Christ Church Daily Devotion March 8 2024

Three men named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were confronted by King Nebuchadnezzar for not worshiping his gods or an image he had made. The king threatened to throw them into a furnace if they didn't comply. However, the men remained faithful to their own God, believing that He would save them. Even if He didn't, they were determined to stay loyal. The lesson is that we should remain faithful to God, trusting Him and acknowledging His care for us, even in difficult times. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for March 8, 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 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. These three young men had reasons to be upset with God. Now they had to choose whether to continue being faithful to God anyway. They were being given one more chance to save their lives, and could have rationalized all kinds of reasons to bow down. However, in obeying the king, they would have erased their testimony for God and violated a core tenet of faith. You must not have any other gods but me. The pressure was great to deny God, but they chose to be faithful to him, no matter what happened. They trusted God to deliver them, and they were determined to be faithful regardless of their consequences. What about us? What about us? We should be faithful to serve God, whether he intervenes on our behalf or not. God loves us and is always working on our behalf, even if it may not seem like it. Sometimes the hard situation is what God uses to bring about transformation. Your personal worship option today is, Are you upset with God? Tell him about it. Trust him with everything. Spend some time reflecting on all the ways God has cared for you. Look for ways God is working on your behalf today.