Day 27 - Daniel

Day 27 - DANIEL (Faith Tested by Fire)

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Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king.  Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up?  Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.  But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."   (Daniel 3:13-18)

How many of us would be able to withstand the test of our faith when confronted with the threat “Deny or Die!”   Sadly, that is exactly what thousands of Christians are faced around the world today in countries like North Korea, China, and many Middle East nations.  In all likelihood, you and I reading this devotional, will not have to face such extreme test of our faith in Christ.  

We are, however, faced daily with a more subtle test of faith, that is, whenever we are presented with the choice of obeying God or self and sin.  Will you continue to look at that obscene image on your computer screen or click it off?  Will you forgive the person who offended you or will you keep a grudge?  I can go on with many other examples but you get my point.  Know this, God always honors the person who honors Him and keeps the faith.

Back to Daniel, you might wonder what happened to him and his freinds.  Well, the text would be too long for me to paste on this short devotional so if you really want to know you can open your Bible and read the rest of  Daniel chapter 3.