King
Nebuchadnezzar imposes his earthly will with statues and threats that
are limited to a temporary existence and heavily discounting an eternal
existence. The slaves of sin listen
to the fathers of this world, not the Father who teaches love.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stand up to fear, have the courage and
confidence knowing that God will be with them, and walk with them,
ultimately saving them from not only the white-hot furnace but the fires of eternal damnation. When Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Blessed
be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who sent his angel to
deliver the servants who trusted in him; they disobeyed the royal
command and yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god
except their own God", these faithful servants, by living in faith not
in fear, converted the unconvertible – someone who was so entrenched
with false gods and “fake news.”
When Jesus calls on the descendants of Abraham to believe and be free, to allow the words to fill the room and do what you have heard from the Father,
to welcome the Son and understand God sent him to love and save, it is
an example of how faith is always rewarded. It may call for us to be
outspoken, to step out of our comfort zone, not conform, and understand
that what we do does not necessarily yield what we may want or expect,
but it will always yield what the Lord has in store for us.
Live
in Faith not in Fear, are not just words but a call to action, a
declaration to the Lord that we hear, serve, live and love.
Thomas F. Flood
Vice President for Advancement
No comments:
Post a Comment