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

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

Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 1 We all believe in our hearts and Here's how theologian John Frame puts it: God has not only knowledge but also wisdom. knowledge that understands the deep significance of something and its practical relevance (Pss. 104:24

Romans 13:1-5 (NIV) 12:21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 13 Let everyone be The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2  Consequently, whoever rebels against the Psalm 20 reminds us not to trust in horses or chariots , referring to the might of government, which Today: 2 Peter 2

in your baptism ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Luke 1

Jeremiah 7:1-8 (NIV) This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2  “Stand at the gate of the Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 29: The Marks of the True Church standard needed to be set in order to define what a true church actually is, which is exactly what Article 29 Today: 1 Timothy 6

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 24 Q. hovering over the waters of the deep as God the Father begins to speak the world into existence (Gen. 1: 2). ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 22

you, was a child of God, chosen by the King of kings, even before the universe was created (Ephesians 1: But what a comfort it is to read Psalm 22, and know that even when God seems so far away, you can rest

Find out how to escape. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NIV) 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive original sin, which instills in us a propensity to sin, and the wages of this sin is death (Genesis 2: 17, Romans 6:23).

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