Daniel 3:13-15 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, pipes 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?"
In this post, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego - I'd Like To Order An Attitude To Go, Please, King Nebuchadnezzar is so happy with these boys. He compliments them, he puts them to work for him, he talks with them. What happened from there to here?
Have you ever known people who you talk to that seem to love you and care about you, but the minute you show any disagreement to what they have to say, they don't seem to love you so much anymore. I had a friend that I would talk to in school. We would laugh and tell jokes and pass notes. But as soon as I told her that I didn't think going to a party and getting drunk was a good idea- our friendship dwindled. Such is human nature.
Now Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego weren't just risking a friendship or even a shunning, they were threatened with a brutal death. However, they had some inside knowledge that the king was unaware of at this time. Their God is real. So whether they die a physical death in that fire or not, they would continue their life as a child of God - either on earth or in heaven - King Nebuchadnezzar couldn't change that fact.
What if we lived life with that same attitude? "Our God is real". It doesn't matter what happens to my physical being, my soul lives on forever - I'll just move to a different location. It really is something to think that one day we will walk up to Abednego and be able to say - "Why didn't you just smack that stupid king in the face", and I'm sure his answer will be much more profound than any snide remark I could come up with.
Showing posts with label Heaven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heaven. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Job - Why Are You Even Here?
Job 2:4-6 "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."
I had a hang nail. I pulled it out. It throbbed. It seemed like my whole hand would fall off. Isn't that how we are? One small thing causes us pain and we have trouble focusing on anything else. I have never had to go through any serious illness, so I can't imagine the stress and pain of living a day with this type of situation.
Satan has come up with yet another reason why Job didn't curse God. "If Job was unhealthy, if his body was in pain - then he would curse You". It would make sense. That would be the next step. People all over the world do it today - curse God for their cancer or their AIDS or their heart condition. What would make Job any different? God said 'okay'. He allowed it to happen.
Here is the thing that I noticed. He wants Job's life spared. Satan is allowed to cripple him, give him disease, cause him to be blind, mute or deaf - but not kill him. God doesn't want Job dead because God still needs for him to serve His purpose on earth. To let others see God in Job. If you haven't figured it out yet, we, as Christians, have one purpose on this earth. To tell others about Christ. That's it! That's the bottom line. Children, spouses, jobs, education, homes: these are all just perks along the way - but none of these things matter if we are not striving for that one goal of sharing Christ with others.
So if disease takes over our bodies - if we are crippled - if mental anguish has taken its hold - until we are with Christ in heaven we must strive for our goal. If God has you here on earth - in whatever capacity - He needs you. He needs you to continue toward the goal until He calls you homeward.
I had a hang nail. I pulled it out. It throbbed. It seemed like my whole hand would fall off. Isn't that how we are? One small thing causes us pain and we have trouble focusing on anything else. I have never had to go through any serious illness, so I can't imagine the stress and pain of living a day with this type of situation.
Satan has come up with yet another reason why Job didn't curse God. "If Job was unhealthy, if his body was in pain - then he would curse You". It would make sense. That would be the next step. People all over the world do it today - curse God for their cancer or their AIDS or their heart condition. What would make Job any different? God said 'okay'. He allowed it to happen.
Here is the thing that I noticed. He wants Job's life spared. Satan is allowed to cripple him, give him disease, cause him to be blind, mute or deaf - but not kill him. God doesn't want Job dead because God still needs for him to serve His purpose on earth. To let others see God in Job. If you haven't figured it out yet, we, as Christians, have one purpose on this earth. To tell others about Christ. That's it! That's the bottom line. Children, spouses, jobs, education, homes: these are all just perks along the way - but none of these things matter if we are not striving for that one goal of sharing Christ with others.
So if disease takes over our bodies - if we are crippled - if mental anguish has taken its hold - until we are with Christ in heaven we must strive for our goal. If God has you here on earth - in whatever capacity - He needs you. He needs you to continue toward the goal until He calls you homeward.
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