Daniel 5:22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. (NKJV)
The message version phrases verse 23 this way:
You used the sacred chalices to toast your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone—blind, deaf, and imbecile gods. But you treat with contempt the living God who holds your entire life from birth to death in his hand. The Message (MSG)
When I read verse 23 I was like wow! How do we put all these other things….houses, cars, money, etc. before God and He is the One who gives us breath and life! Just like the King’s son Belshazzar, when life is good and everything we can ever want is at our fingertips, we can be tempted to dishonor or disgrace God. We tend to cherish things that are made out of gold (money), houses made out of wood, and cars made out of iron….that can cause us stress and keep us in debt, instead of cherishing our relationship with the Lord. Take the time to remember that it is only by the grace of God that you have these things in the first place?
Let’s make 2012 the year that we wake up every morning valuing that first breath that God gives us. We serve an awesome God that should be first in our lives, and is greater than “things”. Let us humble ourselves & accept the security and faithfulness of our Almighty God who by His love gives us the Freedom to Love. Amen.
