Photo Credits~

(owl:donaldthompson95 on flickr, luna:BillLepidoptera/harkphoto.com on flickr, willow/fence:trensamiro on flickr, all remaining: Merana Leigh)

Psalm 25:4-5

Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;

guide me in your truth and teach me,


for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long (NIV)





Drench yourself in words unspoken, Live your life with arms wide open,

Today is where your book begins, The rest is still unwritten. ("Unwritten" by Natasha Beddingfield)





It matters not how long we live, but how!



Friday, January 7, 2011

Hidden Treasure #3

Ok, so Hidden Treasure #3 continues my "series" (I use that term oh-so-loosely!) of Hidden Treasures in the Bible. You know....the last one being in S-E-P-T-E-M-B-E-R??!! (I'm SOOOOO bad! But hey, I said then that I had more to follow, so work with me here!)

Anyway....

King Nebuchadnezzar was a walking contradiction...rather like a fish out of water flopping around on the dock every which way. In Daniel 2:47 he says, "Sure your God is the God of gods..." only to have forgotten by Daniel 3:15c "then what God will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

then....

Daniel 3:28 “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”

then...

Daniel 4:2 "It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me."

then...

Daniel 4:8 "after the name of my god"

to....

Daniel 4:9 "...I know the spirit of the holy gods is in you."


Makes ya just want to scream at him, "Well, which is it? The Most Holy God? My god? The gods? What?"

'Ol Nebbie was warned in his dream, rightfully interpreted by Daniel. He could have, should have, changed his ways, but he didn't. His ego...no, his delusion reached great levels to say in Daniel 4:30 "Is it not...that I have built...by my mighty power & for the glory of my majesty.."

But it was all an illusion. Just as we, too, have them. We get lost in the illusion of people, places, things. Many sport stars & celebrities fit here with the mistake that "no one can touch me. I can do whatever I please & no one can touch me." (ok, granted, society tolerates far too much from these egotistical so-&-so's, but....). But we get wrapped up in thinking that our worth is wrapped up in our cars, our homes, our clothing, or our possessions. Your "image", the way you present yourself to the world becomes increasingly important to you. But cars can be damaged, twisted, totalled. Homes can be flooded, struck by lightning, flooded, blown away by a tornado, destroyed. Clothing...well, it can be ripped or torn...or (gasp) someone else wear the same thing on the same day. The point is, possessions can be taken away in one swoop!

And let me say that sadly I've seen people treat their children in this image illusion. The child does something and instead of saying, "What were you thinking? Don't you know you or someone else could have been hurt? Or the damage that could have been done?" from a caring, but stern response, the parent says "How could you do this to me?" As tho' their image is ruined. To those people I would say "Maybe they did it just to get some attention from you!" I have always said that I think people lash out and do stupid things because in their mind, negative attention is better than no attention. It's a cry for help...to be truly loved & cared for.

We need to remember these hidden treasures:

Jonah 2:8 - "Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them."
Daniel 4:37b - And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Re-read Daniel. Ol' King Nebbie sure got humbled!

Always remember - God gave us [this] book so we would know how to live today with tomorrow in mind. (Ray Stedman)

Please visit Spiritual Sundays for so much grace that the Lord shares through all of us who meet there!

10 comments:

  1. I pray that we all let go of any idols in our lives - the obvious ones and the subtle ones that seem so harmless. Thank you for sharing this truth!

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  2. Thank you for sharing your insight into these scriptures and applying it to our lives today.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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  3. Hi Merana...I love this...and I posted too about miracles....the awesome power of His touch when things seem so impossible. Danial is one of my favorite stories. thanks for this post.

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  4. You are right we do need to remember those hidden treasures. Thank-you for sharing these scripture in Daniel today.
    Blessings,
    Ginger

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  5. Hi Merana,

    We perch ourselves on the thin line of life, often taking for granted the grace given to us by God. I have walked that tightrope of pride and arrogance, the fall is painful and humbling. I have come to realize the grace God bestowed on me and its priceless wonder.

    Thanks for sharing this Hidden Treasure.

    Blessings and peace.

    MTJ

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  6. A good reminder today! God bless.

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  7. That was a lot of deep thinking and I enjoyed and was inspired reading it. Have a blessed Sunday.

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  8. So many people these days try to find their identity in their jobs, their homes, their social status. But none of those things are really who we are and as you said they can be taken away in a heartbeat. Our identity is found only in Christ.

    I've often wondered why King "Nebbie" never seemed to "get it." With all the miraculous signs performed before his very eyes he still strayed. But then, there have been many times in my life when I didn't "get it" in spite of God proving Himself over and over.

    Great post, Merana and it's good to have you back!

    Blessings,
    Joan

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  9. May God remove the "Nebbie" in me - when I look to other things besides HIM alone to meet my needs.

    Thanks for sharing.

    GOD BLESS!

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  10. Great lesson here. What worthless idols are in my life and what am I clinging to. Praise God that He doesn't give up on us when pride gets in the way, but He gently humbles us so that we may be open to His love and grace.
    Blessings,
    Janis

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