ODJ: sacred things
December 16, 2011
How can light live with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14).
READ: Daniel 5:1-30
Lumberjack Ron Fahey got into trouble for removing some logs he intended to use as firewood. The de-branched specimens had been lying in a woodpile on the campus of a University. Fahey had been given permission to take logs found on the grounds. However, this particular stack of wood was actually a ‘sculpture’ named Deadwood Sleep. Fortunately, the hardworking lumberjack was stopped before he did too much damage. “To me, it was just a pile of wood,” he said. “If that’s art, then I’m in the wrong job.”
King Belshazzar of Babylon was definitely in the wrong when he decided to use some sacred things for profane purposes (Daniel 5:2). He ordered certain gold and silver cups to be used for a wild party he was hosting. The problem was, the fine goblets had been taken from the Temple (“the house of God”) in Jerusalem when a previous king, Nebuchadnezzar, had conquered the city (v.3). Belshazzar had offended God with His sacrilege (v.23).
His sentence? God spoke through the prophet Daniel and told him that his life and reign were about to end (v.26). That very night it was lights out for Belshazzar (v.30).
God is holy, and He has called us to be holy. Sadly, at times we profane what is sacred. Consider these words from the apostle Paul: “Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? . . . You must honour God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
What are the sacred things in your life? What are those things that you would never do or say because they’re unholy and offensive to God? Write them down and commit them to Him today. —Tom Felten
How seriously do you take God’s holiness? Why is it important for us to recognise what God considers to be sacred?
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