Daniel prospered because He was fed by God rather than the world. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 79 Q. Why then does Christ call the bread his body and the cup his blood, or the new covenant in his blood? (Paul uses the words, a participation in Christ’s body and blood.) A. Christ has good reason for these words. He wants to teach us that as bread and wine nourish our temporal life, so too his crucified body and poured-out blood truly nourish our souls for eternal life. But more important, he wants to assure us, by this visible sign and pledge, that we, through the Holy Spirit’s work, share in his true body and blood as surely as our mouths receive these holy signs in his remembrance, and that all of his suffering and obedience are as definitely ours as if we personally had suffered and paid for our sins. Summary The book of Daniel begins with Israel being carried off into exile in Babylon as a result of their sin. Interestingly, it's those who are taken away from Israel who are the remnant that God will preserve, while those who are left behind will slowly fade away. Nebuchadnezzar only takes the best and brightest, and then he selects the cream of that crop to serve in his sprawling government. Daniel is part of this group of talented young men who are to not only be trained, but assimilated into Babylonian language & literature; in other words, the king wants men with a worldview like his own, so they must be indoctrinated before serving in official roles. Daniel is part of a group who, while willing to serve the king, "resolved not to defile himself" with too much Babylonian culture, especially the food. This food was the best of the best, but it was quite different than what God had commanded Israelites to eat. God wanted His covenant people to look different from the world around them, and one of the key ways of doing this was by regulating their diet. After securing permission to maintain their Kosher diet, Daniel and his friends eat only vegetables and water. But God blesses this protein light menu anyways in such a way that they "looked healthier (literally: fatter) and better nourished than the other young men who ate the royal food." Dig Deeper You probably don't think of yourself this way, but like Daniel, you are an exile. You likely haven't been physically forced from your homeland, but you are living away from your true home in the Kingdom of God. Christians are not fully at home in this world but are temporary residents, awaiting their true eternal home in the presence of God. This opening chapter in Daniel is not making the point that one style of diet is better than another, rather it reminds us that full nourishment requires more than just physical food. As creatures that are both physical and spiritual, our souls must be nourished for eternal life just as we feed our bodies three times a day (or more). If you neglect regular church attendance, you must understand that you will quickly become spiritually malnourished. You need to be fed regularly with the Word & sacraments to fully experience God's blessings as Daniel and his friends did. AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who preserves and nourishes us even while we remain in exile; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Thank God for feeding you spiritually, and pray for a growing desire to consume the means of grace God provides through your local church; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 16

Genesis 15:1-6 (NIV) After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be I am your shield,  your very great reward.” 2  But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 23: The Justification of Sinners He would show him, and that once Abram got there God would make him into a great nation (Genesis 12:1- –24; Gal 3:6; Jas 2:23 It's this simple premise that lies at the heart of the gospel; that, as our

When it comes to the sacraments, not following the directions may cause serious side effects. 1 Corinthians   So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21  for when you are eating, As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22  Don’t you have homes to eat and drink , took bread, 24  and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for Today: 2 Timothy 3

Galatians 4:1-7 (NIV) ...As long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 2: The Means by Which We Know God the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1: 20. He said, "Repent (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15)."

Hebrews 5:1-10 (NIV) Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 21: The Atonement We believe that

Ephesians 1:3-6 (NIV) 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us As we've read in Romans 8:28, "In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been Today: Romans 1

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because

own rulers that the Lord may be willing to lead them in all their ways (as we were commanded to do in 1 Timothy 2 which we read earlier this week ) AAA Prayer (About) A CKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS : Our Father and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Timothy 2:2); A SK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year!

Isaiah 11:1-9 (NIV) A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit . 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of