Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Resurrected lord-the co-traveler.
Passage: Daniel 3:7-28 Verses of Focus: “ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” – Daniel 3:17-18
Amen
Have you ever been faced with a tough decision that involved great risk? What influenced your choice the most? Fear? Values? Peers? For many the outcome is a big deciding factor. If your life was on the line, surely that potential peril would impact you. In today’s devotion we read the story of 3 Israelite exiles who when faced with death, chose the difficult path and civil disobedience over safety. Would you do the same?
The book of Daniel details the Israelite people facing great difficulty. God’s people had been captured and were now under the rule of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. The king wanted chosen nobility with great looks and intelligence to serve his palace as read in chapter 1. Despite the constant challenges that befell 4 specific former royals, God had protected them. They were the author of the book, Daniel, also known as Belteshazzar; Hananiah also known as Shadrach; Mishael also known as Meshach; and Azariah also called Abednego.
Having been saved by Daniel’s dream interpretation and prayer, the men were elevated to serve the province and ultimately God despite their previous fall from prosperity. As we read in Chapter 3 however Nebuchadnezzar had created a law to worship his idol or risk death. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego remained defiant in this and it got back to the king, now putting their life in peril.
When faced with death as a consequence, their response is the verse of focus in verses 17 and 18. How many of us can say we would risk or lives for the sake of obeying God? Many of us would not even risk reputational costs let alone our physical life! Their response is significant in that it cites God’s ability and also their defiance. The world may see it as civil disobedience, Babylonians may see it as a crime, but God acknowledges this as righteousness. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that worshipping God alone in faith superseded life on this earth, and they believed He could save them. The God of Israel had sustained them and protected them before their capture and they trusted now. Even if they weren’t saved, they still refused to worship the idol.
For many of us when hardship falls it would be easy to forsake what we have done. Clearly what we were following or believed is not worthwhile if we are suffering or struggling. There’s always a better option, right? If you now faced death over a life choice wouldn’t it just be easier to change your mind than lose your life? To the 3 men, disobedience to God was worse than death. Their defiance made their potential punishment of being burned alive worse with even hotter flames Yet when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were put in the fire, they were accompanied by a presence of God that not even the king could deny, who protected them throughout. Their faith and perseverance was honored and a testimony to a foreigner and the world. The heat of the moment and environment had no effect on these men of God.
The faith of these men were rewarded by protection even though it was not guaranteed. As we end Easter season let us not forget that God has not forsaken people in the Old Testament despite the hardship they faced, and He surely has not now. We are blessed to live and celebrate the resurrected Christ and must remember His presence is with us, before us, behind us, and in front of us leading the way. May we live like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, moving forward knowing God is alive and seek His face. Let us not worship the world or people’s wishes but search our hearts for the idols that capture our affections, and reject that for the true God. May you be blessed.
Prayer
Lord God give me faith and strength to defy all things that keep me from you. May I seek your face and not this world. Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
What fear or obstacle pushes me to not worship God wholeheartedly? How can I seek God first?
Arun Chacko
The Mar Thoma Church Staten Island
Amen
Have you ever been faced with a tough decision that involved great risk? What influenced your choice the most? Fear? Values? Peers? For many the outcome is a big deciding factor. If your life was on the line, surely that potential peril would impact you. In today’s devotion we read the story of 3 Israelite exiles who when faced with death, chose the difficult path and civil disobedience over safety. Would you do the same?
The book of Daniel details the Israelite people facing great difficulty. God’s people had been captured and were now under the rule of Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. The king wanted chosen nobility with great looks and intelligence to serve his palace as read in chapter 1. Despite the constant challenges that befell 4 specific former royals, God had protected them. They were the author of the book, Daniel, also known as Belteshazzar; Hananiah also known as Shadrach; Mishael also known as Meshach; and Azariah also called Abednego.
Having been saved by Daniel’s dream interpretation and prayer, the men were elevated to serve the province and ultimately God despite their previous fall from prosperity. As we read in Chapter 3 however Nebuchadnezzar had created a law to worship his idol or risk death. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego remained defiant in this and it got back to the king, now putting their life in peril.
When faced with death as a consequence, their response is the verse of focus in verses 17 and 18. How many of us can say we would risk or lives for the sake of obeying God? Many of us would not even risk reputational costs let alone our physical life! Their response is significant in that it cites God’s ability and also their defiance. The world may see it as civil disobedience, Babylonians may see it as a crime, but God acknowledges this as righteousness. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that worshipping God alone in faith superseded life on this earth, and they believed He could save them. The God of Israel had sustained them and protected them before their capture and they trusted now. Even if they weren’t saved, they still refused to worship the idol.
For many of us when hardship falls it would be easy to forsake what we have done. Clearly what we were following or believed is not worthwhile if we are suffering or struggling. There’s always a better option, right? If you now faced death over a life choice wouldn’t it just be easier to change your mind than lose your life? To the 3 men, disobedience to God was worse than death. Their defiance made their potential punishment of being burned alive worse with even hotter flames Yet when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were put in the fire, they were accompanied by a presence of God that not even the king could deny, who protected them throughout. Their faith and perseverance was honored and a testimony to a foreigner and the world. The heat of the moment and environment had no effect on these men of God.
The faith of these men were rewarded by protection even though it was not guaranteed. As we end Easter season let us not forget that God has not forsaken people in the Old Testament despite the hardship they faced, and He surely has not now. We are blessed to live and celebrate the resurrected Christ and must remember His presence is with us, before us, behind us, and in front of us leading the way. May we live like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, moving forward knowing God is alive and seek His face. Let us not worship the world or people’s wishes but search our hearts for the idols that capture our affections, and reject that for the true God. May you be blessed.
Prayer
Lord God give me faith and strength to defy all things that keep me from you. May I seek your face and not this world. Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
What fear or obstacle pushes me to not worship God wholeheartedly? How can I seek God first?
Arun Chacko
The Mar Thoma Church Staten Island