The Son Of A King….

Morning!

Raises his cup of coffee

The pride of life.  I get the saying from…

1 John 2: 15-17

“Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love to he Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the Will of God abides forever.”

We are to love the world through the lens of Jesus’ love for the world.  As stewards.

Steward: (noun)

- One employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns.

- Shop steward.

- A fiscal agent.

- An employee on a ship, airplane, bus, or train who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers; one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of food and drink in an institution.

- One who actively directs affairs: manager

1 Corinthians 10: 31

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

We are not to love the things of the world, but we are to lovingly manage them.  As gifts.  As sheep amongst wolves.  How do we know a wolf?  By his fruits.

Matthew 7: 15-20

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

So why do I set the table how I set it today?  Because we are getting into Daniel 5.  Belshazzar.  Another prideful leader.  Another outstanding miracle.  After Nebuchadnezzar had fallen ill, Belshazzar took over in his place.  His reign was short.  His sin was pride.  Pride on a different level than his father’s.  We read in the text that Belshazzar purposely takes the golden vessels that were taken from the temple of God and put into the temple of Nebuchadnezzar’s god and had his party drink riotously from them at a wine party.  The aftermath of doing so?  A supernatural hand, with its finger, wrote on the wall a few words.  MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

Daniel 5: 26-28

“This is the interpretation of each word.  MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

There are a lot of lessons of pride in the book of Daniel.  One of the lessons that we might not have been thinking was there might be….

Proverbs 27: 1-2

“Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.  Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.”

The story of Belshazzar is not only a story about a ruler who was clearly in over his head.  It’s also the story of Daniel reaping the fruits of his labor.  Daniel was called in to interpret the writing on the wall for the king.  The queen had remembered Daniel from when Nebuchadnezzar had appointed him head of the astrologers and magicians.  She remembered that he had an excellent soul in him and that the Spirit of the Living God was with him.

Proverbs 22: 1

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.”

God so aligned events that Daniel was to be instrument in the downfall of this ruler.  He was to see a table prepared for him in the presence of his enemies.

Psalm 110: 1-7

“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.  The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.  Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.  The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.  The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath.  He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries.  He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall He lift up the head.”

With one example we see a leader that has set themselves against the Lord.  The other we see an example of a leader following God.  We also see an example of how God preserves his servants no matter where they are and what they are doing.  If we are living in the Shadow of God we are kept in the secret place of the Almighty.  If we walk with God, our faith is our shield.  If we hunger and thirst after righteousness we will be filled.  If we abide in His Word then we will abide in His commandments and we will abide in His love.  Knock and it shall be opened.  Ask and we shall receive as long as we are not spending what we ask on our own lusts.

I think that’s a good place to start for the day.

Happy waiting!

:)