Proclaim

"Proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of the darkness and into His glorious light."
Such a proclamation must be done by a life lived and a word spoken. And those two must be in agreement. I must demonstrate my absolute obedience to the light of His Word. God speaks to us through His Word, and thus, the Word must be the sole authority in my life. He is the Holy God, and He has set me apart "to be holy, as He is holy." He is the God who is love, but it is a righteous love, a holy love, a loyal love to Him and His claims on my life. I am His--not mine. He alone defines righteousness. If the entire world disagrees with His commands and His righteous decrees, then the entire world is wrong. To "walk in the light as He is in the light," I must daily confess my sins. To shine in the darkness, I must daily do the good deeds that proclaim His glory, the weightiness--the power of His authoritative presence in the world of men. I must daily expose the deceptiveness of the angel of light who blinds men to the true light--Jesus Christ the Light of the World. Without wavering I must daily live a life of obedience. I must daily proclaim the one Gospel--the only power that can save and transform a human being is the Gospel of "by grace you are saved through faith" in the Lord Jesus Christ. The world must daily see in my actions that He is preeminent in every aspect of my life--my friendships, my family, my work, my entertainment choices, my every decision. They must know that my entire life is sacred. They must know that I believe that the only way to be "on the right side of history" is to be an unwavering disciple of Jesus Christ--a disciple who joyously proclaims that His commandments are not a grievous burden but the only path to true freedom. The prayer of my heart must be: "though none go with me, still I must follow."

"Spirit, by Your daily empowering of my life may I proclaim the excellencies of Your calling, may I shine as one who has been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and made an eternal citizen of the Kingdom of the Light of the World."

Being Faithful?

The Responsibilities of a faithful priesthood:

"Proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of the darkness and into His glorious light."
"Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul."
"Keep your behavior beautiful"
"Submit yourself to every human institution, whether to king or authority."
"Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil"
"Continually honor God, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king."
"As servants, be submissive with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable."
'When you do what is right and suffer for it, patiently endure it."

His words--not mine.

Being faithful?

Decisions

Daniel was in his situation because someone else over a hundred years before he was probably even born made a wrong decision. Lessons? Your choices impact others--even those who will live generations after you. So if you find yourself in a difficult situation because of someone else's decisions, respond by being faithful to God not angry at God. After all, your decision in your situation will also impact those who come after you are gone.

Sanctuaries

We--our bodies--are His holy temple--His sanctuary. "Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body."

"Christ, in you, the hope of glory."

Redeemed, ransomed, lavished with grace, sheltered by mercy, justified, sanctified, reconciled, one day glorified. All because "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

His purchased sanctuary--His temple. Do we set up idols in our hearts that defile His temple? Do we have other loves? Do we set up our temporary, materialistic idols in the temple as if "along side of" or "in addition to" is acceptable worship?

Coveting is idolatry. Jesus only is worship.

"Jesus, Master. whose I am, purchased Thine alone to be by Thy blood, O spotless Lamb, shed so willingly for me; let my heart be all Thine own, let me live for Thee alone.

"Other lords have long held sway; now Thy name alone to bear, Thy dear voice alone obey, is my daily, hourly prayer; Whom have I in heaven but Thee? Nothing else my joy can be.

" Jesus, Master, I am Thine; keep me faithful, keep me near; let Thy presence in me shine all my homeward way to cheer. Jesus, at Thy feet I fall; Oh, be Thou my all in all."

"Little children, keep yourselves from idols."

Why

We pray in order for God to reveal to us His will, not to persuade Him to do ours.

Spectacular

The most spectacular life is walking in obedience with the King of Love in the midst of the "hum-drum" of each day. Comfort and joy in times of sorrow. Strength at one's weakest moments. A gentle lifting up when fallen. Steadfastness in the midst of the storms and earthquakes. A Friend in times of abandonment--never a step alone. Guidance in the darkest night. Exultation in the times of persecution. Promise in the times of loss. An end to the journey that is beyond human description. And all those that have gone before on the same spectacular journey await you there. Especially Him.

"Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before."

Maturity

The Mature Christian

Through love, encourages and unifies.
Through truth enriches and enlightens.
Through wisdom warns and edifies.
Through submission to the Spirit, strives--agonizes--over finding and doing God's purpose for his life day by day.
Through faith maintains the discipline and stability of a soldier of the cross.
Through patient steadfastness, radiates a joy infused with thanksgiving..
Through a fixed focus on the things above, exudes compassion, kindness, humility, and gentleness.
Through prayer learns the power of contentment.

Not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit