Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - Falling Off the Wagon

Daniel 3:^28-30 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way." Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

I'll be honest, I'm not a big football fan. Growing up, while my brother and cousins raved about the Cowboys and Steelers - I stood firm with the Dolphins - their helmets were prettier. But the term 'bandwagon' got thrown around more than a few times. Here are the hard facts: In 1969, The Baltimore Colts were fan favorites with only five losses. The New York Jets, however, were part of the AFL and not looked at too kindly. This all changed when the Jets walloped the Colts with a score of 16 - 7 in Superbowl III. Not only did it change peoples minds about the Jets, but the AFL in general became more respected.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had already chosen the team they wanted to be on. They knew the power of God and had no doubts that He would come out on top. When this happened, King Nebuchadnezzar jumped on that bandwagon and told everyone else they had to serve God or be killed.

We, as Americans, are so spoiled. We live in a country that does not require us to serve a God who loves us. We have that option all on our own. Yet, we tend to be one of those 'bandwagon jumpers'. If God is being relevant in our lives, then we will praise Him and honor Him. If we seem to be doing okay on our own - we start to forget that it is because of Him that we are doing okay. Maybe today we can make that commitment to always honor Him and praise Him - even when it's not the popular opinion.