The Writing is on the Wall

"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."

Daniel 5:22-23a

He had grown up hearing the stories of his father's humbling.  He knew the tales.  How many nights had he sat at his father's knee as the account was told of how the Lord had humbled him, taking his sanity and humanity for a period of seven years?  As a boy he had learned how God had effectively lowered his father to a position of humility as he grazed in the fields like a cow and slept under the open sky as the dew fell upon him each night.  It was told that his mind was gone, his appearance like that of a wild man, his majesty had vanished.  

Mercifully, at the end of the episode, his father's attitude had changed.  What he used to say of himself, he now proclaimed of God; "How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders!  His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation."  (Daniel 4:3)

Belshazzar, King of Babylon, knew the stories.  Despite the fact that he had full disclosure, though, he made the decision to play around with God.  He defiled the holy and sacred articles of His temple by using the golden goblets for drunken revelry.  He ignored what he knew about God and instead exalted himself and his false gods.  He knowingly defied the warnings of his father, choosing to live his life for his own pleasure instead of giving God His rightful place.

Belshazzar was playing with fire.

In the same way, I have heard the stories.  I know the tales.  I have listened to countless retellings of the truth.  Yet many times I live my life my own way, consciously defying His teachings; doing things the way I see fit instead of consulting God; living as those around me live instead of as a treasured possession.  

I Reap What I Sow

It has been so much fun to watch the seeds I have sown this spring sprout and poke up out of the earth.  It is such a miracle to stick a bean seed in the ground, water it, and about a week later watch a tiny plant emerge from beneath the soil.  In a few weeks, I will be harvesting tomatoes, cabbage, green beans, carrots, radishes, peas, cucumbers, zucchini, cantaloupe, watermelon and green peppers.  I even tried planting some garlic this year.  I will reap what I have sown.

In the same way, I get out of life what I put into it.  Many times, though, I expect beans when I have planted carrots.  In other words, I expect peace when I have inputted strife.  I want tranquility but I have anger and bitterness in my heart.  I think I should be content, but I have let my fleshly desires drive my actions.  

If I want the fruit of God's Spirit to be evident in my life, I must let Him sow His seeds in my heart.   If, however, I keep insisting on defending myself and my reputation against gossip and slander, then I know that my heart will not be at peace.  If I continue to sow seeds of anger and bitterness toward those who have hurt or disappointed me, I can count on the fact that I will suffer a harvest of chaos and turmoil.  If I persist in striving for personal gain, I can depend on the fact that I will experience discontent. 


It is said that Albert Einstein is responsible for the following definition of insanity; "doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results."   Knowing that following the desires of my flesh will lead to fruits of the flesh yet expecting fruits of God's Spirit fulfills that definition of insanity.  If I want to exhibit godly fruit, I must sow godly seeds.


It is wise for me to heed the writing on the wall: I reap what I sow.

I am Saved by Grace

I have heard it from the time I first accepted Jesus as my Savior:  I am saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  There is nothing I can do to earn my salvation.  I am not good enough on my own to enter into the presence of a holy God. I need Jesus to cleanse me and make me righteous.  

Still, I try to be good enough.  I do things out of guilt.  I think I need to reach a certain standard before I'll be accepted by God.  In so doing, I deny the grace of God.  

As you listen to By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North, reflect on the ways you deny the grace of God.

Grace is the unmerited favor of God, or putting it another way, grace is God giving us what we don't deserve.  Even though I don't deserve life, He gives it through simple faith in Jesus Christ. Despite the fact that I can never reach God's standard, I am made righteous by the blood of Jesus.  In spite of my own weakness, I am made strong through His power.


Accepting the grace of God means I will stop thinking I need to work my way into God's favor and instead accept His free gift of salvation.  It is then that I will be living the truth that, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)  It is then that I will be free to love as He loves me.


It is wise for me to heed the writing on the wall: I am saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Sanctification is a Process

I remember the little figurine we gave to my cousin one year for his birthday.  It was the sculpture of a little boy adorned with a plaque that said, "Please be patient.  God isn't finished with me yet."  I always remembered that sentiment growing up, understanding that when I entered into a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, I was at the beginning of a lifelong journey.  God continues to use circumstances, people, trials, tribulations and His Word to shape me into the image of His Son.    In other words, "He who began a good work in (me) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 1:6)

Why, then, do I expect so much from myself?  I get frustrated when I fall into the same areas of struggle.  I don't see the progress God has made in my walk with Him.  I feel like I'm right where I was when I started.

As my Sunday School Teacher said, "If you're not moving toward Jesus, then you are moving away from Him."  As long as I'm working on my relationship with Him, spending time studying His Word, meditating on His wisdom, paying attention to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and applying His lessons, then I am growing.  Maybe I don't notice the changes God is creating, but He does.  I can rest in the knowledge that, "The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me."  (Psalm 138:8)

It is important, however, that I don't make the process more important than my relationship with God.  Purification cannot be my goal, rather, a closer relationship with God and to please Him is to be my heart's desire.

I am challenged by the words of Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest.  "Your god may be your little Christian habit, the habit of prayer at stated times, or the habit of Bible reading.  Watch how your Father will upset those times if you begin to worship your habit instead of what the habit symbolizes--I can't do that just now, I am praying; it is my hour with God. No, it is your hour with your habit."  

I must always be mindful that the same routines and practices that can lead me closer to Christ can also take me away from complete devotion to Him.  As I go through the process of lifelong purification, it is my desire that my holiness is not what matters most, but keeping true to Him is my supreme ambition. 

It is wise for me to heed the writing on the wall: Sanctification is a lifelong process.

There are many things I know as a follower of Christ:  I will reap what I sow, I am saved by grace, and my sanctification is a process that takes a lifetime.  Despite this knowledge, I often fail to heed the writing on the wall.  It is my desire that I will not only learn these truths, but put them into practice and make them an integral part of my identity in Christ.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will take these truths to heart.

How do I try to earn grace, thinking I need to be good enough before God will accept me?

When do I expect perfection from myself or others when I know it takes a lifetime?