The Christian’s Choice

Read Daniel 3

What was the statue made of?
A) Gold, copper, and silver
B) Silver
C) Gold
D) Gold and Silver

The King ordered the furnace fired up how many times hotter than usual
A) 10
B) 5
C) 7
D) 3

What happened to the men who carried the accused?
A) They were rewarded
B) It doesn't say
C) Flames from the furnace killed them
D) The accused killed them

How many men did the King see walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed?
A) 2
B) 4
C) 3
D) 1

What did the King do to the accused in the end?
A) Promoted them
B) Fired them
C) Arrested them
D) Buried them

Today’s Prayer Concerns:
Lord, I thank you that I am a Christian. Help me to make the choices that demonstrate my love and loyalty to You and not to my peers or the pressures of society. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Observation
Being Christian is all about making choices. More importantly, it’s about making Christian choices. When the Bible says, “be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,” that’s God’s way of saying that Christian’s shouldn’t make the same choices that the world makes. When the Bible says, “we are a peculiar people,” that’s the Bible’s way of saying that we cannot make the same choices that others make. When the Bible says, “come out from among them and be ye separate,” that’s God’s way of saying that He expects our choices as Christians to be significantly superior than the choices that the world makes.

It is not always easy to be transformative, peculiar, or to come out conclusively with Christian choices. It’s not always easy to choose integrity over profits, ethics over upward mobility, and right over might. Choosing purity can impact your dating life. Choosing equity can impact ethnic and positional privilege. Choosing accountability can be challenging among your network of friends.

The three Hebrew boys understood this all too well. They gathered in the public square of Babylon for the unveiling of Nebuchadnezzar’s newly minted statue. The order was given that upon hearing the sound of the trumpet, the music would start and the people would bow.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a choice to make. The penalty for not bowing was death. To bow would betray their God, and to not bow was to betray the king. I wonder how long the three deliberated on whether to bow? Did they think they could bow physically, but not spiritually or emotionally? Would their decision be motivated by fear or faith? Everyone was watching. They chose faith. They never expected to make it out of the furnace. But being true to their God was worth it all. I’m glad they made the choice not to bow. Had they bowed, we wouldn’t know that God will be with us when the affairs of life are heated. Had they bowed, we wouldn’t know that God will be with us when the world turns up the heat. Because they stood, we can stand and make the Christian choice.

Questions to Ponder
1. Name a time when you made a choice that put you at odds with the majority. What was the outcome? How did you feel at the time?
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2. Name a time when you bowed to political or popular pressure. How did you feel? What did you learn for that experience. How are you stronger today?
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