Corona Devo 2066

How is our work ethic going lately?

Could anyone accuse us of being more capable than all the others around us?  

When we work/when we serve/when we love.... Do we do so with great ability?  Intention?  Fervor? 

Should we?  Does it really matter how hard we come at life and our assignments within it?  

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, (24) since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.  ~Colossians 3:23-24

It does matter how we live and conduct ourselves if we call ourselves followers of Christ.  He calls us to give life our all.  

And the Bible gives us some great examples to look up to.  

But..(back to us): life's not perfect, is it?  We're not in the situation, or job, or city, or relationship that we want to be in...  We're not getting the pay/respect/accolades that we deserve...  

It's (fill in your blank for "it") not fair.  Life's not fair.

But...(back to the Bible): Meet Daniel.  His nation (Israel) got captured and the king of another country (Babylon) brought the people of Israel back to Babylon as captives.  Daniel's name got changed and he was put in the service of foreign kings (first Nebuchadnezzar and then Darius).  

Daniel's life was not perfect, was it?  He was not in the situation, job, or city that he wanted to be in.  Daniel was a captive (slave), and (when he started), he did not receive the pay/respect/accolades that he deserved.  

What do we do when life is not optimal?  It's easy to fall into a woe-is-me state of mind, and "giving 100%" isn't always the percentage that we exert when life's not perfect.  

But God gives us a good and real-life example of one of His children who did give life his all, even when all of life wasn't perfect.  

Read on to hear about Daniel's work ethic:

Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. (2) The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests. (3) Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.  ~Daniel 6:1-3

Could anyone accuse us of being more capable than all the others around us? 

I hope so.

How do people know us...know of us?  How do people think of us?   

Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.  ~Daniel 6:3

Daniel proved so capable that the other guys got jealous of him.  And instead of emulating and imitating Daniel's aptitude, they seethed and plotted against Daniel with terrible attitudes. 

Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. (5) So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”  ~Daniel 6:4-5

YES, DANIEL!!!

I think I'd like the Bible verses from Daniel 6:4-5 on my tombstone please!  

OH!  That it could be said of US that they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn.  And that we are faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.

What if the only thing that people could hold against us was our passion for God?  

YES!   Handcuff me and lock-me-up if I could be so blessed to be accused of the "faults" that they pinned against Daniel.  

His exemplary work ethic and his faith in God convicted him in his enemies eyes.

YES, DANIEL!  Keep it up, Brother!

And...he did.  The "bad guys" dreamt up a law where anyone praying to anyone other than King Darius would get thrown into a den of lions.  (AKA...if Daniel still prays to his God, then we can throw him to the lions.  They weren't worried about anyone else's loyalty to King Darius, they were only concerned with Daniel and his staunch faith in God.)

Are we making an impression on anyone today because of our faith?  

Love us or hate us...are we different because we are authentic and passionate about our Heavenly Father?

Could anyone accuse us of being more committed to Christ than anything else? ...No matter what?

 So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”  ~Daniel 6:5

And...of course, they found a way devised a way to trap Daniel.  They convinced King Darius to make a law saying that anyone bowing to anyone or anything other than King Darius...would get thrown into the lion's den.

What would we do?  

(Back to us): What did we do when they told us that we could not worship our God at our churches a few years ago?  

Could anyone accuse us of being more committed to Christ than anything else? ...No matter what?

They could accuse Daniel of this commitment to God, and he was faithfully happy to be convicted of it.  The threat of a dance in the lion's den went in one of his ears and out the other for Daniel.  

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. (11) Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. (12) So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law 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?”  

“Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”  

(13) Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.”  

(14) Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament.  ~Daniel 6:10-14

Is our faith (and the way that we live it) so tangible that even those who don't love God (yet), have a love for us? 

I pray that it would be so.  Let us live in these ways for You, Lord!  Amen.

~~~

(16) So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”   ~Daniel 6:16

Faith is contagious.  Keep living for the Lord today!

Persevere...even in times of trial, because people are watching our faith, and our story-of-obedience to God could be the catalyst of someone's relationship with God.

Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. (20) 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?”  

(21) Daniel answered, “Long live the king! (22) 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.”  

(23) 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.  

(24) Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.  

(25) Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you!  (26) “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.  For he is the living God, and he will endure forever.  His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. (27) He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth.  He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”  

(28) So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.  ~Daniel 6:21-28

YES, DANIEL!!!

And YES, LORD!!!

~~~

Could anyone accuse us of being more capable than all the others around us today?  Let's give them reason to.  

Are we making an impression on anyone today because of our faith?  

Could anyone accuse us of being more committed to Christ than anything else? ...No matter what?

Is our faith (and the way that we live it) so tangible that even those who don't love God (yet), have a love for us? 



Whatever God has in front of us today...let's get after it and let's prove ourselves more capable today.

Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other...  ~Daniel 6:3


Blessings,  

sarah  

Https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Corona Devo 1065

Image
It’s never too late to turn to the Lord.   And--it’s never too late to turn back to the Lord.   Do we GET IT?   King Hezekiah GOT IT.   The people in his area (Israel) had not been following the Lord, and they had fallen away from the (God-ordained) traditions that the Lord had designed to connect His people with Himself,  like going to church (Temple), and like celebrating the festival of Passover.  So they sent a proclamation throughout all Israel...inviting everyone to come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover of the  Lord , the God of Israel. The people had not been celebrating it in great numbers as required in the Law ( 2 Chronicles 30:5). Hezekiah  invited the people back to church!  But how to get the word out? He  wrote letters of invitation to the people (2 Chronicles 30:1), but letters without delivery are dead messages.  Hezekiah needed to get the letters ... to God's people! At the king’s command, runners were...
Read more

Corona Devo 1063

Image
Ever been around boys (of any age)?  They don't concern themselves with talking about   other  boys...they are not (usually) comparative that way, and would prefer to be competitive instead.  They are often contented with jokes and sounds, rather than defaming other guys or discussing their shortfalls. But...ever been around women ( of any age )?  For some sinful reason, our conversations often seem to p ick-a-little, talk-a-little, pick some more and talk, talk, talk about other women.  We  simmer into a boil as we digress and regress into unbecoming chatter about   other  women.   It's a terrible habit and yet girls in elementary school don't need to be taught how and even elderly church biddies can't quite fully withdraw.  We all still fall to condemning others  from time to time.  We have this sinful draw to make ourselves feel good by chirping back and forth and making someone   else   feel bad. It's na...
Read more

Corona Devo 1064

Image
The earth is the   Lord ’s, and everything in it.   The world and all its people belong to him.   (2)  For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas  and built it on the ocean depths.   ~Psalm 24:1-2 We belong to Him, but also…our world belongs to Him: and  everything in it .   Everything.   Every tree and flower, every person, every pelican, everything. How are we responding to that glorious Truth today?   Can we praise Him today?  Can we acknowledge and absorb (and respond!) to the awesome Truth that we belong to Him :  the Creator of all things, and our Creator?   He laid the earth’s foundation ...and (even)  the earth  knows that it belongs to him ... Do we? Are we choosing to respond to Him today?   The trees do.    Looking out my window as I read these words of God, I saw these words  proven by God as n aked tree-branch arms were raised in praise of their Creat...
Read more