Karen and I have been inspired by watching programmes like “House of David” that portray stories from the Old Testament that we may have read many times, but now have images in our minds of what Samuel, Saul and David may have looked like. We have also been encouraged to read “Fixing our eyes” – that our son-in-law, Jon Deming, writes. Here are some insights from his most recent post:

“From Daniel 6:10, we learn that Daniel maintained a daily regimen of prayer three times per day. Explicitly the text tells us, Daniel’s prayers were not a reaction to Darius’ order. Rather, he continued what ‘he had done previously.’ While speculative, I think we can infer that his friends likely mentioned a similar regimen, especially given the parallel structure of chapters 3 and 6 in the book.

I also assume this prayer habit of Daniel’s was only the tip of the iceberg of his spiritual life. Though the text doesn’t give us any further details, it seems reasonable to imagine that Daniel maintained an intentional and well-organized regimen of spiritual habits. How else do exiles hold onto their God, their religion, their faith, and their spiritual power ‘behind enemy lines’?

Thus, the answer to the question of how Daniel and his friends lived with such power and courage is, to put it simply: their spiritual habits.”

Jon goes on to state:

“Through their regular interactions with the living God, their bodies and souls were caught up in his reality, his kingdom, his purposes. Through these routine exchanges with the divine, they were filled up with ‘a power … deriving from the spiritual realm itself.’ Through their intentional and organized spiritual lives, they were, in the words of Paul, trained for godliness (1 Tim. 4:7). And the result? At the moment of crisis, at the breaking point, when death was on the line, they withstood worldly pressures and remained faithful to God.”

How are you doing in terms of spiritual habits? If you have never asked God’s forgiveness for your sins and placed your faith in Christ, you are not only missing out on the most wonderful relationship anyone could have, but you are also not enjoying the blessings of being where God wants you to be: in the centre of His will.

Scripture for the weekend: “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ” Philippians 3:7-8 (NASB) .

Steve