Daniel 2:44

Daniel 2:44 says, And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.  During the Roman empire, God was going to establish an everlasting kingdom.  This would not be based on the power of men, but on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  Verse forty-five adds, Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.  Daniel said that the stone cut out of the mountains without hands, or by God Himself, would defeat all the other kingdoms, no matter how powerful they were.  We know this was a reference to Christ, Who set up God's everlasting kingdom.  No matter how powerful nations are today, they will never be able to defeat the kingdom of God.  This is not a military kingdom, but a spiritual one.  Verse forty-six continues, Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.  Even though Daniel had given all the credit to God, Nebuchadnezzar chose to worship Daniel instead of God.  Even when we give God the credit for what good we do for others today, they may still only want to give us the credit, even if we make it clear that God is the One Who should be given the praise.  Then in verse forty-seven states, Nebuchadnezzar declares, The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Nebuchadnezzar does acknowledge God after worshipping Daniel.  He called God Daniel's God.  For Nebuchadnezzar God was not the only true and living God, but just another of many gods.  There are those today who may be willing to acknowledge God as one of many gods, especially if something good has been done for them in His name, but this is not enough.  Verse forty-eight adds, Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.  Though he hadn't asked for it, Nebuchadnezzar did reward Daniel.  Then verse forty-nine continues, Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.  Daniel did not forget his three friends.  They had been a part of his being able to tell the king the dream and the interpretation since they had been in prayer with Daniel about it.  We are never truly alone in our witnessing and working for God, so we should never serve God simply for our own benefit.  We should always give God the glory and share the benefits of God's blessings with others.