TODAY IS…

an excellent day to avoid the lion’s den

“Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.”  Daniel 6:3 NLT

When good things happen to other people around us we should be happy, right?

We should congratulate them and help them to enjoy the moment. Our love for everyone dictates to us that this is what our response should be.

The key word here is “should,” and even though we “should” be happy for another person’s good fortune, we all know that is not always the case. Sometimes we are not only not happy for them; we are actually envious, jealous, or resentful.

The Bible tells us we should avoid these feelings, and deep down inside we know we should, but there are times when it seems difficult. Being bypassed for a promotion or a job may produce those feelings because we think we are more qualified, capable, or experienced. We may not be in possession of all of the facts, of course, and it is our own hurt feelings that are really producing the negative feelings.

It is very important to not let those negative feelings make us do something that will hurt us in the long run.

In Daniel’s case, when the king contemplated putting him over the entire empire, the other administrators and high officers began looking for flaws in his character and for ways to discredit his work. They could find none, so they worked out an elaborate plan to trick the king into getting rid of Daniel. The king unwittingly signed into law an order stating that no one could pray to anyone, divine or human, for thirty days.

Daniel’s faith in God did not permit him to obey the law and he prayed anyway. The ones who plotted against Daniel made sure he was caught. The king had no choice but to throw Daniel into the lion’s den.

The next morning, much to everyone’s surprise, Daniel was still alive!

“Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.” (Daniel 6:23 NASB).

Not only was the negative energy of those who had set him up wasted, the king had all of them and their families thrown to the lions for falsely accusing him.

None of them survived.

Do not waste your time or energy being angry, upset, jealous or envious of another person’s good fortune. God wants you to be happy for others when they experience good fortune. Stay faithful to God, and be happy!

You may not wind up in the lion’s den, but why take the chance?

*******

Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson