“this was the dream. now we will tell the king its interpretation. you, o king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. [daniel 2:36-38]
given by God, for God. every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. [james 1:17]
nebuchadnezzar felt out of control as the God of heaven, who is the giver of all things, showed the king who was really in power. in seeing the Giver of the gifts, in all his great power, it is made clear who deserves the glory for the gifts, who is sovereign over the gifts and for whom the gifts are to be stewarded well. as the head of gold, nebuchadnezzar was going to be prone to take credit, take the glory, and to reject and rebel against the true Head of Gold, who reigns over all things.
what gifts has God given to you? what are your talents and abilities, gifts of time, resources, riches, passions? are you using them to the glory of the One who gives them to you? are you using them at all?
as believers, we are all called to use our gifts to edify the body of Christ and bless the world around us in a way that shows our God as glorious.
for the body:
as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. to him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. amen. [1 peter 4:10-11]
for the world:
but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. beloved, i urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. keep your conduct among the gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. [1 peter 2:9-12]
each and every gift is given by the Lord and for the Lord! may we humble ourselves before him in thanksgiving and give all that we have for his glory!
~ arwen eastman