The Problem With Pride - Daniel 4:37

"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble." King Nebuchadnezzar, like many successful people, developed a pride problem. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a great tree that reached to heaven and an angel was sent to chop down the tree but leave the stump. Nebuchadnezzar's wise men could not interpret the dream so Nebuchadnezzar called on Daniel to interpret the dream. Daniel explained the dream meant that if Nebuchadnezzar did not acknowledge the God of Israel as the One who rules the affairs of mankind, then he must learn this lesson through his own humiliation. A year passed and Nebuchadnezzar was unchanged. One day Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the roof of the royal palace where he could view numerous ornate temples, the hanging gardens (one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world), and the outer wall of the city, which was wide enough for chariots driven by four horses to pass each other on the top of the wall. As he looked at these notable accomplishments, Nebuchadnezzar boasted to himself of his mighty power and glory (vs. 30). Immediately, he heard a voice from heaven pronounce judgment on him and Nebuchadnezzar lost his sanity and was driven away from Babylon and lived as a wild animal for a period of time. At the end of God's appointed time of judgment, Nebuchadnezzar's reason returned and his kingdom was restored and he acknowledged that God was supreme over him. Nebuchadnezzar learned that God can humble the proud as well as exalt the humble. Do you have a problem with pride? If so, don't wait for God to teach you a hard lesson. If Nebuchadnezzar had humbled himself as Daniel advised, God would not need to have humbled him. So, follow the advice Daniel gave to King Nebuchadnezzar and repent of your pride, practice righteousness, and show compassion to others (vs. 27).

Resolute Faith - Daniel 3:17-18

"Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." How much stress can your faith handle? When Judah was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, many young Jewish men of noble birth were taken to the king's palace and instructed in the literature and language of the Chaldeans. One of these young Jewish men, Daniel, interpreted a dream Nebuchadnezzar had and was promoted to prime minister over the province of Babylon. Daniel requested the king to appoint his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as cabinet ministers over the affairs of the province. Later, Nebuchadnezzar built a ninety-foot image of gold and ordered all nations under his rule to worship the golden image. He made it a capital offense to refuse or neglect to worship the image. When Daniel's friends refused to worship the image, they knew it meant a death sentence--and an agonizing one at that. Nebuchadnezzar ordered the three young men to be bound and thrown into a fiery furnace heated to seven times its usual capacity. The fire in the furnace was so hot it killed the men who who took Daniel's friends up to the furnace and the three young men fell bound into the furnace. Apparently, their bindings were burnt off because they were seen by Nebucadnezzar and his advisors walking around in the fiery furnace with a fourth person (vs. 25). The fourth person was either an angel or a preincarnate appearance of Christ (called a Christophany) sent to provide protection for the three young men from the intense heat of the furnace. They were so well protected from the fire that no hair on their head was singed, their clothing was not burned, and they didn't even smell like smoke! Nebuchadnezzar was so astonished that he offered praise to God and issued a new decree to make it a capital offense to speak against God. And the king was so impressed by their faith that he gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego a big promotion. How resolute and uncompromising is your faith in God? Like the three young men in this story, you must be determined to be faithful to God whether or not he delivers you out of adversity.

We Shall Overcome - 1 John 5:4-5

"For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" The Apostle John reiterates what Jesus told His disciples in John 16:33. Jesus said that He has overcome the world and so John says that everyone who has faith in Jesus also overcomes the world. Our faith in Jesus is the basis for a right relationship with God and, therefore, directly connects us to His overcoming power. We overcome the world because Jesus already did. Although we encounter adversity in this world, we enjoy victory over the adversity because we now live in a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

No Bullying Allowed - 1 John 4:4

"You are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." According to the Apostle John, there is a bully in this world who actively works against God by threatening, intimidating, tempting, and deceiving people including the children of God with his evil influences: "This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already" (vs. 3). Fortunately, we have a Big Brother who is bigger and stronger than the bully who thinks he controls this world. In fact, our Big Brother, Jesus, has already overcome and defeated this bully. Therefore, the Spirit of Jesus who dwells in us is more powerful than the evil spirit, Satan, who controls this world. You have nothing to fear from this bully. Whenever this bully threatens or intimidates you, you can call on your Big Brother, Jesus, who is always near because His Spirit dwells in you to help you take on and defeat this bully.

We Shall Be Like Him - 1 John 3:2

"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is." The Apostle John indicates that Christ is the prototype for our own resurrection. In other words, our resurrected bodies will take the same form as the resurrected Christ. Although Christ has been raised from the dead, we have not yet been raised. So we have hope for being resurrected from the dead and having resurrection bodies like Jesus, but, as John points out, "we are God's children now." So the redeemed of God have one foot in eternity and one foot in this present world. But the power of Christ's resurrection is already at work to purify us so that we start becoming like Christ now: "And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure" (vs. 3). John goes on to say that God's chidren do not make a practice of sinning (vs 4), but instead practice righteousness (vs. 7). You are enabled to practice righteousness because you are born of God and have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you and working through the Word of God to empower you to refrain from sinning and to practice righteousness (vs. 9-10).

The Beginning of the End - I John 2:17

"And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." Human beings are creatures of eternity. God created people for eternity and eternity is ever present in the life you now live. Your life as a child of God is about living for a future hope through your present reality. The beginning of the end of this world started with the first coming of Jesus. So you must learn how to live with one foot in this present world and one foot in eternity. When you do the will of God in this present life, you are beginning to experience eternal life. Dallas Willard says that as you integrate your life into the unseen and spiritual world of God, your life on this earth begins to take on the nature of the eternal. Eternity begins now with this present life, so live today like it's the first day of the rest of your eternal life.

Successful Service - 2 Chronicles 31:21

"And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered."

During his reign over Judah, King Hezekiah cleansed the temple, restored temple worship, and organized the priests.

In other words, he made serving God his personal and professional responsibility and he was successful at it.

Hezekiah's formula for success in serving God was simple:

1. Align your service to God with His commands;
2. Seek God's will in everything you do for Him; and
3. Make serving God your main priority.

You can be successful for God if you will follow this simple formula for serving Him.