ESOCS Devotional 1 September 2026 – Be a Positive Advert For Christ
MEMORY VERSE: “I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.” (Daniel 5: 14 NKJV).
TEXT: DANIEL 5: 13 – 31
Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. 15 Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. 16 And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. 19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. 20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. 21 Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.
22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 24 Then the [i]fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.
25 “And this is the inscription that was written:
[j]MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. 31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
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It’s always interesting to hear what people know of you before they meet you. Two years ago, I met my current boss at the Port-Harcourt International Airport to pick up a package for my friend and she started the conversation with, “Oh, I’ve heard a lot about you from your friend.” You really can take that statement two ways. Depending on their intonation, that comment could mean that you have done things that people are commending or condemning.
In our text, Daniel was brought before King Belshazzar and the first thing he said to him is “I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you…….” (Daniel 5:14 -16). The king clearly had heard a lot about Daniel (Dan. 5:10 – 12) and when he came face to face with him, what he heard was not different from who he met.
Daniel also had things to say about the King about his lifestyle. In Daniel’s words “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this…….. (Dan. 5:22 – 23). This clearly showed that what he heard about the king and saw were not different.
When people hear about us, are they also hearing a good representation of God? It would always be nice to surpass other’s expectations of us, but what matter even more is how people view God through us. King Belshazzar acknowledged that God indeed lives in men through Daniel because of his relationship with his God. When people are hearing about you they are hearing about characteristics of God.
In the story of Queen Sheba and King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba had clearly heard a lot about Solomon and so came to visit him to see for herself if he lived up to his famous name. She was impressed that Solomon surpassed his well-spoken of name and praised his God for all that she had witnessed (I Kings 10:1-13). She was able to see God’s fulfilment of His promises through Solomon.
Whether we are at work, in social settings or at home, we are proclaiming God’s name. Today, my boss confesses that I am the first person who attends “white garment church” with Christ-like character. This is because what she has seen in me through my way of life surpasses what she heard about me. If our desire is for the Lord’s name to be praised, then we must live for Him with our words as well as our actions.
May we be a positive advertisement for God today in Jesus name.
Challenges:
- When people hear about you, do they speak positive things about your God?
- What aspect of God are you promoting for Him in this season of your life?
Prayer:
Lord, you are wonderful and glorious and we could never represent all You are. Grant us grace to strive to represent you as best as we can so that more people can see your greatness and enter into your presence. Amen.
FURTHER READING:
Matthew 5: 38 – end; 2 Samuel 9: 1 – end; Romans 2: 17 – 29
ESOCS Devotional 1 September 2026
