Everyday Choices in the Blazing Furnace

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18 As with every story in the bible, God used this one to teach us important lessons that have immediate application in our lives here and now. Two of these lessons are as follows: 1) If we choose to honor God in our daily choices instead of the idols that vie for our loyalty, e.g., popularity, comfort, self-aggrandizement, it will cause the people in our spheres of influence to recognize the reality of God and His greatness. 2) When we act on Christ’s command to take up our crosses daily and follow Him, we find our true lives hidden with Christ in God. “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then we also will be revealed with Him in glory” Colossians 3:4 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’” Jeremiah 6:16a