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“Paul” by Kenneth Wyatt of Tulia, Texas - 1 of a
series of paintings of the apostles. Wyatt used people he knew as models
(and if I remember correctly) whose personalities resembled that of the
particular apostle being painted. Wyatt is a Methodist minister and a gifted
Western and Christian artist. Paul (Simon of Tarsus) was a Pharisee taught by Gamaliel and the author of 14 books of the NT. Though not one of the original 12 Apostles, Paul and Peter are considered to be the leaders of the Apostolic Age.
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My Meditations on Today’s Readings
(Ellipses are mine
and are used for contemplation.)
Key Words/Phrases:
dreams, visions, purposed in his heart, would not defile himself, counsel,
wisdom, shepherd the flock of God, submission, humility, steadfastness
Purposed in His Heart
– Daniel 1 and 2 – (Facts: What It
Says – Summarized) Judah has been taken captive to Babylon. By Order of the
King: Nebuchadnezzar has commanded
the best and brightest, the most handsome, gifted and wisest of the young men
to be brought to court to learn to serve him.
They are to be fed the king’s delicacies and wine, learn the language
and literature of the Chaldeans. Daniel’s
Dilemma: Eating the king’s delicacies and drinking his wine were
considered as defilements within the Jewish dietary law, evidently. Therefore, Daniel (and this is the key to
obedience)…purposed in his heart...that
he would not defile himself. His
self-chosen diet of vegetables and water was allowed as a test. He and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego so
prospered on this diet that all the young men were changed to the same diet. Dreams and
Prophecies: The king has disturbing dreams that he commands his soothsayers,
astrologers and magicians to interpret…without telling them the dream…on
penalty of death. They can’t, but Daniel
assures the king that the God of Israel is…”the
revealer of secrets”…and can give both the dream and the
interpretation. The 4 Jewish friends…”seek mercies of God concerning the secret.” God
gives Daniel the dream and the interpretation in a night vision. The Dream: This is
prophecy of the latter days in the form of a great, splendid, awesome
image. The head was of gold and
represented Babylon. The chest and arms
were of silver representing a lesser kingdom; he belly and thighs were of
bronze, the legs of iron, the feet of a mixture of iron and clay. A stone made without hand crushed the image
and the parts blew away as chaff. The
stone became a great mountain that filled the earth. The
Interpretation/Prophecy: Each part
made of a different element represents a mighty kingdom that will follow
Babylon, the head of gold. The kingdom
of iron will crush the other 4 kingdoms.
The kingdom of partly clay and partly iron will be divided, and will be
partly fragile and partly strong. “They
will mingle with the seed of men, but they will not adhere to one another, just
as iron does not mix with clay. And in the
days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom… 1) which shall never be destroyed, and 2) the kingdom shall not be left to other
people. 3) It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms…and 4) it shall
stand forever. This is the stone…made
without hands…that will crush all the other kingdoms. “The great God has made known to the king
what will come to pass after this.” The
king promoted Daniel as ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief
administrator of all the wise men of Babylon.
His 3 friends were set over the province of Babylon.” Principle:
Deciding…purposing…in our hearts…what we will do…is the precursor to both holy
obedience and sinful choices. We must
come to the point of commitment before God in private before we will be
steadfast in living out our faith in obedience in public – regardless of the
consequences. “As a man thinketh in his
heart, so he is.” (Proverbs 23:7)
Purposing in Our
Hearts – 1 Peter 5 – (Facts: What
It Says – Summarized) The commands have been given by Jesus, reiterated
by Paul, Peter, James and the disciples of how we are to live as God’s elect
people. We must…purpose in our hearts…and then follow with obedience. Elders: are reminded to shepherd the flock…which is among you…as overseers, 2) willingly…not
out of compulsion, 3) not for
dishonest gain, but…eagerly, 4) not
as lords over those…entrusted…to you, but… being
examples to the flock, 5) and
when…the Chief Shepherd…appears, you will receive the crown of glory which does
not fade away. Younger People: 1) are to submit themselves to their elders. ALL of us: 1) are to be
submissive to one another, 2) to be
clothed with humility, 3) to humble
ourselves under the mighty hand of God…that…He may exalt us in due time. 4)
Cast all our cares upon Him…for He cares
for us. 5) Be sober…vigilant…because…our adversary the devil walks about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
6) Resist him (the devil)…steadfast in the
faith…knowing…that the same sufferings…are experienced by our brotherhood in
the world. Principle: We know the commands. We must commit to them before God and then
live them out – regardless of the suffering – following in the footsteps of
“Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Hebrews 12:2)
My Lessons and
Applications: Have I so “firmed” my
faith before God, so purposed in my heart to obey Him, that when I am faced
with the test in public I will stand steadfast? Am I careful with even my thoughts…filtering
them through the tenets of faith handed down to us from the Father and our Lord
and Savior? “May the words of my mouth…and…the meditations of my heart…be pleasing
to You, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
Where the
Battle is Won or Lost
Our
battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s
presence, never in full view of the world. The Spirit of God seizes me and I am
compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do
this, I will lose every time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that
will depend on me, not God. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone
before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or
rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the
battle before God and won there.
I
should never say, “I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and
then I’ll put God to the test.” Trying to do that will not work. I must first
get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul,
where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead, knowing with certainty
that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat
before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost
is that I fight it first in the external world. Get alone with God, do battle
before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.
In
dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward
making a decision of their will. That is how surrendering to God begins. Not
often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a
great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and
more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on
fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory. Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
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