Daniel 2:21-22 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.
Truly we are living in remarkable times! Today is probably one of the most significant days of our lifetime as Americans go to the polls and decide the future of the United States. Of course, voting is important, but let's be sure we know what we're voting for!
In 1938, Kenneth Simmons, a Democratic mayor, wanted to prove a point. So he hauled a mule, whom he named Boston Curtis, down to the courthouse and placed its hoof print on all the documents necessary to run for political office. Although Boston Curtis never ran a political campaign, the citizens of Milton, Washington, voted for Boston Curtis – not realizing that they had actually voted for a MULE! Simmons wanted to demonstrate that voters often "know not whom they support." I would say he proved his point.
Many have suggested they are voting for the lesser of two evils. However, another way to look at elections may be, whom shall I vote for that will bring about the greatest good?
The decisions made today will affect the world for years to come. But we should never lose sight of the fact that the Lord sets up and removes kings according to His perfect will and purpose; so whatever the outcome of today's contest, let's be sure that the King of all Kings sits on the throne of our hearts, and that EVERY outcome in this world is under His sovereign will, for our good!
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]We tend to focus on the part of that scripture where God does the blessing — but why did He bless Him? The answer lies in the passage! The Lord told Abraham: “I will bless you — and you shall be a blessing.” Abraham was blessed so that he could be a blessing!
In the Olivet discourse recorded in Matthew 24, Yeshua prophesied that “… nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” The word “nation” in Greek is the word “ethnos”, from which we get the English word “ethnic”. All of this polarization and ethnic warfare which the media feed upon and incite is the work of the enemy as he stirs up the sinful nature of men.
Several hundred years before Jesus was born, a plague broke out in Athens, Greece. In an effort to stop the plague and appease the ‘gods’, the Athenians sought counsel from a wise man named Epimenides from the island of Crete.
A new driver for an interstate trucking company was having a difficult time. He found the long cross-country trips extremely tiring. The older driver who traveled with him, however, seemed to thrive on those long trips. He always seemed to look as fresh at the end of the ride as he did at the beginning.
There’s nothing we can do to earn God’s love, however if we want to experience His blessings we need to observe the qualifications that He’s given us in His Word. Psalm 112 details a whole list of blessings, but the key to receiving them is verse 1.
Looking at the relationship between “love and affection” (“chiba” in Hebrew) and “obligation” (“chova” in Hebrew), we find another closely related word, “chaver”, one of the Hebrew words for “friend”. Friends are people with whom we share love and affection and also a sense of obligation. Our God and Father wants us to be His friends, to share love and affection with Him and to carry the sense of responsibility and obligation which friendship requires.
We are called to be servants, are we not? Well, what does a servant do? He (or she) carries out the will of his master. A servant doesn’t tell his master what to do — he performs whatever tasks the master requests of him. A servant doesn’t choose what days or times it’s most convenient to serve his master. A servant’s function is simply to follow and obey his master’s instructions. A servant does not develop a vision for the master either. The master is the one with the vision — and he wants his servants to be ready and available to carry out that vision and bring it to fruition.