Daniel 5:17 (AMP)
“Then Daniel answered before the king, Let your gifts be for yourself and give your rewards to another. However, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation.”
It is the desire of God that any man who would be used by Him to carry out His will and purposes on earth should be a man who would be able to stand tall and upright without compromise because of anything that anyone can do for him, either negative or positive. It saddens God’s heart when a man places his impact in the Kingdom on material gains and possessions without looking unto the Perfect Man, Jesus Christ. Truly, there are gains and rewards in a man’s walk with and work for God in this world, but God doesn’t want His chosen ones to make those rewards and gains, especially material things, a priority because He is their exceeding great reward, like He told Abraham.
Belshazzar, King Nebuchadnezzar’s son who ruled after him, was enjoying himself in his palace with the vessels brought from the temple in Jerusalem being used for drinking wine. This king purposely brought all those vessels of gold, silver, and bronze that had been dedicated to the Lord God Almighty in the temple and used them to drink wine with a thousand of his lords. But in that same great feast that he made, he experienced the unthinkable. The fingers of a man’s hand appeared and were writing on the wall of the palace, where the king could see it clearly. When this happened, he was troubled, but his mother advised him to call Daniel, which he did.
In a bid to prove pompous and wealthy, he promised Daniel gifts and material possessions if he could interpret the writing. But Daniel frankly refused to be motivated and cajoled by the gifts so much that it would disable him from speaking the truth that the king needed to hear. Truly, a man’s gift will make way for him, but such a way has to be that which God has opened according to His will. You cannot continue to monetize what God has given you when He has not told you to do so and expect that He will be happy with you or cause you to have rest. Many have covered the truth because they monetized their gifts. That which the Lord has given you is to the end that the people around you are instructed in the ways of the Lord, and if the talent He has given you will bring in material possessions for you, since it is not against God’s will for you, then you are safe. Learn to reject material gifts that will prevent you from being able to tell the truth as expected of you by God. Be like Daniel.
Confession: I am not blinded by that which the world offers; I stay true to my calling.
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