The Gospel According to Nebuchadnezzar.

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Praise for God’s Bounty

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.”

Psalm 67:4–7

Though Henry Alford ended his ministry pastoring large churches in London and Canterbury, he spent the early formative years of his work in a small rural farming community. Life there revolved around the annual cycle of planting, cultivating, and harvesting the crops. A good harvest was not a matter of convenience, but rather a matter of sustenance. If there was no harvest, there would be nothing to eat during the long winter months. During his pastorate, Alford penned this well-loved Thanksgiving hymn:

Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin.

God our Maker doth provide
For our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home.

In a world of plenty and abundance, it is easy for us to forget how dependent we are on God’s gracious provision. Those who have lived through a major natural disaster like an earthquake or a hurricane quickly realize how fragile the chain that fills the shelves of stores and ensures we have multiple choices really is. And we must recognize that ultimately, it is God who makes it possible for us to live and thrive from day to day. Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). Yet in truth most of us take our food supply for granted. Instead, we should stop to reflect that even in a wealthy society, it is only God’s grace that keeps things running.

Today’s Growth Principle: 

Rather than taking God’s goodness for granted, we should be overflowing with praise and gratitude.

 

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“King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.” —Daniel 4:1-2 I’ve heard of some remarkable conversions in my time.  I think, perhaps, one of the most remarkable is that of the late Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega.  A dear friend of mine, Dr. Rudy Hernandez from San Antonio, Texas, along with Pastor Clift Brannon had an opportunity to go down to Miami, and to get the Gospel into Manuel Noriega before he stood trial. That dictator had confessed Christ as his Savior, possessed Christ as his Savior; and by all indications was growing in Bible study and in spiritual commitment before his death.  We thank God for that, and certainly no one can escape the power of the grace of God once God Himself begins to move in a person’s heart. But even greater than the conversion of the despot Manuel Noriega would be the conversion of this king known as Nebuchadnezzar. We would have considered Nebuchadnezzar the most unlikely candidate to be converted to the true God.  And yet, because of His great mercies, we have recorded here in this passage of Scripture the almost indescribable unbelievable conversion of this man. There’s one thing that’s always true about salvation.  Salvation never originates with us.  It always begins in the heart and the love and the mercy of God.  God initiated the action in the life of this king.  God has a way of moving upon our hearts, to get our attention, to bring us to Himself. And there is no person who can escape the hand of God once God decides to move. ​

Jesus said… “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. “(Matthew 19:29)