BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHERE IS GOD? God is in all places at all times and is always with His people. God is present with us. He sent prophets to His people, even in captivity, and promised to send Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Jesus fulfilled this promise when He came to earth and was born of a virgin. Jesus is our Immanuel, God with us. Memory Verse: Read the story:
Have you ever heard someone say something along the lines of, “God’s promise of the future should give you hope today”? Maybe you’ve heard it dozens of times or said it just as many. In part, this saying stands because we believe the Bible teaches this principle; however, at the gut level, this idea can be challenging to hear and believe. In Isaiah 7, God reminded Ahaz through the prophet Isaiah that he had ample reason to trust God. The evidence? A future promise. In a moment where it would have made sense to the human mind to reference a past experience or previous fulfillment, God chose to offer hope with a word about something that had not yet happened. That future promise was the incarnation of Jesus Christ. God promised Christmas would come in order to encourage Ahaz to trust the Lord in that moment. In hindsight, it is easy for us to read this and understand that God was forecasting a promise that we know He would ultimately keep. However, at the moment, this must have been perplexing to hear. When we make our way through the New Testament and discover some of the beautiful and hopeful promises of the second return of Christ, the eternal joy of God’s people, and the faithfulness of God through trial and tribulation, we too might be tempted to wonder if it will actually happen. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?” God is faithful. We can look to the past and find a record of this truth, which means we can look to the future with continued confidence. God is not a liar. Though not overt, our faithlessness in the face of His future promises suggest that we at least think there may be a chance that He is not always true to His Word and faithful to fulfill His promises. Yet He will not waver, and we can set our faith in His faithfulness. Yes, be thankful for God’s faithfulness in the past, but also be confident in His future promises. God is present with us. He will not change His mind, His character, or His Word. Gospel application:
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BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHERE IS GOD? God is in all places at all times and is always with His people. God humbled the proud king of Babylon by taking away his kingdom. King Jesus willingly humbled Himself by dying on the cross for our sin. God raised up Jesus and gave Him honor forever. When we humble ourselves and trust in Jesus, God will raise us up to enjoy Jesus in His kingdom forever. Memory Verse: Read the story:
Daniel 5 contains several notable instances that are reasons to stop, pray, and consider our own lives. One of the most perplexing questions is derived from the words of the queen who entered the scene following Belshazzar’s inability to make sense of the writing inscribed on the wall by an unfamiliar hand. Following the mysterious inscription, the king called in those who would have been culturally identified as experts at explaining and creating the unseen. To Belshazzar’s disappointment, none of them could explain the inscription or its meaning. Then the queen stepped in with a brilliant thought, derived from past experiences. She recommended Daniel, a man who formerly had profound influence and insight and provided this type of help to the previous king—Belshazzar’s own relative, Nebuchadnezzar. Consider the personal challenge that arises at the mention of Daniel’s name. It was Daniel’s past faithfulness that opened the door for present opportunity. And the natural question that flows from this realization is this: Does my faithfulness today lay the groundwork for future opportunities? In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus described His followers as the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” These descriptions of the people of God lend themselves to cultural influence that shows the power, mercy, grace, and goodness of God. And this type of influence always leaves a mark. In Daniel’s case, the mark was so significant that it gave greater influence to his witness. We can’t undo the past, but we can be decisively committed to the next step, the next moment, and the next opportunity. What if you committed to faithfulness one day at a time? And what if your faithfulness marked the people around you in significant ways? Then I would imagine that your faithfulness will lead to future opportunities for greater influence. Don’t waste today. Be faithful to your purpose to live as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. And God will use you today and, Lord willing, multiply your efforts and opportunities tomorrow. Gospel application:
BIG PICTURE QUESTION & ANSWER WHERE IS GOD? God is in all places at all times and is always with His people. Daniel was faithful to God, and God blessed him. In an even greater way, Jesus was always faithful to God. He came to earth and followed God’s plan to save sinners. Those who trust in Jesus receive God’s forgiveness and blessing. Memory Verse: Read the story:
I’m sure you’ve been there: that moment of decision when you weigh the risk versus the reward or the cost versus the benefit to determine what you will do. These moments may come in regard to something simple like whether to eat one more helping of mashed potatoes, if it is worth it to take a detour to try and avoid traffic on your way to the grocery store, or if it is the right time to buy that new pair of shoes. We may also face moments of discernment on much more significant questions: Do you take the new job opportunity that would relocate you and your family? Should you laugh at a colleague’s derogatory joke? Should you obey God even if it is costly or uncommon among the culture? These major points of decision require a degree of confidence and conviction. The question is not if we have confidence or conviction, but what our confidence is in and where our conviction comes from. In Daniel 1, Daniel was faced with a decision to either honor the Lord or follow the cultural customs of Babylon that dishonored the commands of God. Daniel had a deep confidence in the Lord and a conviction derived from the same. Psalm 71:4-5 models the pattern that I imagine Daniel progressed through in determining what to do in this moment of decision: “Deliver me, my God, from the power of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and oppressive. For you are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth.” The psalmist displays a deep confidence in the Lord to rescue and a deep conviction to remain hopeful and faithful. This confidence and conviction propel him toward a God-honoring response to his circumstances and direction in his decision making. May this be our mode of decision making as well in all things, where our confidence in the Lord propels us forward and our conviction from the Lord steers our direction for His glory and our joy. Gospel application:
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December 2023
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