Daniel 3:16-25
¹⁷ If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will.
¹⁸ But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up.”
Today, many of us Christians are serving and worshipping God because we know he can take us out of certain situations, give us houses we didn't build and cars we didn't work for, which is ok. But can we also stand firm to what is right🤔?
The scripture above is taken from the book of Daniel chapter 3.
In those days, God took the Israelites into captivity because of worshipping idols, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came and carried all of them, and as they were going, they confessed that they had sinned against God by worshipping idols.
What is interesting is that, when they reached Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue (an idol) again, and ordered everybody to bow down to this idol and worship it. ✍️
The Israelites knew that this was sinful and it's the reason as to why God took them to captivity but there was no way they could escape😢😥 because the king had ordered that anybody who fails to bow down would be thrown into the lake of fire(blazing furnace). And all of them bowed down in fear.😭😭
But there were these three Israelite teenagers, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, when the king made a command for people to bow down, they just remained standing like they didn't know what was happening.😁😝😅
The king threatened to throw them into the fire, infact, he asked them, "do you think the God that you serve so much is going to save you?" and they told the King,
Daniel 3: 17-18 "If the God whom we serve is able to save us from the blazing furnace and from your power, then he will.
¹⁸ But even if he doesn't, Your Majesty may be sure that we will not worship your god, and we will not bow down to the gold statue that you have set up.”
That's called having boldness for what is right.
The king became very angry with them, his eyes turned red and he choose the strongest men to tie these men and threw them into the fire but God sent his angel and saved them and not even the smell of smoke remained on them. Glory be to God..
There are so many Nebuchadnezzars these days. Think about that friend who makes your life difficult because you don't do certain things the way he does because you know they are evil.
Nebuchadnezzar is the image of the society trying to squeeze people into doing what is Evil.
Some of us, we do certain things because we fear what friends might say about us when we fail to join them in doing that thing, even when we know its wrong.
That's why Paul is saying, Romans 12:2
² Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world,.......
The three men would have accepted and bowed to the king because they were afraid of the fire in this world but they were even more afraid of the fire after death that last forever. They were wise.
Admonition
Like the three Israelite teenagers, God wants us to stand firm for what we believe is right, regardless of what the society will say about us.
Sin will always remain sin even if everyone is doing it and what is right will remain right even if nobody is doing it. God bless you...
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank you for yet another beautiful day, may you help me to always overcome the corruption that is in this world and live to satisfy my purpose in life according to your will..In Jesus name ..Amen.🙏
Further studies: 1 Peter 5:8, 2 Timothy 3
Still remain your friend,
Otim Brian Sundison
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