I have been blogging about Daniel and his friends making a commitment to follow the Lord during difficult and dark times. One of the things the Lord did for these young believers is bless them mightily for their obedience.

17 And as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams. 18 Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s personal service. 20 And as for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm. 21 And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king. Daniel 1:17-21

Here is the question we have to ask ourselves… What God did for Daniel and his buddies, will he do for you and me? Does God still multiply wisdom and understanding, and is He still able to make people ten times “smarter/wiser” than the smartest people on the planet? Would God be willing to bless you with a ten fold blessing?

Some people have a difficult time believing God wants to bless them. They find it easier to believe in a “closed heaven” than an “open heaven.” Consequently, they have a negative view of God, not a positive.

Here is the truth: God is not trying to exclude you, He is seeking desperately to include you. If the story of Daniel ended at verse twenty-one, it would be a fairy-tale ending. We would have read… “And they lived happily ever-after .” This is not the ending of the book, but only the beginning  God has work to do and now He has some partners who wish to work with Him. God doesn’t simply bless us in order for us to have… He blesses us in order for Him to make His..story. This is why this story is not a fairy-tale,  but a divinely inspired historical account of God changing the destiny of a nation.

Here is my point and I will leave you alone today… Before we can gain the approval of a King or the world, we must first gain the approval of God. When we seek God’s approval first, out ranking the world will be easy. Seeking to preserve purity not only brought Daniel and his friends the commendation of God, it also resulted in the commendation of a heathen potentate. He didn’t care about the Lord, only results. The King’s lessons would come later. Understand, favor with God ultimately led to favor with men.

Put God first, and you’ll never be last.

I don’t believe God is finished looking for “a few good men and women.” He is still searching for some Daniels or Danielles which He can bless ten-fold. God still needs some men and women He can place in high positions. Are you one of these types of people who will be trustworthy when given such an opportunity  Being blessed is only the beginning.

Blessings,

Pastor