The title of today’s quiet time is pretty mundane, but it is also the subject of our study. When was the last time we had forsaken everything for what we believed in? What I mean by that is, when did we last have convictions so strong that we were willing to bet our lives on it?
Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. (Daniel 3:28)
If you’re not familiar with the story, I’ll give you the Kwon notes version of it. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made a very big gold statue of himself that everybody in his country needed to worship when ceremonially appropriate (when the trumpets, bagpipes, harps, and generally when and if they heard music playing in the background). Three important officials in the Babylonian government refused to worship idols and they were thrown into a human BBQ pit. Usually when people are thrown into fires, they die, but they didn’t die and the king noticed that they weren’t dead. In fact, the king noticed that when they were inside the fire, there was a fourth person int he fire with them. They were saved by their faithfulness. It is so easy to forsake what we believe on Sunday morning as soon as Monday strikes. We lose deals and profits if didn’t compromise our faith. It is perhaps less painful if we ignore what we believe and just go with what is going on in society. I could comfortably say that all of us would have gotten a lot further ahead in life if we did. These three guys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, could have just gotten over even if they just went through the motions, but they decided that taking a stand of faith was more important than whatever was to be gained in their lives. In the 21st century, we need to make a radical step in the same direction– to not compromise what we believe for the quick buck or for ease and comfort. When you are uncompromising in what you believe about who God is to you, the more you will be able to rely on Him when you’re thrown into the fires of life. When you come out of those fires, I can guarantee that your faith will pay off for you like it did for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
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