By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
THURSDAY
THEME: THINKING RIGHT: THE WEIGHT OF YOUR DECISIONS”
SCRIPTURE: Daniel 5:23
[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.”
REFLECTIONS
We need to believe that God exists and He is interested in whatever goes on around us. He is faithful to His promises and will bless, but will also deal with the wicked when they refuse to heed His counsel. We were made to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7) and if we choose not to, the consequences of our choices must be borne. What will God write about your behaviour, conduct, and choices today?
In Daniel Chapter 5, we read about Belshazzar, the king of Babylon who throws a party and causes sacred articles from the temple in Jerusalem to be brought for use. By desecrating the vessels, a judgment was pronounced on him and written on the wall. Verses 22-23 record, [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.”
The written words meant, “. . . MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; [27]TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; [28]PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”. verses 26-28. That night he lost his kingdom. Sacred things must be kept sacred. Every word of God must be taken seriously, or else we will have ourselves to blame. We do not have the right, whatever our station and status in society, to denigrate holy and sacred items. We cannot allow pride, ignorance, or gross disrespect to take over our senses and treat God like our co-equal. Whatever God has declared sacred carries that air of sacredness and sanctity around it.
Take the Ten Commandments for example, they are God’s sacred laws that must be obeyed in total not by our might but through the power of the Holy Spirit. But we find excuses to ignore them often. Yet, James 2:10 states categorically, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” Who does not know that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Yet we do not care how we treat our bodies. What we do with our bodies often dishonours God. If indeed God dwells in our bodies, we shall eschew sin and compromises and treat it as the temple of God. Lust, sensuality, and appetite should not cause us to desecrate the body temple which is God’s for we are bought with a price. First Corinthians 6:19-20 states, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? [20]For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Meditate also on 1 Corinthians 3:16,17. Trust God and keep your body holy – it is the temple of God. Let Him abide in your heart and victory will be yours.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 590 – “Trust and Obey”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for exceptional love for you; thank Him for His care and protection; pray to glorify Him with your life;
– Pray for people you are acquainted with who do not glorify God with their bodies; pray for young people who are into addictions, sexual promiscuity and perversions, and have no regard for authority;
– Pray for victims of disasters, wars, violence, etc; pray for teeming unemployed graduates; pray for the sick and caregivers;
– Pray for the nation, your family, church members, friends, neighbours, and acquaintances; pray for the spread of the word of God.
