MERCY: THE THEME OF OUR SONG (Daniel 9)
Read: Daniel 9:1-23 "His mercies are new every morning". Post those six words on the mirror that you look into each morning. Affix them on the door of your refrigerator. Tape them to the dashboard of your car. Glue them on the inside of your glasses. Put them somewhere where you will see them every day. Don't allow yourself to have a view of yourself, of others, of circumstances, of daily joys and struggles, of God, of meaning and purpose, and of what life is all about that is devoid of this gorgeous redemptive reality: mercy. Mercy is the theme
Appalled But Productive (Daniel 8)
READ: Daniel 8 The vision in Daniel 8 is appalling. The great beastly enemy of God is allowed to kill huge numbers of saints. His power shall be great...and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. (Daniel 8:24) Daniel is made sick by the vision. But in spite of being sick and appalled, he does his work. And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not
Regroup on the Book of Daniel!
As we wade into the back end of the book of Daniel in our study on Sunday mornings, now would be a great time to take less than 10 minutes to watch this super helpful little overview by the Bible Project. They masterfully show how the book fits together and help provide a framework for these difficult visions in the latter chapters. Overview of Daniel Enjoy!
The Ancient of Days and the Son of Man (Daniel 7)
READ: Daniel 7 The title Son of Man appears in the New Testament four times outside of the Gospels. It is used for our Savior unambiguously in three places (Acts 7:56; Rev. 1:13; 14:14), but whether Hebrews 2:6 intends it as a title for Jesus is debatable. Since it is Jesus’ favorite title for Himself, it seems strange that it is not found more often in the apostolic writings. Maybe the original audiences of the epistles did not know the title’s meaning as well as the Gospels’ first readers. As we continue to study the meaning of this title, we must first consider what it does
WELCOME TO EXILE: IT’S GOING TO BE OK.
READ: Daniel 6 When I was a child, I was taught this chorus: This world is not my home,I’m just a-passing through.My treasures are laid upSomewhere beyond the blue. Honestly, until recently I had no idea what I was singing. For us in the English-speaking West, this world has tended to feel very much like home, and our treasures have been right before our eyes. Perhaps it is only in the last few years in the United States that we have finally faced that what the Bible says is true: in this world we really are sojourners and exiles (1 Pet.
Humbled By the Hand of God
Read: Daniel 5 Humility is not self-taught. Try as we might, we don't just up and humble ourselves by our own bootstraps. Within measure, we can take certain kinds of initiatives to cultivate a posture of humility in ourselves, but the main test (and opportunity) comes when we are confronted, unsettled, and accosted, in the moments when our semblances of control vanish and we’re taken off guard by life in a fallen world — and the question comes to us: How will you respond to these humbling circumstances? Will you humble yourself? Humility Received, Not Achieved God takes the initiative
Thirty Manifestations of Pride and Humility
Last week Larry mentioned that there was a "Craig's List," where I had developed a list of ways Pride could be displayed in a person's life. It is true that I provided Larry a list, but this is not a list that I created. It is a list developed by Stuart Scott, in his book, The Exemplary Husband. Scott calls this list, Thirty Manifestations of Pride. He also provides Thirty Manifestations of Humility. Each of these lists have been useful to me, but particularly the Manifestations of Pride. Scott is surgical in his ability to cut directly to the heart with each example on the list.
CS Lewis’ Masterpiece on Pride
I referred to this terribly insightful chapter on pride (he calls it “the Great Sin”) from his book, Mere Christianity. Enjoy! the-great-sinDownload
How to Weaken Pride and Cultivate Humility
Read Daniel 4 As you enter my office there are two things that are likely to grab your attention. First is the collection of instruments from all over the world hanging on my walls and on top of my bookshelves. They remind me of the people groups and missionaries who are seeking to raise up worshippers who will sing to Christ their king using the instruments of their culture.The second thing you'll notice is the library of books on the shelves under those instruments. I confess I'm not an avid reader, but over time, it's pretty remarkable the number of pages a person can consume. Most of
God and Our Dreams
READ: Daniel 2 Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, located between Saudi Arabia and Oman. The government graciously allows Christians from other countries to establish churches there, and to worship freely. And God has led us to plant an English-speaking international church in this strategic city. This started with a dream — literally, while I was sleeping. I saw myself being sent out from our existing church to some other undisclosed ministry. The idea of being led by a dream might sound strange in the West today, but in Scripture we often see God speaking through
