Oh, to be a Daniel!

Daniel 6:4
.. but they could find no occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

Oh, to be a Daniel! A man standing strong in what he believed. Living a life without error according to the laws of God and His commandments. We can only admire the integrity and character of this man. The pressure was on for Daniel to let down his convictions and give in to the temptation of human preservation. I don’t believe that Daniel was super human, he no doubt made mistakes of human nature, but when it came to the principles of God’s word, he remained faithful. He knew whom he believed in, and was willing to keep that which he committed unto the end of his days. Oh, to be a Daniel! Determine to stand true, come face to face with pending death and trust God to carry him through. We live in a culture where the word of God has been put aside for perverted thinking and liberal progressive ideology. We are the only Bible that others may see. ”Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men” (2 Corinth 3:2) Oh to be a Daniel! A man living holy and blameless in this present world. Such a life is possible living in these vessels of clay. Submitting daily to God’s will is to daily take up the cross of Jesus and live a blameless life before others, that it may be said of us. “No occasion, nor fault is found, they are true and faithful to the God they serve.” Oh, to be a Daniel! Oh, to be like Jesus!

Commit Our Way

 Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

When we commit, we give it our all. Keeping commitments takes a willingness to forsake other things that would keep us from fulfilling our responsibility to our commitment. When we commit our way to the Lord, we take our hands off what we want to do and take up God’s way. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” Committing to the way of the cross means that life will not always go the way we like, and that sacrifice will more than likely be required from us. Trusting in the Lord as we commit our ways to him will bring to pass the true desires of our heart. He will act on our behalf to accomplish His will. Our ways are now His ways and where and how He leads us is in His control. Commitment is a decision we make, and daily we must keep this commitment on the altar as a living sacrifice. We are no longer our own, we are bought with a price and we now belong to God and trust Him to lead us all the way, in the pathway He has chosen for us.

Commit Thy Works

Proverbs: 16:3 Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Commitment is hard to find in the day we live. People are afraid to commit because they fear that such a commitment will interfere with what they want to do. Committing our works to the Lord means that there’s things in our lives that we will probably have to put aside. Any commitment demands that we give time. Committing to spend time alone with God, committing to attend the house of God, committing to do acts of kindness, committing to love as God would have us to love. Commitment demands our full attention. Commit to seek first the kingdom of God with all of your heart. Commit your way to God, and He will give you the desires of your heart, He will establish your thoughts to be His thoughts. “Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with thy might”.

The Step of The Lord

Prov. 16:9 A man's heart devises his way: but the Lord directs his steps.

With anticipation, our hearts are set for that special occasion. We have made our plans and we can’t wait. Such is life as we plan out our day or look to the future, until the unexpected happens, something we did not plan. An interruption in our well made plans. We become frustrated that the course of events do not work out the way we hoped. Life happens, and we shack our head. It is in moments like these, that we need to bow our heads commit our ways to the Lord and let Him direct our steps. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” Ps 37:23. It is good to make plans and set goals, but ultimately our lives belong to God and He determines the path that is best for us. 

The Bethel Experience

Gen 28:15, 19 …behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest,…

And he called the name of that place Bethel…

Bethel, a place where Jacob experience God’s presence and promises. Running for fear of his life, Jacob came face to face with the God of his fathers. He realized that he could not make things happen on his own. Jacob had a earthly goal, but God had other things in mind. We sometimes think we know what the goal is, but God has something bigger to accomplish. We must come to a place where we are willing to relinquish our dreams and ambitions for God’s will to take place in our lives. The Bethel experience establishes a place where we have committed ourselves to God. His will is now our will, His way is now the way we take. We have seen heaven’s gate and been in the presence of God. With the help of and grace of God, there is no turning back. 

Committed to God

2 Tim 1:12.14 I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day…That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwells in us.

Being committed has lost its meaning in our present culture. There are fewer and fewer people willing to stay committed to what they say they will do. Being committed is like keeping a promise. Staying true and following through what you started regardless of the inconvenience or hardship that it may cause. As Christians, we came to Christ as sinners, and He forgave us of our past and made us new creatures. We become a follower of Christ. As we walk with Him, we commit our ways to His way and make decisions and promises to follow Him no matter what comes. Our commitment is test and in our own humanity we fall short of keeping that commitment. But, staying true to our word is made possible when we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. It was not until Pentecost that the disciples were able to stay true to their commitment to follow Christ regardless of the circumstances. Before then, they boasted of their commitment, but came short when they were put to the test. What a difference in their commitment when the Holy Spirit came to live and dwell in their hearts. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit with power does not happen by accident. It happens when believers are willing to surrender not only their sins to the cross, but to commit their entire lives to perfect will of God.

Staying Faithful

Jer.3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you:…

Israel struggled with staying faithful to their God. They would become complacent in their faith and the temptations that the heathen world flaunted was often too much to resist. They set for us an example today, if we fail to keep our love and commitment to Christ fresh and alive, unfaithfulness to the one we once loved is possible. It is not the will of God that we wander away from Him and His ways. Staying committed to Christ requires diligence and determination to keep the fires burning in our life. It is easy to let the things of this world pull us down and forget the commitment we made to Him the day we gave our lives to Him. The day we married Christ, we committed ourselves to be faithful and to follow Him wherever He leads. He has promise that even in our wandering, He will continue to call us to return. His heart breaks when we forsake His ways and turn away from His love. It is never too late to turn back to God. His arms are wide open and ready for us to recommit our ways to Him. Turn back my child, He loves you with an everlasting love.

Ruth's Choices

Ruth 1:12-22
March 2nd, 2008

The choice to serve God and to be identified with the people of God is the most important decision in a person’s life. In the Providence of God, Ruth was stripped of all she had hoped and dreamed. Her husband was dead and she was without child. Naomi, desiring to return to her people entreated her two daughter-in-laws to return to their people. Ruth had committed herself to go with Naomi and serve her God. Her decision required her to leave her old life behind and take up “the cross” and follow after the true and only God.

Turning to the World (vs12. Turn again…go your way)
• Naomi had nothing to offer- Do we have anything to offer?
• Satan paints a dreary picture of the Christian way
• It is impossible to live holy- Why even attempt?
Tarry with God’s People (vs.13. Would ye tarry)
• What are you willing to give up to go with God?
• Take up thy cross and follow Christ-
Torn Apart (vs14. Lifted up their voices and wept)
• Orpah decision to return to her own people
• Like the rich man- He left sorrowful
• Tears- Not evidence of righteousness
Total Commitment (vs15. Whither thou goest, I will go)
• Embracing truth
• Willing to go where God leads
• Work wherever God places you
• Willing to identify with the people of God
• Follow Christ- Whatever the cost- even death
Tenacity of Ruth (vs.18, She was steadfastly minded)
• Does not easily give up- see it through
• Determination to stay by and be counted
Traveling to Bethlehem (vs.19 Went until they came to Bethlehem)
• Followed through on her commitment- more than words
• Naomi needed to face her failure of the past
• The timing of God- The beginning of barley season
Testified By God (vs.20. The Lord hath testified against me)
• Mara- Bitter- Naomi became bitter toward life and God
• She blamed God for her misfortunes
• She saw God as a God of vengeance and not mercy
• We must see God as sovereign and in control