2 Kings 1
13 So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. “Man of God,” he begged, “please have respect for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! 14 See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!” 15 The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.
Attitude! Notice how the third captain went to Elijah. Although the other two captains called Elijah “man of God,” they were not being genuine – God was not in their hearts. The third captain also called him “man of God,” but he humbly begged for mercy. His attitude showed respect for God and his power and saved the lives of his men. Effective living begins with a right attitude toward God. Before religious words come to your mouth, make sure they are from your heart. Let respect, humility, and servant hood characterize your attitude toward God and others.
2 Thessalonians 1
5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
As we live for Christ, we will experience troubles because we are trying to be God’s people in a perverse world. Some people say that troubles are the result of sin and lack of faith, but Paul teaches that they may be part of God’s plan for believers. Our problems can help us look upward and forward, instead of inward, and they can provide us with opportunities to comfort others who are also struggling. Your struggles might be an indication that you are taking a stand for Christ. When you do so, you are experiencing the privilege of showing that you are worthy of God’s kingdom.
Daniel 5
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking
Yes I also had to take a double take on this one. A human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall. Freaky, but got me thinking. Have you heard the saying “The writing is on the wall”? I have heard it many times and was taken aback when I saw it mentioned here in Daniel 5. So I went and looked it up on Wikipedia and look what it says: “The writing on the wall” is an idiomatic expression that suggests a portent of doom or misfortune, based on the story of Belshazzar’s feast in the book of Daniel. Just a little snippet of information right there.
The Lord works in mysterious ways, doesn’t He? How awesome are you when you can make a human hand appear and write a message on a wall? Our God is awesome!
Psalm 110
This is the most quoted psalm in the New Testament because of it’s clear reference to the messiah.
Psalm 111
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise
The only way to become truly wise is to fear (revere) God. Too often people want to skip this step, thinking they can become wise by life experience and academic knowledge alone. But if we do not acknowledge God as the source of wisdom, then our foundation for making wise decisions is shaky, and we are prone to mistakes and foolish choices.
God Bless
Sixty-six books in a year 