Bible reading: Daniel 3:16-18
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.”
This is one of my favourite stories in the old testament because it shows the courage of God’s people and God’s miraculous response to their loyalty. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were among the Israelites that were exiled to Babylon, a pagan city with a completely different culture from their own. Babylonians worshipped several gods, while the Israelites only worshipped the one true God (the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). The Israelites were faced with a new issue when the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, made a gold statue and instructed all to worship it whenever sounds from various musical instruments started playing or risk being thrown into a blazing furnace. To summarise the rest of the story, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused and were thrown into the fire but God delivered them.
Though the greatest trial of their time was idol worship, we should not deceive ourselves by thinking we are exempt because idol worship is not a huge issue in our culture today. We may not be faced with the temptation to worship inanimate objects, but our culture is stuffed full of information that encourages sexual immorality, greed, lying, vulgar speech, pride and lust. To stand against all these things is to stand out, which is exactly what we are called to do as Christians. Standing out for Christ comes with its consequences e.g. ridicule, abuse or the loss of some friends, but Jesus said in Matthew 5:10-12; “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven….”
Whenever I feel intimidated or worried about the negative consequences of boldly living for Christ, I take it as a signal to pray and remind myself of all the blessings that come with following Christ, which are far greater than the consequences. We need to remember that though we are in this world, we are not of this world. Our citizenship is found in heaven (Philippians 3:20). So the question is, “are you going to courageously stand out for Christ (by obeying His commands) or timidly blend into the world?” Making the decision to stand out for Christ today might save a soul tomorrow.
P.S. Standing out for Christ should always be done in a peaceful and respectful way, not in an aggressive or violent way.
Key passages:
Colossians 3:5-10 “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. “
1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].”
