November 28

Daniel 5:1-31, 2 Peter 2:1-22, Psalm 119:113-128, Proverbs 28:19-20 

Pray: Dear Lord, thank You so much for another day of life on Earth. Thank You for another beautiful sunrise to enjoy. Thank You for the wonderful sounds of nature, from the cool breeze brushing through the trees to the birds singing melodies. You are a wonderful God, full of grace and mercy. I praise You for allowing me another day to spend with my family. I love You Father! Amen.

Read: Our Daniel passage gives us a glimpse at the supernatural. Can you imagine how you would react if you suddenly see mysterious words being written on a wall by a hand that didn’t have a body (at least it doesn’t seem to)? We also read of how Daniel steps in once again and delivers the bad news to the king that replaced Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel never lost touch with his identity as a believer in God, which allowed him to interpret the writing on the wall immediately when no one else could. When we trust in God to provide for our every need we can, like Daniel, tell people to “keep their gifts” (vs. 17). We find our identity in God Himself and we don’t need to have the affection of others to give us our fulfillment.

Edify: Jesus always taught that there would be false teachers and that followers of Him must be always alert. This was one of those times. Peter took time to combat the teachers of the false teachers who were preaching to “itching ears” and were willing to give the people what they wanted to hear. This confusing message is just as common today. Peter says it this way in verse 17, “These people are as useless as dried-up springs of water or as clouds blown away by the wind – promising much and delivering nothing”. Unfortunately, there are many churches that are finding fame and success teaching false doctrine because they are giving the people what they want and not necessarily what the Bible tells us. The Bible is offensive and living the life of a fully devoted follower of Jesus is difficult and unrewarding at times, but we were never made for this Earth. Our reward lies in Heaven if we are faithful to our mission. 

Practice: Let’s be willing to go about the difficult work of living the truth and sharing the truth. As you go about your day, beware of those things that seem too good to be true… they probably are.