Today is a new day to accomplish the will of the Lord. Thank you for taking a moment to read this sermon. I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to post it.
Today, we are once again studying what we can learn from the life of the prophet Daniel. For this particular message, I want us to focus on the overall life of Daniel. What are some of his characteristics that should be part of our lives.
One of the things that I have noticed in our study of Daniel is that Daniel was a person who didn't let negative cicumstances get him down. Daniel was taken from a life of privilege and made a servant in the Babylonian court. In later life he was forgotten by the king's successor until remembered in an hour of need. Daniel tried to do his best in his land of captivity, and he still ended up in a den of lions. Through all of these setbacks and negative occurrences, Daniel always tried to do his best to serve the Lord. That is an inspiration to me to live for Jesus even in trying and challenging circumstances.
Another characteristics I see in Daniel is a desire to do what is right no matter the cost. Even as a young man, Daniel would not eat the king's unclean food. As an old man, he would rather face the lions than stop communicating with the Lord in prayer. Daniel is an example to all of us to keep serving Jesus when others look down upon us for our faith. He is an example of courage in adversity. He shows us that do what the Lord commands is the most important thing in life. Following Jesus isn't usually popular. The Bible tells us that those who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. In spite of that, we must do what is right and honor God.
One final point that I want to bring out is that Daniel was a man of prayer. We know that it was Daniel's custom to pray every day. When faced with interpreting the king's dreams or visions given to him by God, Daniel sought the Lord's guidance. Sometimes, the answer came right away. As we will see next week, sometimes he had to wait for the answer. Prayer is a privilege. It is our opportunity to communicate with the God of all creation. If you haven't been making prayer a regular part of your life, start by praying the Lord's Prayer every day. The more you pray, the easier it becomes. Soon, you will be following the admonition of the apostle Paul to pray without ceasing.
There will be two more messages in our series in Daniel. I've just completed a book I've been working on on Psalms. In the weeks to come, I will be presenting that material here on the blog. More on that later. In the meantime, let us continue to learn from God's servant Daniel. Amen.
Prayer Requests And Other Matters.
This week at work has been difficult. Please pray that I will have the strength to keep going. Also, please pray that I will have the financial resources that I need for some things I need to pay at the end of the month.
The coronavirus pandemic continues. It is very bad in the US. Please pray that this pandemic will end. Pray that people in my country will start thinking about others and start wearing masks. We should all thank God that some countries such as New Zealand are not seeing new coronavirus cases right now. Pray that all who are sick will recover.
For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in Libya and Mongolia. Pray that many will experience the love of Jesus.
Remember to keep praying for peace. Let us focus on Syria and Yemen this week.
Next week, we will continue in Daniel. The verses will be posted on Monday, and I will try to post a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
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