In Daniel 3:8 the Chaldeans accused the young Jewish men of not worshipping the gods of King Nebuchadnezzar and the golden image he made. These Jewish men knew God’s law, “You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:3) However, King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to be worshipped. Men and women today are still looking to be worshipped. ‘Look what I have done, give me praise,’ is what so many are secretly wishing. Most people like to be praised and worshipped. Shadrach and his crew were having none of it this day and they responded saying that their God will deliver them from the king’s hand, “But if not, let it be known to you, O King, we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18) These young men were in a foreign land. They had been exiled after Judah was defeated by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans. Now that same King was threatening these young men with imminent death if they did not worship his gods and his image. But the Jewish men took a difficult stand in the face of adversity. The question I posed to the men at Angonia Prison today while teaching on this story was, “What are you living for?” When my first wife passed away in February 2023 I struggled with that very question. She was the love of my life. She was the mother to our four children. She was the person who knew me the best and loved me more than I could imagine. I grasped for reasons to keep living after she passed away. But I realized I was not living to be rich, or famous, or successful, but I was living for the Lord. Paul says, ‘to live is Christ.’ (Phillippians 1:21) I am living for Christ. Maybe you won’t be faced with worshipping a king or being thrown in a fiery furnace, but you still have to make a choice in this life who or what you will serve. Let’s think about it, what or better yet who do you live for? With all that Christ had done for me in saving my life the choice is simple, I live for Christ! I am His ambassador. And I believe He will deliver me out of any situation this life brings, BUT IF NOT, I will not change my faith in Him.
