There have been times when people have told me that the Old Testament was really hard to apply. We are not finding that to be true in Daniel.
This morning we were in Daniel 3. You know the passage, fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were tossed in there because they would not bow to Nebuchadnezzer’s image.
The richness of their response to Nebuchadnezzer in Daniel 3:17 – 18 is legend. God can save us. He may not. That does not matter. We will not worship your image.
One does not make that decision in the moment. It was made before. The three friends were committed to God, period. They had made that decision earlier. Demonstrated by their desire not to defile themselves in the first chapter.
We may not yet be under persecution. If not at some point we will be. In order to pass that test, the decision to stand firm has to be made before the experience. The enemy is evil and creative. He will do heinous things to get us to turn on Christ. A weak, shallow faith may not handle the test. Mark 4:1 – 20 alludes to that.
Before the test we need to strengthen our relationship with Christ. We have to come to the point where we know without a doubt that He is Lord. That our life is His. That we will stand strong.
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Those who went through those death camps endured unimaginable cruelty. If you and I are faced with that if we do not renounce Christ, what would we do?
At the gate of the camp, it may be too late to prepare.
The richness of their response to Nebuchadnezzer in Daniel 3:17 – 18 is legend. God can save us. He may not. That does not matter. We will not worship your image.
One does not make that decision in the moment. It was made before. The three friends were committed to God, period. They had made that decision earlier. Demonstrated by their desire not to defile themselves in the first chapter.
We may not yet be under persecution. If not at some point we will be. In order to pass that test, the decision to stand firm has to be made before the experience. The enemy is evil and creative. He will do heinous things to get us to turn on Christ. A weak, shallow faith may not handle the test. Mark 4:1 – 20 alludes to that.
Before the test we need to strengthen our relationship with Christ. We have to come to the point where we know without a doubt that He is Lord. That our life is His. That we will stand strong.
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Those who went through those death camps endured unimaginable cruelty. If you and I are faced with that if we do not renounce Christ, what would we do?
At the gate of the camp, it may be too late to prepare.
Tests will come; we are promised that. God has His own training program for us that likely includes very little tests that we likely don't even recognize as such.
ReplyDeleteAnd underlying truth these three men (as well as Daniel, of course) is that God is sovereign. Absolutely. It is probably also seen in their "He can,,,He may not..." statement. I have multiple opportunities every day to "practice" the sovereignty of God. Take thankfulness, for example. Thankfulness, at least for me, demands an understanding that God is in control of the most minor as well as the really big events. I'm not good at that. At all.
Adoniram Judson, whom God used to first open the nation of Burma suffered in ways we can scarcely believe, to include losing two wives and about six children along with several years imprisonment and brutal torture after the British invaded Burma, to steadfastly accomplish the burning vision God had given him. One of the quotes attributed to him is something like this:
"This has been ordered by His infinite love and mercy."
That is a grip I can only dream of; so far He has not asked me to experience that, but as you say, Mike, maybe just not yet....