“A Penalty for Wrong Praise”

Daniel 4

Have you ever worked so hard to complete a task only to have someone else claim they did the job? What a spirit of anger that arises as you feel cheated from the praise that was rightly due. In this chapter, we find a man of great power and blessings do the very same to a Holy God. God had blessed him to not only be king, but a king of much power and great victory. Yet, this king, in verses 30 and 31, makes a statement from the heart rejecting the command of God and rejoicing in himself rather than God. These words cause God to place great punishment on the king in order to remind him who truly is doing the work.

Just as in this passage, each day we are given the opportunity to either praise God or exalt ourselves. Our flesh and the devil desire for personal praise which produces a heart of pride. God wants us to praise Him and reflect minute by minute on His goodness because He is worthy, and it keeps us humble. The choice is ours, but the reward is up to God. Allow me to encourage you today to choose wisely, for just as with the king, the wrong choice could take you spiritually from the palace to a wilderness.