Saturday March 12, 2011

Read Daniel 6:25-28. Psalm 57

Courage comes, as we’ve seen over the week, from consistent prayer, from holiness, from preparation and from knowledge.  Another source of courage that we rarely consider is the Lord’s glory.  God allowed Daniel to be thrown into the Lion’s den so that His name would be glorified throughout the entire earth.  He sent Nebuchadnezzar to the wild beasts so that all would hear of His glory and majesty. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were allowed to be thrown into the fiery furnace so that the world would know this glorious God.  God allowed the Israelites to languish in slavery in Egypt so that His power and glory would be known throughout the world. He humbled the nations so that they would give Him glory.

As we read in Isaiah the prophet ‘I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.’ (42:8).

Every situation you enter into is another opportunity for the Lord to be glorified. It’s another opportunity for God to show the world how powerful, majestic and compassionate He really is. If we approach all of life in this vein, courage will be our partner.   If our overriding passion is for the Lord to be glorified then fear (except the fear of the Lord) will flee far from us.  If we desire above all else to bring glory to our Lord and to see His glory manifest in our lives and circumstances we will be valiant. We will be courageous. We will step out in faith and speak up for the honour of our Lord and Saviour.

As you think about gathering together as the body of Christ tomorrow, is it your desire, your overwhelming passionate desire, that your God be glorified? Will you be courageous enough to serve others with your spiritual gifts tomorrow? Will you come ready to put into the service, rather than taking from it? Will you glorify God by giving sacrificially? Will you stand up for your Lord and sing to His glory and praise?

As the glory of the Lord becomes our motivation and passion we will stand out for Jesus.

Prayer:-

þ Pray that the believers in Iran and Iraq would be courageous and willing to stand up for Jesus.  Pray that the Lord’s glory would be revealed through their lives, their testimony and proclamation of the good news. Pray this for your life too and for your congregation.

þ Pray that our youth workers and children’s workers would be well equipped by the Lord to teach, to model and to testify to the Lord’s glory.