More Than Bread

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We live in a turbulent, conflict-friendly culture that in sometimes is not very friendly to faith. The book of Daniel has much to say to us and our culture. And as I read Daniel's book, my hope is reinforced by Daniel's life. Because of Daniel's life, I believe that no matter what happens on election day (or any other day to be honest), the day after God will still be in control of whomever thinks they are in control. That brings a certain sense of hope and humility to my heart. Humility is where we will hang out in this episode. 

Because thriving hearts are humble hearts! 

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None of us are exactly the same; there are uniqueness to us all. But regardless of  our differences, we're united in this fact, we long to thrive and that longing is universal, not sinful. In fact, perhaps the greatest lie of our age is that God doesn't want you to thrive. God's holding out on you. But if believing that God doesn't want you to thrive is the greatest lie, the second lie is like it. We can thrive on our own in our own way. 

God wants you to thrive, but it won't happen apart from Him. Daniel 4 gives us a picture of the journey to thriving!

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In Daniel chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzer (the guy who had people thrown into a furnace because they wouldn't worship him) becomes a humble God-follower. He sends his God-story out to all the nations of the world. The King of Babylon sends a letter to the known world recounting the glory of the KING of the Whole World. Imagine for a moment what an amazing letter this would have been for the God-followers in Babylon. The least-likely-to-believe has become the most well-known follower of God in the world!

So who gets the least-likely-to-believe award in your life? Imagine if God did in them, what He did in Neb!

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As we spend one last episode on the sacred encounter that Daniel's three friends had with God in fiery furnace, let me simply say, "Sometimes God chooses not to protect us from the fire because He wants to meet us in the fire. As I think about those moments, I can't help but wonder what they talked about in the fire. I wonder if the Savior told them how proud Father God was of their devotion. I wonder if he told them that because of their devotion, people would know their names, thousands of years later, that here in in this podcast people would be pondering their devotion to God, their willingness to step forward in dangerous obedience.  Jesus met them in the fire. 

Often we go through life without any awareness of the presence of God, until we step into the fire.

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Have you ever had a sacred encounter with God? What was it like? Did it fill you with wonder or dread or maybe conviction...or a little of all three? As we head back into Daniel 3, we will see that the risky step of faith that Daniel's friends took led them to the most amazing sacred encounter with God, that they could have imagined. It was a such a sacred encounter that it even caused King Nebuchadnezzer to worship the one true God.

After reading Daniel 3, while I'm not hoping for a blazing furnace, I am asking God for a sacred encounter!

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First of all, forgive the coughing interruptions in this one. I had a tickle in my throat that just wouldn't go away! More importantly, as we turn to Daniel 3, we dive into one of my favorite stories in the book of Daniel. It's all about the choice that Daniel's three friends made to worship God alone, even at the risk of being thrown into a fiery furnace. I love their answer to the King... "We know that our God is able to deliver us, but even if He won't, we still will not worship another god."

Wow. That's courageous integrity! Have you ever been faced with an opportunity to take a risky step of faith? Doing what's right, even if it leads to the fire?

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You may have noticed that every once in awhile as we’ve gone through the first two chapters of Daniel, I’ve made an application to the political arena in which we find ourselves today. Actually it’s part of why I chose Daniel. I think Daniel has some important stuff to say to Christians in our current culture, including our political culture. So that’s going to shape my this episode, as we review chapters one and two. 

And to be honest, more than anything, this review gives me hope, because when we wake up on the morning after election day, God is still in control of whomever thinks they are in control! Choose your Kingdom well!

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There is one Kingdom and only one Kingdom that will last forever, that's the Kingdom of God; the big K. John tells us in the book of Revelation that at the end of time, the only party that will matter is the wedding party at the reception for Christ and his bride the church. At that party there will be no donkey's or elephants, only the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

So live and love and work and play and yes, even vote as someone who is part of the family of the King who leads the Kingdom that will never end. What kingdom are you living for?

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Faced with the daunting challenge of a life-time (while probably still a teenager) Daniel resorted to prayer. He went back to his friends and asked them to pray.  Faced with an impossible situation, Daniel's first thing is to create time for prayer.  Corrie Ten Boom who survived a Nazi concentration camp, facing a variety of  impossible situations, once said, "When you face an impossible challenge in your life, if you look around you will be distressed. If you look within you will be  depressed. If you look up you will find rest."

Daniel looks up. He knows that impossible situations require the God of the impossible. So Daniel made prayer his first thing. Is prayer your first thing?

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Every miracle begins with a problem. No problem, no need for a miracle.  Now I'm not talking about the everyday miracles of life. When I talk about a miracle, I'm not talking about the Vikings winning the Super Bowl. I'm taking about coming to those points in life where we realize that if God doesn't show up we're going under. If God doesn't throw the ball, catch the ball, and score the touchdown, we're gonna lose the game. I'm talking about being in a place of desperation
and fear...where it seems like life is on the line and we've run out of hope. 

Did you ever notice how everyone, including me; everyone wants a miracle, but no one wants to need one? But every miracle begins with a problem. What problems do you have that are in need of a miracle?