Daniel Chapter 4. Get Off Your High Horse Before You Get Knocked Off.
As time goes on, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream of a tree that becomes huge in stature and produces so much fruit and provides shelter and food for all creatures. And suddenly a holy voice says cut the tree down and destroy it. Let the stump and its roots stay intact. The tree itself will become like an animal for a long time (perhaps 7 years).
This dream terrified King Nebuchadnezzar and wanted it interpreted. He tells Daniel the dream and Daniel interprets it but is terrified by it because he tells the king that he is the tree. He tells the king he will be removed as king and will lose his sanity and dwell among the animals and eat grass.
The king will live in such state of mind until the day he acknowledges that God is sovereign over all kingdoms and God gives to kingdoms whoever he wishes.
In other words, the king must understand that apart from God we are nothing. No matter how great our leadership position is, we are nothing without God.
Out of love and respect for the king, Daniel pleaded with him to confess and repent of his sins and wicked ways so that he could avoid all that was to come to him. But the king did not listen.
Sure enough, on a day the king looked over his kingdom, he boasted of his own great power and Glory. Immediately the dream began to be fulfilled. He heard a heavenly voice speak to him and the king lost his sanity, his position as king, his power, he dwelt among animals, he became drenched with dew, and ate grass for a long time. One day the king looked up in the sky and acknowledged that God is sovereign over all Kingdoms and God gives to kingdoms whoever he wishes.
As soon as he said these words his sanity was restored as was his kingship and kingdom. As a result, God blessed his kingdom and made it even greater.
King Nebuchadnezzar closed with these words, “Now I, King Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of Heaven because everything he does is right and all his ways are just and those who walk in pride is able to humble.”
CHALLENGE: Get off your high horse before you get knocked off.
If you're good at something or talented or gifted in any given way, then let your words, and your heart and attitude be presented with humility so that others can see such humility.
Why humility? Because your humility is a way of acknowledging that apart from God you are nothing. Plus how you communicate to others verbally or nonverbally, will help them see that you recognize that God is The Sovereign God that makes us shine with greatness. So let's give him the glory versus trying to take it for ourselves.