The anger of the king is a deadly threat;
the wise will try to appease it. Proverbs 16:14
Daniel faced an angry King Nebuchadnezzar
who had dream that his own wise men couldn’t figure out. With wisdom from God Daniel
was able to correctly interpret the dream—thus facing favor from the king and
God…I thank and praise you, God of my
ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we
asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded. Daniel 2:23. We don’t
have a king to face in our country—but who is king of your household or
workplace? Are there times when he/she is angry? What do you do to appease that
anger? Prayer is the best place to start. Continuing to seek wisdom is always admirable.
Today commemorates the Saturday after Jesus
was buried. He lay in the grave…in the earth.
Interestingly Paul wrote to the
Ephesians…"He ascended," what
does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the
earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the
heavens, so that He might fill all things. Ephesians 4:9-10 NASB. As He lay
in the tomb, Jesus’ disciples and other followers could do nothing—it was their
Sabbath. In accordance with the Commandments they were not to work (Exodus
20:10), so they had prepared the burial spices on Friday after the burial. What
a day of mourning that must have been for them all. They probably felt
abandoned, deeply sad and hopeless. Have you ever had a close friend or
relative die without hope? Those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior
have hope—hope for our own resurrection one day—and that as Jesus promised the
thief on the cross, we will one day be with Him in Paradise. And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today
you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43. Of course, that could
also read…I assure you today, you will be with me in Paradise. Where was that comma--of course there probably wasn't one in the original text. As it was
translated…it may be interpreted as…today you will be with me in Heaven…or I’m
telling you today, that you will be with me in Heaven (or Paradise--when that time comes). Which do you think it is? Today’s promise…or a
pledge today of promise to be fulfilled?
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| The Empty Tomb - Jerusalem |
Prayer
~ Dear Jesus—thank you for all that You gave up…and especially for all that You
took on Yourself on that cross. You gave up an earthly life with friends and
family…and You bore the sins—the eternal grief—of all humanity on that cross.
Each time I’ve had an unkind thought, a bad attitude, or a wrongful comment or
hurtful word or action, I’ve added to Your grief—Your burden. Please forgive me—cleanse
me from all unrighteousness—and lead me in the path of righteousness—for Your
name sake.
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
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