You know THOSE kinds of people. When anything happens, they want people to think about them, or give them credit. They’re the kind of people where the most dangerous place in the world is between them and a camera. Many years ago, one of my younger siblings heard a cousin tell people that she had made something, which elicited great praise. So, at the age of 3 or 4, anytime someone got a gift of sometime, we were always told that she had made it. That kind of attention seeking is cute in one so young, but it gets pretty disgusting when people who are older start vying for that kind of attention.
Some of the worst cults in American history were cults that were so personality driven that they got mad if the members of their organization didn’t focus everything they had on that leader. Daniel could have sought that kind of focus. He could have told the king that God had chosen him because he, Daniel, was so special. Instead, he showed humility by giving credit to God for all that he was able to do in knowing and interpreting the dream the king had. “Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these…” (Daniel 2:27-28)
The king had a dream that troubled him. He demanded an explanation, on threat of death, as to the meaning of the dream. In addition, the person supposed to explain the dream wasn’t going to be told the dream. The task was impossible: the wise man who was supposed to interpret the dream the king had without any clue what the dream was. God gave Daniel knowledge of the dream and then the interpretation. It would have been easy for Daniel to take all the credit for knowing and understanding the dream. Who else would know how God spoke to him? Instead, Daniel, throughout the exchange with the king, gave credit to God for revealing the dream and the meaning.
Daniel recognized that God had given him the information so that he could bless the king with that information. It’s a reminder that when God gives us something, whether it be information, time, or material, He gives it to us to find a way to bless others. When we hold on to those blessings from God instead of using them to bless others, we end up becoming greedy and selfish. No thing is worth destroying our relationship with God. No material blessing is worth losing our soul. When you’re blessed by God, ask Him this question: “God, how do You want me to use this blessing to bless others?” Once you take that attitude, you’ll begin to understand true joy in he Christian faith.
Oh Lord, You have blessed me far more than I could have deserved. Remind me of that when I get ready to complain. Help me to use those blessings to be a blessing to others.
Daily Devotion by Bob James https://dailyenduringtruth.com/https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Enduring-Truth-January-February/dp/1983973955
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