Nebuchadnezzar: The dream from God and the subsequent unwise image
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Daniel 3:1
In chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar had dreamt of an enormous statue consisting of sections of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and an alloy of iron and clay. Daniel explained to the king that God had given him a prophetic dream to reveal the kingdoms on the earth, present and yet to come. Daniel also told him that he—Nebuchadnezzar—was the head of gold and that all the other kingdoms would be inferior to his.
Well, this morning I opened my Bible to chapter 3 and got no further than verse one. In the margin I read something I had written on 9/21/19: “I’ll bet Neb was ‘inspired’ to do this [build the idol] because of his dream.” The dream was from God; the subsequent construction of the golden image was NOT. The note I had written started the wheels to spin in my mind.
It hit me—ministries, ministers, and everyday Christians ALL get tempted to pull this same sort of thing whether God speaks to them, uses them, or reveals to them something to come.
We are all quite capable of playing into the same temptation, revering the dream, the prophetic word, or the revealed call of God on our lives, and sometimes we even expect others to do likewise. The gift or directive of God now becomes the object of worship and awe, not God Himself! And without realizing it, we have erected Nebuchadnezzar’s image in our own likeness and name.
When Jesus is Lord and the Father Himself is the sole object of your love, worship, and devotion, you would not expect—much less demand—reverence or allegiance to be shown by others to the vision, word, or gifting that God has given to you. Any respect shown or loyalty displayed to you by others is received as a gift, treated as a free-will offering, precious, and NEVER as that which is due.
Would your refusal—as a Christian or a leader—to set up your own gifting or ministry as an idol mean that you no longer have the right to speak into the lives of others? Of course not! When self-promotion is set aside, discernment is free to operate more purely. Instead of counseling based on partisan affiliation or allegiance status, now the full motive in ministering to others is to help them to embrace the Lord and discover the direction He has for them, not to get them onboard with your church, ministry, vision, or with any particular leader. Nebuchadnezzar image-builders get people hooked on themselves and not on the Father to whom belongs all the glory.
It is my suspicion that most of the partisan, sectarian issues in the church of “I’m of Paul” and “I’m of Apollos” (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-4) has to do with the erection of Nebuchadnezzar-like statues in seeking to immortalize a simple gift, ministry, or prophetic understanding. In turn, these providential blessings from God morph into idols to which full devotion is often demanded.
Stop idolizing humans! Stop idolizing ministries!
Stop idolizing the directives and dreams that God has given to you, and just simply obey them as from the Lord! By the same token, stop expecting others to pay homage to your wisdom, your words, your dreams, your vision, or your ministry.
Let people be followers of Jesus, and as for you, be available to God to use you to help them on the course He has for them. And likewise, receive as a gift—not as what is due—the help others give to you as you pursue His will for your life.
But the bottom line is this: Shun idolatry of all kinds.
Dorothy
© Dorothy Frick, 2021
Read MoreDeclare
I had a thought today while reading Romans 1:4a. “[Jesus] was DECLARED the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead…”
That word DECLARED stood out to me. I thought that word always had to do with WORDS that are SPOKEN. However, here, it is a NON-VERBAL declaration by the ultimate DEMONSTRATION of GOD’S POWER—raising Jesus from the dead.
That got me to thinking. I SAY things all the time; but what is my LIFE declaring? It is certainly speaking day in and day out.
I will pray that my life, as well as my words, will declare the things God has ordained for me to declare. I am aware that this will take some discipline, self-control, and at times being brutally honest with myself and others. It will take the power of God that is beyond my ability.
But I believe it will be well worth it.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
The winds are blowing
Today I passed by two different bird’s nests, violently spilled upon the ground. Nearby the second lay a blue egg, never to burst forth with feathered life. Instantly I realized that yesterday’s high winds had casualties: They swept away both home and offspring for more than one bird.
My mind shifted to a biblical application: During “interesting” times this one thing is of utmost importance—upon what have you been building your “home”?
Are you basing your decisions and hopes on shifting sand (or vulnerable, branching outliers of popular thought)? Or are you building your life on the solid, wind-resistant bedrock of the One who created the wind, ground, rocks, and branches?
His Word is a sanctuary in times of peace; during the storm. His Word is a living refuge of protection.
Be cautious as you build. The winds are blowing.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
Read MoreObey anyway
Here’s what I just posted on Facebook:
Barbara’s got all the blankets
It’s Thanksgiving time again, and like many of you, my mind goes back to the kinder, gentler times of my childhood.
Our family usually traveled to Oklahoma City to spend the holiday weekend with Grandma and Granddaddy Bollinger. They had a small three bedroom house, so my sister and I shared Grandma’s double bed while she sacrificed and slept in Granddaddy’s bedroom with him.
Well, despite the quieter days of the early 60’s, when Barbara and I had to share a bed…WW3 was soon to follow.
That first night we arrived, the night before Thanksgiving, Mom tucked Barbara and me into bed and then joined the other grown ups as they sat and talked and finished up all of the Thanksgiving preparations.
Let me tell you. Barbara is four and a half years older than me, and I was extremely suspicious of her privileged position as the oldest girl in the family. She was vicious in my opinion, as she was known at times to pin me down and tickle me until I nearly wet my pants…OK…I did wet my pants. She was a true foe of the highest order.
On the other hand, she was equally leery of me. I was the baby of the family, and she knew I was the privileged one. To her way of thinking, I got away with murder as I screamed “MOMMMMMY!!!” every time she even looked at me.
Yes, war was brewing as soon as Mom turned out the light…
“Give me the cover!” I cried as I grabbed hold of a wad of blanket.
“Let go! It’s MINE!” she demanded as she pulled the cover back.
Soon we were kicking, yanking, screaming like little wildcats, pulling blankets in every direction. Flashes of static electricity snapped like enemy fire in the darkened Oklahoma bedroom…
The noise of our warfare soon reached the kitchen where Mom and Grandma were taking the last pie out of the oven.
And then we heard it…the unmistakable sound of Mom’s feet, walking across the living room, into the hall, her hand upon the doorknob…
“GIRLS!” she whisper-yelled. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING???!!”
I felt vindicated. I, the victim, the baby, and the innocent recipient of the oppression of that older person of privilege–my enemy and my sister, who lay over there in this very bed–I would revel in the justice only Mom and Dad could meet upon her.
I yelped out in my very best “poor-me-I’m-the-victim” voice, “BARBARA’S GOT ALL THE BLANKETS!!!!!!!”
As Mom cracked the door open and switched on the light…there, before God and all the turkeys of a million Thanksgiving dinners, lay the truth….
Barbara, entirely exposed to the cold in her little cotton flannel pajamas, lay shivering….and I, yes I, the victim of her privilege, had the entire pile of blankets heaped up on me and spilling over my side of the bed to the floor.
I may or may not have gotten spanked…but as I crawled back under the re-spread blankets, a new thought began forming in my little girl brain that late Thanksgiving eve: Maybe I’m not ALWAYS the victim here. And MAYBE…just MAYBE…my supposed people of privilege don’t ALWAYS have the advantage…
And if you ever watch the news with me nowadays, you may hear me whisper this little saying under my breath as I watch the conflict of our time: “Barbara’s got all the blankets.”
Happy Thanksgiving,
Dorothy
Read MoreSkim away the dross
Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith. Proverbs 25:4
I was reading Proverbs 25 recently and paused on verse 4: “Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes out a vessel for the smith.” I asked the Lord to remove any dross that might be present in my life…and then I got nervous for a couple of reasons.
First, dross is made up of impurities —non-silver particles that mar the value of silver. In my life, dross is anything I’m involved with or putting up with that’s not pleasing to the Lord—and I realized that I may have more dross tucked away than I bargained for! Was I really prepared for all the minor—and major—overhauls this dross-removal prayer may have initiated?
Second, the way in which those impurities are removed from silver is to super-heat the metal until it is molten hot. Only then can the dross be skimmed off the top. Did I really want to undergo the fiery crucible indicated by this verse to remove soulish impurities from my life?
I read further in the Proverb as I pondered this, and I noticed several instructions and warnings. And it dawned on me—many of these were dross-removing instructions! If I followed them, the dross would skim right off. And as for the warnings—they were perfect dross-identifiers. I didn’t need to undergo fiery trials to remove the dross from my life—I merely needed to heed the Word.
I found the warnings—dross-identifiers—extremely helpful and eye-opening. Here are some:
Do not reveal the secret of another (vs. 9). Don’t open the door to trouble by telling someone’s secret to others. If you are a secret-blabber, you need to get busy with dross-skimming.
Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely (vs. 14). If you try to build yourself up in the eyes of others by stretching the truth about your gifts, talents, abilities, or accomplishments, you have some dross to get rid of.
Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor (vs. 18). If you lie about someone…or stretch the truth to make them look worse than they are, you’ve got dross. You can’t be a pure vessel until it’s dealt with. This means you need to repent of it and ask for forgiveness from God. In turn, He will likely tell you to apologize to the one you lied to AND the one you lied about.
Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble (vs. 19). Follow through with your commitments to others…including those who have no ability to enhance your resume. When you are untrustworthy or unfaithful to your word, you have some undealt with dross marring the purity of your integrity.
Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda is he who sings songs to a troubled heart (vs. 20). As well-intended as your cheery songs may be, someone who is going through difficulties may view your upbeat treatment as a curse rather than a blessing. “Well, I just don’t want them to go around in the dumps,” you may say; but if you’re not sensitive to the Holy Spirit in the situation, you may find that your “ministry” is more self-serving than it is other-serving. If others tend to wince at your upbeat input when they are going through troubles, make sure that what you’re offering isn’t just a bit of dross you’ve pulled out as a bandage so you don’t have to deal more directly with their pain. This isn’t an easy impurity to identify in ourselves, but it’s certainly a hindrance to Christ-directed ministry.
Like a trampled spring and a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked (vs. 26). One type of impurity comes in the form of the fear of man. When you and I give way before the wicked—when we recognize wicked actions or attitudes overtaking boundaries set by God and do or say nothing about it—we have become like a trampled spring and a polluted well. How can we offer the pure water of life when we yield to the standards of wickedness set up to bring those we want to help into bondage? Are we willing to take a stand when it is unpopular to do so? Lord, help us.
It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory (vs. 27). When you search out your own glory, you tend to turn conversations back to yourself, your accomplishments, your blessings, and how God’s used you. Another verse takes it further: Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips (Proverbs 27:2). If you find yourself turning every get together into a showcase of how great (wise, spiritual, insightful, gifted, giving, ad nauseam) you are, chances are good that you’ve got some dross-skimming to do.
Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his own spirit (vs. 28). We all get annoyed at times. We all feel disappointed every now and then. Many of us have gone through a season or two in our lives when nothing goes right and storm clouds seem to hang over our souls. But if we lose utter control in the face of these things, we become like a city without protective walls. The good news is this: Even our own bad responses to trials can be treated as dross to be skimmed off and thrown away. Here’s how: Through all the messes, aggravations, disappointments, rejections and dashed dreams, you know there is an anchor. You know there is a Rock. You know there is a tower to which you can run and be safe. And knowing this—focusing on this—will bring stability to you when annoyances, disappointments, rejection, loss, or dashed dreams loom large. When your life seems to be going nowhere fast—or utterly falling apart—and you feel like you’re about to lose control, prepare to skim that dross by just saying to God, “I have no idea how You’ll fix this, but I know You are my anchor and my rock. I choose to run to You instead of losing control of my behavior or my mind right now. In You I find safety, relief, and comfort.” As you fix your attention on His ability and loving care, stability will start guarding your heart and will direct you in the way of peace.
The take away is clear: You don’t have to go through a gut-wrenching trial to remove the dross from the silver. All that’s required is for you to allow God to teach you from His Word, granting Him permission to meddle in your life, attitudes, and behaviors. He’ll show you the dross if you’re willing to see it, and He’ll lead you in the simplicity of skimming it off, once and for all.
If you wait for the fiery trials of life before you deal with issues, you are not only short-changing your growth, but you are also a fiery trial waiting to happen! Skim the impurities away now—as you become aware of them—and you will find you’ve become a vessel for the smith!
Dorothy
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21
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