"Burn us up"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18 NLT)
I remember when I was a kid I used to get in fights with classmates. We had some of the typical 1st grade fights that were mostly words. We would smack talk about all sorts of different things. We would promise to "be your best friend" if we traded our lunch or a baseball card.
One of my favorite lines though was "my Dad's stronger than your dad." There is something about kids that they take pride in their parents (where does that go by the way?). I used to brag about how my dad could take all the other dads on & crush them. I never once thought about the fact that I'd never seen my dad fight a day in his life. It was ok though, I knew he could do it! He's my dad!
That's a lot like what we see here with these three Hebrew teenagers. "My God's bigger than your god." They are so confident in their God that they tell the king to burn them up! Now that's faith.
I've never had a moment like this. I've never been faced with life or death for my love for Jesus. I wonder if I would be bowed down in the back somewhere & just repent later. This is not the attitude of these guys. They are willing to die rather than bow down & their boldness has effects even on the king & the whole kingdom.
When Jesus becomes something we are not only willing to live for but die for, that is when we will see change in our culture. When we are willing to risk for the kingdom of God even if the outcome is our death, that's when we will see God work. Having a bow now, repent later faith doesn't change anything. It especially doesn't change us.
What is it that we have been bowing down to? Where is God calling us to stand for him no matter the consequences?
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