VIDEO God of gods

[King Nebuchadnezzar] answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”  Daniel 2:47

Miracles occurred during the ministry of Moses, during the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, during the ministry of Jesus, and during the ministries of the apostles. In every case, they served to authenticate that the words being attributed to God were actually from God. And the miracles they performed had a dramatic effect on those who witnessed them.

Miracles also occurred during the life of Daniel in Babylon. When the King of Babylon had a dream, he insisted that his counselors first reveal the dream before declaring its meaning. They were shocked: Who could possibly know what another person dreamed? But it was a reasonable request. Otherwise, how could the king know the counselors truly had divine power? So God gave both the dream and its meaning to Daniel who then told the king. It was a miracle that had its intended effect. The king declared Daniel’s God to be the God of all gods.

We have these miracles recorded in Scripture for the same purpose: to remind us that Who is truly God of all gods.

The God of the Bible is God alone…all other gods are idols. R. B. Kuiper

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Daniel 2:46-49, Daniel’s Promotion

When Life Is Hard

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:2

Physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, I curled up in my recliner. Our family had followed God’s leading and had moved from California to Wisconsin. After we arrived, our car broke down and left us without a vehicle for two months. Meanwhile, my husband’s limited mobility after an unexpected back surgery and my chronic pain complicated our unpacking. We uncovered costly problems with our new-to-us, old home. Our senior dog suffered with health issues. And though our new pup brought great joy, raising a furry ball of energy was far more work than anticipated. My attitude soured. How was I supposed to have unshakable faith while traveling on a bumpy road of hardships?

As I prayed, God reminded me of the psalmist whose praise didn’t depend on circumstances. David poured out his emotions, often with great vulnerability, and sought refuge in the presence of God (Psalm 16:1). Acknowledging God as provider and protector (vv. 5–6), he praised Him and followed His counsel (v. 7). David affirmed that he would “not be shaken” because he kept his eyes “always on the Lord” (v. 8). So, he rejoiced and rested secure in the joy of God’s presence (vv. 9–11).

We too can delight in knowing our peace doesn’t depend on our present situation. As we thank our unchanging God for who He is and always will be, His presence will fuel our steadfast faith.

By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

How can offering God praise for His unchanging character and wondrous works increase your faith during challenging circumstances? What situations do you need to place in God’s trustworthy hands?

Thanks for being You, Father!

Truth About Self-Love

Galatians 5:13-26

In many places, the Bible says, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 19:19; Gal. 5:14), but we often overlook the “as yourself” part. We can’t fully love God or anyone else unless we love ourselves. This means realizing that we’re a child of God, created for fellowship with Him.Everyone’s valuable to the Lord. But our self-worth is rooted in the fact that we have a relationship with God. We need to care for ourselves because He’s offered us salvation, given us the Holy Spirit, and developed a unique plan for our life.

Love of self is essential to God’s plan for every believer. He wants us to exercise proper care for ourselves, which helps us relate to Him. If we dislike ourselves, we may feel unworthy of God’s love and refuse to approach Him as Father. But love teaches us to see ourselves the way He sees us—as His beloved children, each with unique gifts and talents.

Whoever you are and whatever your circumstances may be, I can tell you something about yourself. God has a special plan for you. But He can’t set you on the path to achieving His goals for your life until you recognize your worth and learn to love the person He created you to be.

Valentine’s Own Day

“Who so findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” (Proverbs 18:22)

Embedded in many of our customs and holidays are a mixture of pagan and biblical principles. Saint Valentine’s Day is no exception. Mystery surrounds who Valentine really was. He was probably a priest martyred in 269 AD at Rome. Among Roman Catholics, he is called the patron saint of affianced couples, beekeepers, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travelers, and young people. He is one busy (and confused) man!

In the Western world, the emphasis is on human expressions of love and friendship. That is certainly important and, when guided by the biblical principles, a godly ardor worth commemorating.

Here are a few guidelines to remember this season:

• “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good” (Romans 12:9).
• “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).
• “See that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22).
• “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).
• “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2).

The objective of every kind of biblical “love” is stated in Paul’s prayer for the Philippian church: “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9). HMM III

Confirming The Signs

And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with mem, and confirming the word with signs following.

—Mark 16:20

 

Such words as these in the second chapter of Hebrews stand as a rebuke to the unbelieving Christians of our day: “God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will” (Hebrews 2:4). A cold Church is forced to “interpret” such language. She cannot enter into it, so she explains it away. Not a little juggling is required, and not a few statements for which there is no scriptural authority, but anything will do to save face and justify our half-dead condition. Such defensive exegesis is but a refuge for unbelieving orthodoxy, a hiding place for a Church too weak to stand.

No one with a knowledge of the facts can deny the need for supernatural aid in the work of world evangelization. We are so hopelessly outclassed by the world’s superior strength that for us it means either God’s help or sure defeat. The Christian who goes out without faith in “wonders” will return without fruit. No one dare be so rash as to seek to do impossible things unless he has first been empowered by the God of the impossible. “The power of the Lord was there” is our guarantee of victory.   PTP012-013

May the power of the Lord be with me in my ministry, so that I might not be “outclassed by the world’s superior strength.” Amen.

 

No Twilight Zone

He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

—John 3:36

 

Some teachers have tried to enshroud Jesus in a pink fog of sentimentality. But there is really no excuse for misunderstanding Him. He drew the line as taut as a violin string. He said, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad” (Matthew 12:30)….

At that great day when He judges mankind, Jesus says He “shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.” The one group “shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (25:32, 46). Those statements leave no twilight zone, no in-between.

Consider the benefits promised to the true disciples. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). No one can know truth except the one who obeys truth….Truth is in the text, but it takes the text plus the Holy Spirit to bring truth to a human soul. FBR063-064

God has solemnly told us in His Word that there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Only Jesus can save. MM056

 

God’s Valentine

John 3:16

The wedding of an older couple was the topic of a television soap opera conversation.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Raquel.

“Wonderful?” asked Rita.

“Yeah. It’s so romantic. Just think, at their age! There’s hope for us all!”

Everyone loves a wedding, even if many of them do result in marriages that end in tears a few years later.

A wedding is always a time of hope. Never mind “for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.” At a wedding everyone is optimistic. After all, the two participants are in love aren’t they?

Love will certainly be on the agenda for a lot of people this Valentine’s Day. Men and women around the world will be saying it with flowers, chocolates, cards, and helium-filled balloons, and personal classified ads in the newspapers.

“I love you,” they will declare.

And for a great many of them it will be a case of “at their age, too!”

Raquel is right. It is romantic. And there is hope for us all.

The world needs more love—love between individuals that will spill over into love for others, love even for the unlovely and the unloved, love such as that demonstrated in the life and teaching of Jesus.

Jesus was taken in by no one. He knew people’s faults, but He also saw the good in them. And He loved them for it. And, as the New Testament records, time and again people responded to His love. They wanted to be what He showed them they were capable of becoming.

Valentine’s Day is a good day to start following Jesus’ example. As the song says, “You’re nobody until somebody loves you.” John 3:16 reminds us that God loves the world, each one of us: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one arid only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” And that makes everybody a “somebody!”

On this Valentine’s Day, when love for others is expressed, let us respond more than ever to that greatest love of all, the marvelous love of God for us, by committing more of our life to Christ. It’s a gift that promises eternal and matchless returns.

That’s why, as Raquel said, there’s hope for us all!

Charles King, The War Cry, U.K.