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I believe that all of you know the story of the three men who were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Now let's look at the conversation that took place right before they were tossed in to the furnace. " well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?"(the king) "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up"(Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego)(Daniel3:15-30)
The king was so upset by there words that he commanded that the furnace be heated 7 times hotter than it had ever been heated and that the men be bound in ropes and thrown into the fire. Not only did the king see Jesus walking in the furnace with the boys, but when the boys came out of the fire, the king told all the congregation that they were only to bow down and worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then the king promoted the boys!!
Now let's backtrack and see what we can learn from this story. When you are in a place of compromise, you either give in to the world or you stay strong for Jesus. When Jonah gave in to the world and tried to take a boat the opposite direction from Nineveh, he was thrown over board and swallowed by a fish.(Jon 1:17) So we can see that going against what God wants us to do is futile. But the boys here, were obedient to God's call on their life. They laid down everything for Him. They told the king that even if God didn't or wouldn't deliver them from the furnace that they would only bow to worship Him and never the God that Nebuchadnezzar had made. In their obedience they, 1. got a greater revelation of God's saving power, 2. swayed a whole town for God's glory, 3. drew all men their unto them selves and in essence God, 4. they got promoted in their own lives. When you obey God, even unto death, you will show others the reality of God. You will show them that God will deliver and if He doesn't you are willing to die for Him. You will draw those men unto you because when you step in to the fire, the fire of the holy spirit is also there and when that fire consumes you it will also consume the rest of the flame surrounding you and you will be free. When you stay with the holy spirit through the fire you will come out without even smelling like smoke. Being obedient to God's plans is crucial to your life. If they would have bowed to that statue they would have spent their eternity in Hell. But they risked being singed for the God they served and were promoted. Don't risk your salvation for your life. Trade your life so that you may find it in the end. Pick up your cross.
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