not our prayer be like Daniel’s? Should not our hearts recognize the greatness and goodness of God’s decisions?

Being thankful reveals our acceptance of God’s will in our lives, our trust in Him, and our acknowledging that true glory only belongs to Him.

'Heavenly Father, thank you for hearing our prayers, for considering them, and for answering those that you’ve deemed best for our lives! Forgive our ungrateful attitude in the mad-rush called our lives and remind us to slow down enough to be thankful and return our thanks to you.'

Praying Together

Then Daniel went to his house and informed his friends Daniel 2:17

Daniel had just learned of the King’s frustration with the wise men of Babylon who were unable to reveal the King’s dream and the interpretation of the dream. The King’s anger towards all the wise men boiled over and he decreed to have them all destroyed. This included Daniel, and his three close friends.

Daniel did not panic but he went home and he told his friends about the situation. Together they prayed that God would have mercy on them by revealing the mystery so that they could show the King’s dream to him.

Bad news has a way of coming into our lives at the wrong time. Yet as children of God we have this assurance: God’s in control. Daniel understood this and he understood that only God could save him and his friends. The best thing to do under the circumstances was to gather together and pray.

We often need to do the same thing. We need to come together and pray together. Too often our individualistic society has taught us to keep things to ourselves and to manage on our own.

Yet God likes get-togethers. God wants his people to come together. God wants men to share with men and women to share with women the trials, troubles, and problems of life that we all have.

Daniel shared with his friends that they all were in trouble. Together they prayed and God revealed the King’s dream to Daniel.

God’s in control. He has a plan and a purpose for what we go through. One of his purposes is that God’s people come together and pray. For God never intended us to face our problems on our own but to share them and together witness God’s saving grace and glory!

Out of Egypt

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you go upright. Lev 26:13

Remember God’s great mercies on your life? Recall when you were a slave of Egypt? Remember those slave-masters who tormented your life? Remember the stimulants taken as apart of your self-medication? Recall the disorder, the fights, the weariness, and the loneliness?

Remember when the Lord saved you? Remember the altar at church, the pew, and the care of others… the sinners prayer? Remember the struggle you had as a part of you wanted to be in total control but the Spirit of God gently tugged at your heart and whisper, “come unto me”?

Remember the tears of joy, the song in your heart, the laughter, and the wonder of it all…?

I do. I remember the great deliverance the Lord brought to me. How He performed miracle after miracle to move me from my old life to a new life in Him. Mostly I remember a very troubled young man, a little Gideon Bible, and my back to an old oak tree… that summer I could not read enough, hear enough, or love enough of hearing about my Savior, my Lord, His Word, and the Way of Righteousness.

It is good for us to remember where God brought us from. It is important for us to refresh our memory of our Passover when the Lamb of God saved us. Remember and now look at where you are today! How truly wonderful, gracious, and good your Father in Heaven is!

The same salvation power that translated us from darkness to His light 1 Peter 2:9 is readily available to you today. God’s not changed… maybe we have! Maybe the song in our heart is a little dull… Your Father in Heaven can restore you! Maybe the miles of this Way have left you weary… you know He can refresh you… Maybe the Bible is the last thing you think about or read lately… your Father in Heaven understands, He cares, and He invites you to start… fresh.

It’s never too late… to start fresh!

Tuning into God's Word

Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. Isaiah 55:1-2

Are there some days when you thirst but nothing satisfies? Is there a longing within your heart… in your soul that nothing fills? You’ve tried television but after a while the shows all seem the same, the faces tend to blend, and the message is evermore dirty… filthy. You spend more time flipping between channels and dodging commercials than actually-peacefully watching a decent show.

How about turning the thing off and tuning on to what God’s Word has to say?

If you give God’s Word a try… if you say a prayer… then His Word will open before you a world you cannot imagine, a joy not of this world, a thrill beyond any carnival ride, and a peace that sooths and calms the thirsty soul.

If you exercise yourself in God’s Word you will find your mind drifting to Him… your heart will melt… your desires will change… and your soul addicted and unsatisfied unless feed by God’s Word.

Turn off the world today and tune into God’s Word… and be satisfied!

God's Precious Word

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 2 Peter 1:4

How precious to us is the Word of God! For in it are the promises of God! Promises that encourage our hearts and gives us hope, the greatest of hope!

Our hearts desire is a change of heart. A purifying of our nature, our will, our motives, our thoughts, and the intentions and the un-mentions of our hearts.

We seek to be clean… to be pure… to be righteous! Not the righteousness of this world. Not our own righteousness. We seek after, we long after such a change to occur within our hearts that is heavenly, that is from God, and that never passes away.

We see everyday that the world is rolling towards its own destruction. Sin’s corruption blurs righteousness-line until ‘evil is called good and good and is called evil’ Isaiah 5:20. Our hearts are saddened and sickened by the depravity that is the world we currently live in…

The world’s direction is not ours as we place our hope, desires, and trust in our Heavenly Father. We need… so badly to enrich our hearts and minds with God’s Word… we need God’s Word in our lives to counter the evil of this world!

O that knowing God’s Word were our hearts ultimate desire!

Two or Three

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20

Two or three…; sometimes we want or we hope for more than just a few and yet often only two or three show. We hope for more but the Lord knows that with two or three… he can do great things!

For one thing, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour”. Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two people working together can accomplish much more than a single person can… you can do much more with help than alone.
If trouble comes, “two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken”. Ecclesiastes 4:12 Let’s face it… even John Wayne and Superman needed help sometimes… the same could be said of you and I?

Even Jesus worked with two’s… “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers”. Matthew 4:18 The disciples of Christ came not in a flourish but one here… two there…

So often two or three is what is available on any single day. Two or three though is more than enough when God’s at work! God does not need a multitude… he desires one or two souls who love him, who depend on him, and who believe in him. When the Lord has two or three of such character he can do great things.

The Lord gives Strength

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness. Is 41:10

Everyday we have a choice. To believe and find courage or to doubt and live in fear. These choices lie before our day and our future decisions. Decisions that either include or exclude the Lord our God. God will not force our hearts to decide His way… the choice is ours.

The Lord gives strength to those who follow him. To those who put their trust in Him and His Word the Lord teaches His Ways. The Lord teaches us to put our trust in Him. The Lord teaches us to obey his commandments.

Come peace-time or disaster... Laughter or sorrow… Honor or failure… the Lord will prove to you his faithfulness. The Lord will not fail those who put their trust in him. The ends of the earth nor the depths of one’s own hell will prevent the overwhelming love of God from strengthening, calming, and saving.

The Lord knows who you are. He knows what troubles your heart. He cares but He will not force Himself on you… His ways are peaceful, calming, gentle and ever righteous.

Boasting in Father

but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD. Jeremiah 9:24

There’s a lot to boast about in this world. There’s personal accomplishment, that great shot on the golf course, and the achievements of our children and grandchildren.

When it comes down to thinking about boasting it is these items that we most often think about. Who thinks about boasting in the Lord?Who thinks about knowing the Lord? Who thinks of his kindness, his justice, and his great righteousness?

On this Father’s Day maybe we could take some time and think about our Heavenly Father. Maybe we could speak of his kindness in our lives. We could praise him for his righteous justice. We could boast of how blessed we are to know and be known by the Greatest Father ever.

Father in Heaven too often we don’t boast of your greatestness to others; too often we fail to raise your name in the presence of unbelievers. Father, may our thoughts, may our hearts, may our praise, and may our boast be only in you!

Confession and Forgiveness

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Confessing our sins is never easy. We think that it is easier to keep our sin inside, to hide it somehow, and to try to bury it. The problem with buried sin is that it only resurfaces in some other area of our life.

The other problem is that it bugs our conscience all the time, messes-up our concentration, and typically kills the joy that we have in our Lord. The enemy of our soul would have us all cover up and bury our sin… he desires that our walk is hindered or stopped completely.

Confessing our sins to the Lord signifies our trust in him, our love to him, and our desire to have a change of heart. A change of heart is a change in direction and that is what is most important.

When we confess, when we change direction the Lord has promised to ‘clear our slate’ in regards to our unrighteousness and to view us as righteous.

Confession leads us to righteousness that we did not deserve and that we cannot proudly proclaim. There is no boasting on our part only a humble acknowledgement of the touch of grace.

It is through grace that we proclaim the mercy, the goodness, and the faithfulness to forgive of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

There is a God in heaven

…there is a God in heaven… Daniel 2:28

One of the uproars of our day is the subject of ‘Global Warming’. The news commentators continually want to know what will ‘we’ do about the Global Warming situation? They ask and Government officials ask how will ‘we’ save ourselves and our planet? My understanding is that untold millions/billions are now being shifted to study and somehow combat this seemingly peril before the ‘doom’ of our planet…

In all their commentary there is no mention of God. In their opinion there is no one in heaven who can help. They believe that mankind is on their own and that it is up to ‘man’ to save itself.

Daniel knew better. Daniel knew that the wisdom of this world is often foolishness 1 Corinthians 1:20; Daniel believed that there is a God in heaven and that He controls the events of the world. Daniel believed that God held all the power and control over the earth, over the governments, over those in authority, and over the events in his life. Daniel believed when thrown into the lions den. Daniel’s companions believed when they were thrown into a fiery furnace.

The same God who controlled Daniel’s world controls ours. Global Warming is not our main concern… ours is the condition of our relationship with the God in heaven. The God that saved us from our unbelief and who watches over and speaks to our hearts and minds and who controls the heavens and the earth that he created.

There is a God in heaven and it is He who is in control!

The Lord Gives

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11

The Lord is with those who walk righteously. He is their light in times of darkness and protects them. The Lord is gracious and merciful, forgiving and understanding; caring and giving comfort…

The Lord has provided us so very much! Daily He opens to us His Word if only we would read it. Morning, noon, and night He offers a caring ear, an open heart, a knowing mind if only we would pray.

The Lord has offered us so much and yet we seem to follow the phrase: ‘misery likes company.’ We wallow in the mire of this world. We feed on television programs that do not uplift, that do not inspire, that lead us to buy what we do not need and want what we cannot afford… and we wonder… where did our peace go?

O that our hearts were righteous before the Lord, the Lord our God! O that all glory and praise would go to the Lord and not to man. For the Lord is good and merciful! The Lord protects us from harm and fights for us, cares for us, desires our company.

Trust in the Lord and Do Good

Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. Psalm 37:3-5

There is a walk with the Lord that is beautiful. A place in-Him where the soul can rest, the mind be at peace, and comfort the hearts daily song.

When fully we delight ourselves in the Lord; when Christ swells within our hearts; when we are so in-love with our Lord that changes within us occur without dissent, regret, or rebellion. When our childish kicking-and-screaming tantrum is replaced with acknowledgement, acceptance, and humility as the Lord tests and tries our hearts and minds, at times.

The Lord wants to give us the desires of our heart… but first our hearts need to be cleaned up, shaped up, proven and tested. Would you trust your child knowing that he/she is a brat? Hopefully not! So our Heavenly Father wants to know our faithfulness Luke 16:10

The question is can we trust the Lord’s ways? Or, will we follow our own thinking… our own feelings… our own ways? Proverbs 3:5-6

God’s ways are better than our ways! Psalm 145:17 Just as children need to learn right from wrong from their parents so our Heavenly Father desires to teach us right from wrong. Psalm 25:8 He teaches us through His Word and through learning to listen and walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16

Sometimes baby-steps are required. We cannot learn everything all at once. We cannot grow-up in the Lord over-night. We should not become discouraged if and when we acknowledge that our ways are not always the Lords ways.

Trust in the Lord and He will change your heart. Trust the Lord and He will change your mind. Trust the Lord and over-time the Lord will put His trust… in you!

The Boy Daniel

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27

Bad things happen to good people most every day. Often we don’t understand why and so we question God…

One day a fifteen-year-old boy was going about his daily business. The chores around the house were all taken care of and he had just started with his daily Bible reading when there was a bold knock on his door. He answered and there standing before him was a dirty and blood-splattered soldier instructed to carry him away. The boy was made to leave his parents, his home, his surroundings, his friends, and his nation at once... he never would return.

The boy Daniel was suddenly thrown into culture-shock. The Babylonians liked pleasure… a lot of pleasure… the pleasures of the flesh. They liked to eat, drink, and party. Bright-lights at all hours of the night… selfishness, self-centered, and proud-these were the Babylonians… conquerors of the world!

In Daniel’s 80 years of captivity he never lost his resolve in serving God. His peace was tried but he prayed daily to the Lord and the Lord heard him and kept his heart from fear. Daily he read God’s Word.

The same God who saw a fifteen-year-old heart so long ago sees your heart and mine. He knows of the corrupt culture that daily we must wade through. He knows of inflation, high-gas prices, and of bills that need paying. He knows the tinge of fear that crosses your heart and your mind from time to time. The Lord knows how to keep you in his peace.

We need to be like Daniel. We cannot always control the world around us. The pain of loss and separation is larger than who we are… we cannot control this either. Yet Daniel knew who was in control. Daniel knew that God was ultimately in control. Daniel saturated his mind and heart with the peace of God by spending time with God. In our day… should we not do the same?

Help in time of trouble

The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Psalm 34:17

God’s children sometimes get themselves into a jam. Sometimes we over extend ourselves or we grow lazy or we stray from the Way John 14:6.

Sometimes we need to be corrected. There is something in our life that needs adjustment to bring it into alignment with what God intended for our lives in the first place. Now, most ‘good’ Christians dislike correction. We complain that it does not feel good. Or it makes us feel bad. Or it embarrasses us and it means that we are not keeping up with so-and-so. Correction can be “grievous”! Proverbs 15:10. Correction can also prove to our hearts the great love of our Heavenly Father! Proverbs 3:11.

Sometimes doing the right thing gets us into trouble 1 Peter 3:14. The Good News of Jesus Christ is not good news to a lot of people in this world. People don’t like it when their sinful ways are exposed to the glorious light of the Gospel Psalm 90:8 & Acts 26:18. When people are afraid or out of ignorance they too often… attack what they do not understand…

Your Heavenly Father understands your troubles, your trials, your set-backs, and he joys in your triumphs! He’s your Father in Heaven. A Father who cares, looks after, and at times corrects his children. Yet He has promised that come rain or shine when his kids call on his name he will answer… with help Hebrews 13:5.

When trouble comes… and it will call on your loving Father for He is faithful to deliver you, correct you, and love you along his way.

The Lord Gives Strength and Peace

The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

The Lord is good to you and I. He gives us strength to be overcomers (Revelation 21:7). He strengthens our hearts and minds through the working of his Spirit and his Word in our hearts (Ephesians 3:16). The Lord casts us not away when we miss the mark… when we sin but he is merciful, full of grace, leading our hearts to repent and turn to his ways… 1 John 1:9.

The Lord is our hope, our courage, our song in the middle of the night. His Word lifts our hearts, clears our guilt, restores us…(Psalm 31:24).
The Lord blesses our hearts with great peace (Psalm 119:165). Great peace is found in God’s Word, in meditating on it, reading it, hearing it read. When our minds are focused around his Word… we have perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).

The Lord is your strength and your peace.

Wait on the Lord

Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14


There is nothing like times of indecision. Those times when a decision needs to be made and yet you simply do not know… the best course of action. The best course of action being the Lord’s will and not our own.

Waiting… not knowing… can be fearful… can be frightening… on our own. Waiting on the Lord tests our faith in him… our trust in him. The closer our hearts are to the Lord the more peace and contentment we will have... the more courage we have.

When our hearts are right with the Lord… we then don’t mind waiting… we are content in basking in the Lord’s presence… the importance of our decision… the torment of our indecision fades when our hearts are pure… when a melody of praise touches our lips… when God’s Word is sweet… when quiet courage rests our troubled minds.

The Lord's Goodness

Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8

The Lord is so good! Each new day his mercy covers us and guides our hearts to seek him. The world may be spiraling downward and out of control but the Lord’s ways are steady, good, and righteous. The Lord influences our hearts through his goodness and this leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4) and to a different direction in life. Our new direction allows us to encourage others, guide others, and help them; just as the Lord has helped us…

Help in time of need

For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard. Psalm 22:24

The Lord is near, he hears your prayer. He listens in the early morning hours… throughout your day… in the middle of your night… to hear your words to him… your heart… for you to commune with him. For your Heavenly Father takes great interest to know your heart...your dreams… your aspirations… your doubts…your worries. Your Heavenly Father loves you and he knows you better than you know yourself. He knows how to help you in time of need…

God: Your Sanctuary

God's a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you're never sorry you knocked.
Psalm 9:9 (The Message)

God’s never failed to provide me comfort in times of need and shelter from the storms of life. He is the one continuum that I know can be counted on.

I’m sure that you can say the same. Your Heavenly Father has provided you comfort, care, and an understanding ear in times of tears and times of joy. When all failed you… when all alone… its then that God seems closer. Maybe that’s because our hearts grow closer to him or maybe He takes a closer step our way… regardless, the Lord’s love is constant, unchanging, ever guarding and protecting his children.

The Lord understands the problems and struggles that we all face. He knows the number of hair (or lack thereof) on our heads… he fully is aware of all that we go through.

I know, we don’t often feel that way… we often feel very alone… inside… very scared… inside… very sad…

Inside us are a whole arrangement of emotions, thoughts, and intents that we keep from everyone… they are who we truly are and we view them with the greatest hesitancy…

Yet, it is in our weaknesses that God shows himself strong on our behalf and for his glory. God understands how you feel… what you think… and what is just beneath our smiles… he lived just as you and I did… he suffered more than we ever will… and he died and rose again for our good… God knows how to comfort during bad times…