9 January 2020 | NBC Sports reported that AdventHealth is expanding its race car sponsorship deal with the Chip Ganassi Racing auto racing organization. The expanded deal will now see sponsorship in four Cup Series races in 2020. According to NBC Sports, AdventHealth will feature on driver Kyle Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet in the February […] Source: https://atoday.org/adventhealth-doubles-down-on-race-car-sponsorship/
Who Has Your Back?
In the movie Black Hawk Down, the U.S. colonel was trying to rescue his men who who had been ambushed by gun fire while trying to intervene in the civil war in Somalia. He had Humvees picking up the dead and wounded all around. After loading a Humvee with several wounded soldiers, he told a private to drive the Humvee. “But I have been shot,” the private replied. “Everyone has been shot!” The colonel sternly replied.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Sometimes when we are treated wrongly and wounded, we are tempted to think we are the only one such a thing has happened to when, in reality, everyone has been wounded. In my last post I talked about the fact that Daniel was able to make friends in pagan Babylon, but that did not mean he did not have enemies, and even though he had friends, they let him down. Down into a den of lions!
The other administrators were jealous of Daniel so to get rid of him they buttered up Darius, who was supposed to be a friend of Daniel.
So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” So King Darius signed the law. Daniel 6:6-9 NLT
They knew Daniel would pray to God, and they knew Darius liked Daniel, so they made a law that could not be reversed once Daniel prayed. And of course Daniel prayed.
But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Daniel 6:10 NLT
Today many are protective of their privacy and worry if a third party could be spying and listening in on their phone conversations or reading their emails. Daniel knew good and well people were spying on him, but he kept doing what he always did. He prayed right in front of the window. If you knew people were spying on you, would you change your behavior or routine at all? Daniel didn’t. So the other administrators reported him to King Darius and reminded him that the law about being thrown in the lion’s den could not be changed. But Darius could have thought of his friend Daniel before he even made the rule. He did none of that. He let his friend down … into the lions den. By the way have you ever wondered where Daniel was in Daniel 3 when the three Hebrews were thrown in the fiery furnace? One theory is that Nebuchadnezzar knew good and well Daniel would not bow to the idol, so sent Daniel on a business trip to avoid the embarrassment of having Daniel defy his order. If that theory is so, Darius failed to calculate Daniel’s integrity, which embarrassed Darius himself.
I remember a while back working with someone who was not treating her co-workers right. She bragged how she was friends with the boss so she could get a way with whatever she wanted. Just a few months later her boss lost his job, and she lost her job right after he lost his. Sometimes people feel confident knowing someone “powerful” has their back, but all humans are just mortal dust in the wind. You can’t trust them. They can only do so much. Darius, as powerful as he was, could not save Daniel. Thankfully Daniel trusted God who could save him.
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night. Daniel 6:17-18 NLT
Darius could not sleep that night, but I am sure Daniel could. He probably used a lion for a pillow. Funny how a clear conscience allows you to sleep.
Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God. Daniel 6:19-23 NLT
Darius in his human sphere could not save Daniel though he tried. Fact is the only one who can save us is God. Daniel had no hard feelings towards Darius, because he knew Darius was only human. Daniel knew to trust no one but God.
Years later Pilate tried to rescue Jesus and failed. On the third day the Father raised Him from the grave. Both Daniel and Jesus stood for what was right. Both Daniel and Jesus had people who tried to save them but could not. Both Daniel and Jesus were saved by God alone. Likewise in the last days we need to stand for what is right knowing full well no man will be able to save us. God will. We all have been wounded and let down by people. Praise God He alone can save us all!
Amen!
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(1) Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/BAC8g7D73qk/
News Briefs for January 10, 2020
News reports from Larnaca, Cyprus; Generation Youth for Christ (GYC); Geneva, Switzerland; AdventHealth; ADRA Canada and Oakwood University: Guests from the city enjoyed dinner at the Adventist community centre in Larnaca, Cyprus, on Saturday night, 4 January. Among them was the Deputy Mayor of Larnaca, who highly praised student missionaries Melina and Elias Orlando for […] Source: https://atoday.org/news-briefs-for-january-10-2020/
Friday: Further Thought – From Jerusalem to Babylon
Further Thought:
“Daniel and his companions in Babylon were, in their youth, apparently more favored of fortune than was Joseph in the earlier years of his life in Egypt; yet they were subjected to tests of character scarcely less severe. From the comparative simplicity of their Judean home these youth of royal line were transported to the most magnificent of cities, to the court of its greatest monarch, and were singled out to be trained for the king’s special service.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Strong were the temptations surrounding them in that corrupt and luxurious court. The fact that they, the worshipers of Jehovah, were captives to Babylon; that the vessels of God’s house had been placed in the temple of the gods of Babylon; that the king of Israel was himself a prisoner in the hands of the Babylonians, was boastfully cited by the victors as evidence that their religion and customs were superior to the religion and customs of the Hebrews. Under such circumstances, through the very humiliations that Israel’s departure from His commandments had invited, God gave to Babylon evidence of His supremacy, of the holiness of His requirements, and of the sure result of obedience. And this testimony He gave, as alone it could be given, through those who still held fast their loyalty”. — Ellen G. White, Education, p. 54.
Discussion Questions:
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Amen!(0)
(0) Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/pFsyQhVChMw/
Christ Loves the Sinner
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 13:34.
There are those who cherish a spirit of envy and hatred against their brethren, calling it the Spirit of God. There are those who go up and down as talebearers, accusing and condemning, blackening character, inspiring hearts with maliciousness. They carry false reports to the doors of their neighbors, who, as they listen to the slander, lose the Spirit of God. Not even the messenger of God, who bears to the people His truth, is spared.
This sin is worse than the sin of Achan. Its influence is not confined to those who cherish it. It is a root of bitterness, whereby many are defiled. God cannot bless the church till it is purged of this evil that corrupts minds and spirits, the souls of those who do not repent and change their course of action.
He who is renewed after the Spirit of Christ will not only love God; he will love his brethren also. Those who make mistakes are to be dealt with according to the directions given in the Word of God. “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).
Plainly and faithfully evil is to be reproved. But let the one who takes up this work first be sure that he is not himself separated from Christ by evil works. He must be able to restore the erring in the spirit of meekness. Unless he can do this, he should not attempt to correct or reprove his brethren, for he will make two evils in the place of curing one.
Let men be careful how they treat the purchase of the blood of Christ. Let them not forget the prayer offered by the Saviour just before He left His disciples for the long struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. Let them not forget the high estimate He has placed on human beings by purchasing them at the sacrifice of His life. There are many who seem willing to wound and bruise the hearts of their brethren. Are they following the example Christ has left them? Where in the record of His dealing with men do they find themselves sustained in showing so little forbearance and patience in dealing with their brethren? …
That which distinguishes Christians from worldlings is the manifestation of Christlikeness, which by its pure influence cleanses the heart from selfishness.—Manuscript 52, April 18, 1902, “Fragments.”
The Upward Look p. 122
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Prayer Requests
—-I desperately need prayer for one of my son’s safety. Someone has threatened one of my son’s life and this person has had people killed before but this person has never been caught. The police know. Please pray for this person to be arrested and dealt with for their past crimes. But especially please pray for my son’s safety and for him to be right with God at all times. Thank you so much for your prayers. Connie
—-Please pray for Scott that he will charge from his wicked ways and that he will have an encounter with the Lord before its too late. Rosemary
—-Please pray for my daughter, she will be having a duct removed from her breast and although the dr says cancer is rare, all kinds of cancer runs in our family. Sandra
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Dear Friends,
Some years ago, Ron, Ronnie Jay, and I were at the store. They were at customer service returning something defective. I was getting a few items. While waiting in line, Ron started a conversation with a lady who had a beautiful little girl in the shopping cart. As they talked, this lady explained that she was babysitting the child. Her parents had died in a motorcycle accident and the grandmother was raising the child.
At this point, I came over to where Ron and Ronnie Jay were. Ron told me about the tragedy. I expressed my sympathy to the lady. She then began saying to the child “Mom and Tim are angels, aren’t they and we pray to them don’t we?.” The little girl looked at her with surprised eyes and said, “no.” I was shocked, but instead of asking the lady if she’d like to get together some time and study what the Bible says about praying, I kept quiet. On the way home from the store, I realized that I had missed an opportunity. By my silence, I had denied the truth. I had denied the Only One Who and hear and answer our prayers. How sorry I felt.
How often we do the same by our words or actions or silence. How many times we hesitate to speak a word for the One Who speaks for us. (1 John 2:1, 2) Do we share Him with others, or do we pretend that we don’t even know Him? Do we try to rationalize away our denial? Jesus said “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matt 10:32,33 Paul warns, “if we deny him, he also will deny us.” 2 Tim 2:12 Those are solemn words. Words that have eternal consequences.
Often we do not know ourselves and think that we would never deny our Lord. That was Peter’s experience. When Jesus told His disciples that they would deny Him, Peter stood up and proclaimed that although everyone else would deny Him, he never would. “But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.” Mark 14:29-31 Peter could not believe it, but when he was “backed into a corner,” he denied his Master. He denied the One Who was giving His life for him.
When Peter denied Jesus, the Bible says, “Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.” Matt 26:75 That was the start of a new life for Peter. From that moment he stood firm for his Saviour no matter what the consequences might be.
May we never deny our Dear Saviour in any way. May we pray that we will recognize opportunites for sharing the good news with others and have the courage to do so even in a store. May we “let [our] light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven.” Matt 5:16.
Rose
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rosesdevotional/~3/r7xhXBl2nsI/christ-loves-the-sinner.html
