December 1

Daniel 8

A vision appeared to me… (8:1). Daniel’s vision, like the last one, may require a scholarly commentary to interpret. (I’ll that to you.) Did you notice that Gabriel is nothing like the cute, fat, flying angel babies portrayed in popular culture? God’s messengers are terrifying. People fall on their faces, paralyzed with fear. They must be something, and to be honest, I’d like to see one. If God made these fearsome beings, imagine what it’s like to see Him! Please don’t think it’ll be scary—you’ve read the Book for almost a year, and it’s told you over and over that God is unending, steadfast love. Seeing Him will be the most profoundly joyful experience of all.

The vision, well, Daniel’s illness as a result of the vision is not something I’d want to experience. God gives hard tasks to some of His children. If you’ve seen a terrifying vision, ask God to interpret it knowing that it was given as a blessing.

1 John 2

For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world (2:16). There is complete consistency throughout the Bible with regard to a disciple’s battle. We fight Satan’s schemes, the world system, and the lusts of our flesh. These three overlap and work together against godliness. Satan created a system that idolizes pleasure and status. The world system pushes fast fun on a repeating cycle. The flesh craves, the world provides what it craves, and Satan tempts. As pleasure or status increase, the flesh wants more and the world sells more, reaps profit, builds a bigger pleasure-status machine–more, more, more.

Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44), lies about his system with cunning expertise. The world system, running on lies, promises good and delivers addiction–the mind of the flesh is death (Romans 8:6). John added, the world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever (2:17). Obedience to God is the thing that gets us off the worldly treadmill. It’s hard to do, but easy to see.

Proverbs 28:25-26

He who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe. There’s the flesh again; trusting our own foolishness. Wise people trust God’s word.