Daniel 5:22 “But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.”

Human capacity for not learning from the experiences of others, or even our own experiences, is astounding at times. Belshazzar was Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson (the terms “son” and “father” were often used to indicate “descendant” and “ancestor”) and without question knew the story of his grandfather’s seven years of insanity, but he didn’t apply it to himself at all. A major reason for God causing the Bible to be written was to give us a record of the consequences of obedience and disobedience, humility and pride. It contains both explicit teaching and the unadorned record of what people did and the consequences of their actions. However, most of the time we read it as a story of “back then,” and fail to apply it to our own lives right now. Treated that way, it does us no good. That’s why the devotional pattern developed by Wayne Cordeiro, which I use, is so good. It uses the acronym SOAP, for Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer. Most people, even if they have regular devotions, just read a scripture passage and then pray. The Observation step is to think about what the passage actually says, perhaps rephrasing it, so as to seek to hear what God is saying through it to you right then. That of course is of the greatest importance, because we need to hear what God is saying to us. But even if we do that, and then fail to apply what God has said in our daily lives, the whole process has broken down and we are engaging in empty ritual. Our circumstances will probably not be as dramatic as what Belshazzar experienced, but they can be just as final, if we fail to apply the things God teaches us.

This has been a weak spot for me all my life. By the grace of God I have been steeped in the Bible since infancy, but my application of the truth I know has been spotty at best. That should give me great compassion for those to whom I minister. However, compassion doesn’t mean compromise. Writing that, I remember I preached on the subject of “Compassion, not Compromise” a couple of years ago. I don’t always apply even the truth I preach! I am to extend the grace of God to others without telling them their sin is OK. That puts me once again in conflict with the Japanese language, in which “forgiveness” and “permission” sound alike. I have great difficulty communicating the vital reality that God forgives but He doesn’t excuse. However, I’m not to give up! I am to remember the grace and patience God has shown me, and exercise that same grace and patience toward others.

Father, thank You for repeating Yourself to me as many times as necessary. Help me hear and obey You more quickly! Help me get Your truth through to the believers so that they may be set free indeed from all the lies and misconceptions that have bound them, so that together we may be and do all that You intend, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!