Scripture
So, Daniel, be faithful until the end! You will rest, and at the end of time, you will rise from death to recieve your reward.
~Daniel 12:13, CEV
Quote
I don’t have to be successful but I do have to be faithful.
~James E. Turrentine
The first six chapters of Daniel contain historical data but the last six are Daniel’s visions. Daniel was a good man; I rank him right up there with Joseph and Job. There is little doubt that the babylonians castrated all the Jewish male prisioners who were assigned to work within Nebuchanezzar’s government. This means that Daniel and Nehemiah had gone under the knife. Joseph and Job had to battle the temptation of lust just like the rest of us red blooded men. Regardless to his exemption to lust, I rank Daniel high. He was honest as the day was long. He was also very capable. Matter of fact, Daniel was extraordinary and so much so that every pagan king that he served [five at least] recongized Daniels extraordinary gifts. On top of this, Daniel was a man of prayer. He was so powerful in prayer that his name was well known in heaven.
Hundreds of books have been written about Daniel’s visions which do pertain to the end time and many have given us the exact interpretation, according to them. Of course, they have all been wrong. Not even Daniel understood the visions. These visions were so real and so traumatic that Daniel had to lay in bed for day afterwards from the physical exhaustion caused by the deep trauma. It took all the energy he had just to breathe. I like the message at the end. “So Daniel, be faithful to the end!”
I let the Wednesday night crowd grade me on the FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT [some 20 years or so ago]. It was not a wise thing to do. I took the grades home and read them and wept. Seriously, I was a bit discouraged. Of the nine fruits, I grade horribly on eight. The only one that I had high marks on was FAITHFULNESS. Kenneth was my next door neighbor and the one I could talk to about anything. When I told him what I did he laughed: he agreed with me that it wasn’t a bright move but then he said, “What of the fruits would you like to grade highest on? Which is the most important to you? I have listened to you preach and I think I know but what do you think?” After giving it some thought, I said FAITHFULNESS. He said, “That’s what I thought: if I were you, I would be thankful for my strength.”
I use to run 10-Ks and Marathons with a old high school class mate Morris Hill. Morris was a big guy who ran to eat. He was about 6’3″ and 230 or more. He constantly reminded me: “Jack, we are not here to compete, our motto is “To finish is to win.” He had a great sense of humor and he always said that tongue in cheek because he knew I would break a leg to beat him but he didn’t care. His goal was to finish, not beat someone else. So I’m like the old preacher who prayed, “Lord help me cross the finish line with my testimony in tact.” Let God message to Daniel resonate daily in your ears, “Be faithful until the end.”
Slowly but surely, I am getting us to BLOCKS. I may even like it before it is over. I still don’t like Bing or Yahoo and windows 10 is trying to force me to use them. I know google is run by a bunch of liberals but I like google and google likes me. You type in brotherjack.org on google and it will take you straight to my page. Not so with the others.
Roger Burcham’s brother David COLS is today in Tuscumbia. Roger is planning on going so pray for him. Brian Vaughn’s Mom {Brenda} COLS is tomorrow [Thursday]: visitation 12:00-2:00 and COLS at 2:00. Snead Funeral home, 170 Richmond Drive, Snead, AL 35952. My plans are to attend both.