Happy Birthday Pieter

Now I must tell you about this young lad, he is a cute young teenager, 13 to be exact.  He is in Grade 7 and the little girls adore him.  He is friendly, helpful and kind-hearted.   Pieter needed me to bake a cake for school and I gave it my best shot.  I baked two cakes for the lad, one was with the theme of cars and the other with a couple of spiders.  We are going to take these two cakes to school and see how the children enjoy them.

In Pieter’s class there are 37 children, so I literal take my hat off for the teachers.  School seems to be fund right now and I am glad to say that Pieter changed his mind about mathematics; he seems to be putting in the effort.  

His dad bought him a blackberry as a birthday and I got him a dog chain with a nice Christian verse on as well as a couple of shirts.

I am sure Pieter is looking forward to today as he will be the main man around school today, I am sure glad I was able to bake him a lovely cake or two.

Hobbies and likes of this young lad are TV, PSP and Xbox – you can put him in front of any of these devices and he will be able to play it with his eyes closed. 

So Pieter here’s wishing you a wonderful day, I hope and pray the Lord will bless you richly and that all your dreams may come true.

The Writing is on the Wall, Part 2

Daniel looked at the King and said ‘O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendour.  Because of the high position he gave him, all the people and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him.  Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.  But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.  He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he washes.’

The king gassed at Daniel and listened as Daniel continued to speak.

‘But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.  Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven.  You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them.  You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand.  But you did not honour the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.  Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.’

Daniel walked up to the wall and read the inscription to the people in the banqueting hall.

‘This is the inscription that was written:

               Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin

This is what these words mean:

Mene:  God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

Tekel:    You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

Peres:    Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persains.’

‘Bring the purple clothes and a gold chain!’  King Belshazzar called out to one of the slaves.  ‘Come place this on Daniel, he is to be the third highest ruler in our kingdom!’  The king called out and the people stood to honour Daniel.

Late that night an attack on the kingdom took place and the King Belshazzar was slain.  Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

We all feel that we are actually in control over our own lives; we feel that we have the power to make the necessary changes.  We believe that it is our efforts that bring us what we need.  I say, thank the Lord for this time of leisure.  I know God is in control over my life and that I can bask in His glory.  I am the righteousness through Jesus Christ.  Are you?  Don’t let the writing be on the wall for you today, instead, take some time and start focusing on the Lord our God.  Give the Lord our God all the glory, honour and praises due His name.

This is taken form the book of Daniel, chapter 5.

God bless you as you read my blog.

Part 1, The writing is on the Wall

The palace is a buzz there are noblemen all over the place, I am hoping to find a seat as close to King Belshazzar as possible.  Being here today is such a great honour.  As I take my seat I am watching the King and his wives’ laughing and drinking wine.  

‘Bring me the gold and silver goblets that my father King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, we want to drink out of them.’  King Belshazzar called out to one of the slave girls.  The goblets were brought into the banqueting hall, placed before the King and the noblemen.  

‘Pour the wine, praises to the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.’ Laughing the King took the goblet in his hand and drank the wine from the gold goblet placed before him.  While the king was still drinking his wine suddenly a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace.  

The king was watching the hand as it wrote.  His faced turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.

‘Enchanters, astrologers and diviners come here.’ The King shouted.  ‘Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.’

All the wise men of the king came in but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.  Fear and terror griped the heart of King Belshazzar and he grew even paler.  The nobles around him stared at him in amazement.

Hearing the commotion in the banqueting hall the Queen ran in and said ‘O king, live forever!’ she run up to him saying ‘Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him.  In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods.  King Nebuchadnezzar your father - your father the king, I say – appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.  This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems.  Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.’

Daniel was brought before the king.  ‘Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?  I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.  The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it.  Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems.  If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.’

Daniel answered the king, ‘You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else.  Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.’

To be continued …..

The Whole Armour of God

Good morning Darlings if there is one movie that I absolutely love then I need to say it is the Gladiator.  Russell Crowe of course is one of the people I really and truly admire.  The movie as you will recall was about General Maximus Decimus Meridius who lead the Roman army to a decisive victory against Germanic tribes at Vindobona.  Maximus was a fierce and determined gladiator; he lost everything and didn’t fear death.  The thing I like about this story is that this character had integrity even in the most horrendous circumstances.  He stood out among the other captives and he still took a stand.  Darlings let us also take a stand for the Lord Jesus Christ and let us focus our attention on God and be courageous as Maximus and put the full armour of God on as we face today.

See Ephesians 6: 10 – 18 I really like the Amplified Bible.  

Father God today I want to put the whole armour of God on as a soldier in Your army, so that I am able to successfully stand up against all the strategies and the deceits of the devil.  I know Lord that I am not wrestling with flesh and blood but against the despotisms, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly sphere.  Lord I put on the complete armour that I may be able to resist and stand my ground on the evil day, and, having done all to stand.  Holding my ground, having tightened the belt of truth around my loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God, having shod my feet in preparation of the Gospel of peace. Lift up over all the shield of saving faith, upon which I can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked.  Taking the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.  Praying at all times, on every occasion, in every season in the Spirit, with all prayer and entreaty.  To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints in Jesus holy name.  Amen  

Praying the Scriptures

Daniel 2: 19 – 23

During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.  Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:

‘Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;

Wisdom and power are his.

He changes times and seasons;

He sets up kings and deposes them.

He gives wisdom to the wise

And knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals deep and hidden things;

He knows what lies in darkness,

And light dwells with him.

I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:

You have made known to me what we asked of you,

You have made known to us the dream of the king.’

When studying the word of God this morning I read my daily reading in Daniel this morning and as I was feeling a downcast and without hope I read these words and it made sense to me.  I redirected my focus and took it off myself and turned it back to the Lord my God.  Reading the first two books of Daniel and seeing that our God revealed to Daniel the Kings dream.  What an awesome God we serve.  In reading the passages I came to the conclusion that I need to stay focused on God and not me.  God will make my paths straight and He will direct my footsteps.  

Praise the Lord with me today and take heart that we can focus our attention on a Higher being, our Lord Jesus Christ.  J