Pointing to Jesus

We read from Daniel and heard about King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king that was ruling over God’s people. He had a dream which concerned him, so he went to his wisemen, magicians, etc. to find the answer. What complicated things was that he wanted them not only to give the meaning, but to tell him what the dream was. As they couldn’t answer, the kings was going to have all of them killed. When Daniel heard of the dilemma, he asked the king to give him time to seek God’s direction. Daniel asked Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to seek God with him. The next day, Daniel was able to give the king the answers he sought, but Daniel was very clear about the source. Daniel told the king he was going to inquire of God and then told the king that God had been the source of the answers. Then I look at the world around me and see so many that are willing to take credit for things they didn’t do and try to succeed on the backs of others. We need to give credit where credit is due. Martin Luther, when talking about the Third Article of the Apostles Creed wrote, "I know that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Christ my Lord or come to Him". There is no misunderstanding who Luther was giving credit to. We may be able to work at sharpening our gifts and abilities, but all we have is a gift from God. The great athlete may have worked hard, but to core of who he is is from God. The genius may have studied and worked to get to where she was, but it is still God’s gift to her. Even more, we see that in our walk with God. We cannot believe unless the Holy Spirit draws us to God. We are told to ask God for wisdom and that He will give us generously... God’s gift. The fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control... all God’s gift to us. So, what is left for us to boast about? We can only truly boast about our God, for He is worthy of all praise, and honor, and glory, and power. It is sometimes hard to be both grateful and give credit to God. When someone says they liked the sermon, I honestly say, if it was truly good, it was only because I listened to God, not my own work. Lord, help us to be able to do amazing things in Your name, but in all that takes place, we want to give You the glory and praise. Amen