Christ Church Daily Devotion Jan 16 2024

Nebuchadnezzar is furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for not worshiping his gods. He threatens to throw them into a blazing furnace if they don't worship an image of gold he made. The three men refuse to bow down and trust that their God will save them. They face their own challenges in life and must choose whether to trust in God or give in to peer pressure. Trusting in God brings strength and His presence. The personal worship option is to ask God for faith and assurance in facing life's challenges. Welcome to Christchurch's Daily Devotion for January 16th, 2024. Today we will be reading from Daniel chapter 3, verses 13 through 18. Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king. And Nebuchadnezzar said to them, Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to him, King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the god we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from your majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. How do we respond when faced with the fiery furnaces of life? Seldom do we find ourselves standing before a blast furnace, being ordered to worship a false god, or be burned to a human potato chip. We do, however, face our own kind of furnaces, and must choose whether to bow to the demands of the godless, or trust in the Lord. I know very little about the process of generating steel, but I do know that raw ore must be heated beyond the melting point, in order for it to be molded and hardened into a usable form. If the ore could speak, it might beg to be left alone, because the heat of the fire would cause pain and agony. As we face the furnaces that appear before us, we also must make a choice of trusting in the Lord to be with us, or yield to the peer pressure around us. I am here to tell you that yielding never produces strength. It only leads to further yielding and becoming a useless pile of dirt. When we choose to become steadfast in our faith, we will certainly face the heat like never before. The fact is that we will also encounter the strength and presence of the Lord beside us in the furnace. I choose to remain steadfast in the Lord. Today's personal worship option, Heavenly Father, as we face the heat of the furnaces of life, give us the faith and assurance that you will be with us every step of the way.