Stand Out With Your Faith
Message by Daniel Carandang
Written by Ashley Petallano
Have you ever been ditched?
We hate it when our friends swear they'd arrive at one place at this time then we go there and we find ourselves alone. Don't you just want to throw a silent tantrum when that happens?
Na-injan ka na ba?
We hate the feeling of being left behind, iniwan sa ere. We trust people to be faithful to their promises to us. When they say that they'll be at the meeting at exactly 4:00 in the afternoon, we expect them to arrive on time and not three hours late. When our friends tell us that they'll come support us during our defense, we expect to see them cheering for you and not seeing nothing but air right behind your professor as your knees wobble in fear.
Unfaithfulness is no longer new in our world. Husbands and wives separate because one of them has been unfaithful. It's a plague haunting us, destroying relationships and families.
Once upon a time, there were three men who beat the status quo- three men with radical faith.
3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide[a] and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3 So all these officials[b]came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Daniel 3:1-3
King Nebuchadnezzar had an image of himself built up so that the people would worship him. He saw himself as someone who deserved to be worshiped by his people. Verses 4 to 6 recounts how his herald spread the news that the image was to be worshiped by everyone and those who will not comply will be thrown into a blazing furnace.
So whenever the people heard the lyre and other musical instruments, they had to drop what they were doing and immediately bow down to the image.
You might ask: "What's the big deal, then?"
Nebuchadnezzar, though he was a king, was never a god. The worship he asked from the people was that of God's. He thought of himself higher than God, which is a big no-no. If the people obeyed to his decree, then they worship Nebuchadnezzar as a god.
However, three special men believed otherwise.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were among the young men the King had taken to Babylon for service. These three men loved the Lord with their heart. They knew that if they bowed to the image, they would be unfaithful to God. So, despite the punishment they could face, they refused to obey.
Word got out of their rebellion. Nebuchadnezzar was furious when he heard of it.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments.[f] But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
Daniel 3:13-15
The king threatened Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. If they didn't obey him, they would burn in the furnace.
We too face persecution. They don't necessarily have to be fiery furnaces, sometimes it's the circumstances we find ourselves in. If we follow Christ, we do not follow the ways of this world. We don't party like it's the end of the world nor do we drink ourselves silly. We try not to swear to gossip about other people. We don't do what the world wants us to do.
When we don't, we are taunted or pressured to do so. People will consistently push us to just go along with the flow, to take part with the 'joys' of the world- to eat, drink and be merry, to party hard and all that.
When you're faced with a choice, what do you do? Do you stay faithful to God? or otherwise?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 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. 18 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
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose not to conform. Though it would cause them their lives, they stood firm of their faith and bravely told the king that they will never worship any other image. They knew God, they knew He was the real thing. On the other hand, they barely knew Nebuchadnezzar.
How about you?
Do you know God?
Christianity is not a religion, it's a love relationship between God and man. It's God's unconditional love for sinners that caused Him to send His one and only Son to die for us. If you really know who God is, it is essential that we will have faiths that stand out.
The radical trio were then sent to die in the burning furnace. Now, the furnace wasn't a small-scale bonfire. It was a huge wildfire. Because he was so furious with the three, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than the usual. He also ordered the strongest of men to tie them up. Because of the intense heat, even these men died.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were to be killed because of their faith. Before they knew it, they were thrown in.
Everyday, there are Christians who are killed for their faith. Others are not killed, but persecuted all the same. Some of us are teased in school for being a Christian. We can't even bring out our Bibles out of fear of being taunted. But we always have to keep in mind that God is bigger than these people. Our faith in Him means a big deal for Him because let's face it, He has always been faithful.
By this time, the radical three were dead men to the audience. Nebuchadnezzar must've thought that he was successful at teaching the people a lesson: don't worship my rules, you burn. However...
24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.
25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god
Daniel 3:24-25
They made it out alive!
By some miracle, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego survived the burning furnace.
Biblical scholars have said that the fourth man the trio were with was Jesus. This was before He was sent to Earth to redeem mankind. The people were astounded at what they had seen, even the king could not believe his own eyes.
God knew what He was doing all along.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
Daniel 3:26
Nebuchadnezzar finally acknowledged the power of the trio's Lord. Such feat caused a pagan king to believe in God.
Testing and trials are allowed our way are not intended to do us harm. They were meant to strengthen us, to mold our character. Haven't you noticed that you learn something after every challenge? We are being shaped into better beings. Also, trials pave the way for God's glory. He uses us to radiate His glory to the others who cannot see, just like how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did with Nebuchadnezzar.
We should learn to trust God's character and not just His power. We musn't doubt His intentions. Instead, we should remain faithful, continually believing that He has something better in store for us.
Faith anchored in God stands out. Stand out and show everyone that your God is none like any other.
No comments:
Post a Comment