Nice, the posting for a read that is a day late. I am really on the ball here, aren’t I. Sorry about that. Things have been a bit hectic for me and I have gotten a little behind, but I will not give up. Things are getting back to normal and I am committed to catching up and I will in the next day or so. I apologize to anybody who has been using the posts for their own read. I will be back on it. Just a slight speed bump. Read on…

(Sept. 20) And so finally we get to, previously in the Daily Read, we finished off Daniel. He was having a vision along the Tigris River. For 2 of the 3 chapters, God lays out the plan of destruction for his land in great detail, but very vague about specifics if that makes any sense. Anyway, the point that He makes is that those that find him will be spared, those who don’t won’t and the answers that Daniel is seeking will be found at the end. Now on to the minor prophets!

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First of all, I apologize for the delay in this. Some good it does to have the day’s read at the end of the day. But, it has been a hectic 72 hours with work and other stuff going on. As always, you can get the reading schedule from the Purpose Driven Life site and move forward without me. But, I am off schedule and I don’t like that, so I will try get back on track.

With that being said, it is very exciting that we are coming to the conclusion of another book. I don’t know why I take such pride and pleasure in it, but it just feels so good when we come to the end of a book. It is a great feeling of accomplishment and it means that we will get to learn from another author of the Word of God. So…

Previously in the Daily Read, Daniel has been having visions of the destruction of his land and the surrounding areas. Gabriel comes in the visions and in person to explain them and give hope for restoration. And although Daniel prays for God’s mercy, Gabriel comes in to explain that it must be done, but that there is hope and his praising of the Lord is appreciated. I did find it interesting that Daniel did reference the writings of Jeremiah, since this is the first time that I have seen crossover of prophets in our reading. Nevertheless, Israel will have to remain desolate for seventy years. While this was somewhat of a confusing read (it could be that I am still trying to catch up from the trip), I did enjoy it and I know that the pieces of this puzzle will come together as I meditate and pray on it. Read on…

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Hello from Seattle, Washington. I am here for work and I can report that God has created a very beautiful place in the Northwest. I can see why people love living in this town. There has been a lot of activity and the area where we are staying is very fun. Plus, I had a great time with others that have traveled with me. With that being said…

Previously in the Daily Read, King Neb gets his due. He has a dream and it is that he will be punished for what he has done, banished to the outlands to live like an animal. His immediate successor, Belshazzar, thinks he has become a god and along with his peeps, wives and concubines drinks from the cups from the Temple. He is dead that night. That brings Darius, who is tricked into putting Daniel in the den of lions. He regrets it and knows the power of the Lord. When Daniel comes out unhurt because of this love of the Lord, he throws in the people who put Daniel there. They are gobbled up immediately. Great demonstration of God’s power, isn’t it?

I could go on about this reading, but I need to get to sleep. More later. Read on…

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Previously in the Daily Read, we have started Daniel and it is starting off great. Daniel and his friends have been captured from Israel and because they are strong, healthy and good looking, are spared by King Neb and taken in as advisors. When King Neb has a dream and his false prophets can’t tell him the meaning, Daniel steps in with a vision from God to tell him what it means. He gets elevated to a higher position in the king’s court and brings his friends with him. But, when the king erects a statue in his own image and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego don’t bow to worship it, he has them thrown in the furnace to burn. The king then sees the power of the Lord when the guys come out unscathed.

The cool thing about this book is that we see Daniel and his friends become successful and not give up their beliefs. Many times in Bible study, one might think that they should not be successful because of the money, fame, prestige, etc. that comes with it. But, that is not true at all. God wants you to be successful, but He doesn’t want you to get caught in the trap of thinking that you have done it yourself or start worshiping the things that come with it. Remember, we do it all for Him and not for the things that come with it. The more you have, the more you give. At least that is how I see it. Read on…

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Sorry for the delay in getting today’s reading up. It was another day full of work, soccer games and practices and once again, I konked out on the couch last night. But the good news is, I just saved a ton of money on my car insurance! No, not really, just kidding. The real good news is that we start a new book today and then for the rest of the month, we will check out the minor prophets and on Oct. 1, we begin Matthew and the New Testament! So, after plugging through the Destruction and Exile of Israel, we are going to get to the great stuff of the Birth of Jesus and his wonderful teachings. If you haven’t gotten up to speed with us, this would be a great time to plan on starting. How exciting.

Now, back to the task at hand, previously in the Daily Read, we finished off Ezekiel with more plans for the new Temple. It started out with a River of Healing that starts at the Temple, winds through the Jordan Valley and ends up in the Dead Sea, where it revives the bad water and makes it healed. In fact, it also heals everything along the way. The desolation left by the destruction is renewed by the river with trees popping up all along the riverbank. We also find out how God intends to divide the land amongst his people and even the foreigners that have tranplanted to Israel. It is nice to see the restoration of the land. Read on…

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This is the story about a smart, principled young man and his friends who stand up for their faith in a corrupt and sometimes hostile culture. It is written by Daniel, who along with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego keep the faith while standing up against King Nebuchadnezzar and his ways of idol worship. It takes place around 530 B.C. during the Exile, but Daniel also has visions of the future. Belshazzar, a weak ruler who reigns after Nebuchadnezzar also makes an appearance. Although Daniel, who’s name means God is my judge, is trained to be a governmental officer serving the Babylonian royal court, he refuses to do anything contrary to God’s teachings, even when that puts his life in danger. This should be a good book.

As always, references for this come from the Student Bible Dictionary and Every Man’s Bible.

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