Week of 2/24-3/1: Scattered - God Prepares His People for Deliverance

Day Three: Dan. 1:11-17 So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief official had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Please test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.” He agreed with them in this matter and tested them for 10 days. At the end of 10 days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food. So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables. God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams of every kind.”

JUMPING OUT OF AIRPLANES is a risky venture. Anytime you are thousands of feet above the earth’s surface and rushing toward it at high speeds, you are putting yourself in some measure of danger. Most skydivers, however, don’t think about the real possibility of plunging to their death. They usually get onto the plane knowing that once they jump, they’ll land safely back on earth and live to talk about the incredible experience. If they didn’t think this way, they probably wouldn’t be jumping!

What is the deciding factor of this entire experience? The parachute. The parachute is the deciding factor in all jumps from an airplane. If the parachute opens correctly, all is well. If the parachute does not deploy, all is very, very bad. The parachute is the life-source of skydiving adventure.

When it comes to our relationship with God, our faithfulness to the covenant He gives us through Christ is the key to life. If we are faithful to God, hold steadfast in Christ, the result will be life. To abandon faithfulness to God, to forsake Christ and turn away, is death. It is like jumping from an airplane with no parachute.

The people of God are called to a life of faithfulness. We see what the results of faithfulness look like here in Daniel. Fast forward to the new covenant established by God, which is drafted and formed through the blood of Jesus. The new covenant demonstrates further faithfulness by God to His people, and requires greater faithfulness from His people. We must remain faithful to Christ, for this is how we live. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing, and ultimately cease to live.

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷How does God demonstrate His faithfulness to His people?

▷▷How do we demonstrate our faithfulness to God?

▷▷Why is remaining faithful to God so important?