Today I am thankful for: beautiful weather (cool, post-rain sun!), letting Kary get me out of the house for lunch and errands (so much more fun with a friend!), a yummy dinner of homemade french onion soup, watching Josh pass on his love of Star Wars to Darrin, hearing Madi's say "Toodie-too" for R2D2, my Bible, my iPhone, my renewed passion for photography, friends.
I'm in the book of Daniel. I love this book! Can't say I understand a lot of it without significant help from the Holy Spirit and great commentaries, but I love it! Tonight I was left in awe of the behaviors of Daniel and his friends Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abed-Nego). What faith they displayed in the face of incredible temptation and adversity! It's so incredible to see how God uses a time of trial for such good, to see how he cares for those who love Him. He doesn't promise to keep us safe from physical harm, but we know that in the end He will be glorified if we lean on His promises and allow our fear to be set aside.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to worship the king's idol and were subject to death in a fiery furnace. I love their reaction to Nebuchadnezzar when he asked about their refusal to bow to the idol. In Daniel 3:16-18 they say, "...O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case [that they are thrown into the fire], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king; but if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." Wow! Talk about faith and courage! It's courage that comes not from self or pride, but from knowing that God's will is best. If He saved them, great! If not, great! Either way they refused to bend.
I pray that I might have a little of that faith and courage in my own times of trial. If ever forced to choose between my God and something else, I know that my God is greater and stronger and better and I pray that I'd have to courage to stand firm in my conviction. The trouble is that we aren't always faced with a fiery furnace. Sometimes it's a little something like popularity or friendship or ridicule--things that aren't at all life-threatening and yet we have difficulty standing firm. Peter denied Christ three times in one night--who am I to think that I might not do the same? So I pray that as I continue to read my Bible and grow, that faith and conviction would grow stronger and more immobile minute by minute.
Father God, I thank You for the examples of the men and women of the Old and New Testaments who showed us what faith means. I thank You for allowing their contributions and trials to be recorded so that we might learn from them! Not all were righteous, and none were perfect, but Your love for them is and it blows me away that You are the same God and have the same love for me. The same God that made promises to Moses and Abraham is the same God that listens to my prayers today! You are amazing and faithful, and I pray that You would strengthen my faith and my boldness to stand for You as the only Truth there is. When my heart breaks, let it be for the hearts of those who are lost and not for the comfort I might have lost by sharing Your love and gospel. I thank You that I can serve You, that I can teach about You! I pray You'd use me to Your glory and help me to remember daily that it is only by Your grace that I can say that! I praise You, Lord! In Your precious name, Amen!
I'm in the book of Daniel. I love this book! Can't say I understand a lot of it without significant help from the Holy Spirit and great commentaries, but I love it! Tonight I was left in awe of the behaviors of Daniel and his friends Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abed-Nego). What faith they displayed in the face of incredible temptation and adversity! It's so incredible to see how God uses a time of trial for such good, to see how he cares for those who love Him. He doesn't promise to keep us safe from physical harm, but we know that in the end He will be glorified if we lean on His promises and allow our fear to be set aside.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to worship the king's idol and were subject to death in a fiery furnace. I love their reaction to Nebuchadnezzar when he asked about their refusal to bow to the idol. In Daniel 3:16-18 they say, "...O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case [that they are thrown into the fire], our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king; but if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." Wow! Talk about faith and courage! It's courage that comes not from self or pride, but from knowing that God's will is best. If He saved them, great! If not, great! Either way they refused to bend.
I pray that I might have a little of that faith and courage in my own times of trial. If ever forced to choose between my God and something else, I know that my God is greater and stronger and better and I pray that I'd have to courage to stand firm in my conviction. The trouble is that we aren't always faced with a fiery furnace. Sometimes it's a little something like popularity or friendship or ridicule--things that aren't at all life-threatening and yet we have difficulty standing firm. Peter denied Christ three times in one night--who am I to think that I might not do the same? So I pray that as I continue to read my Bible and grow, that faith and conviction would grow stronger and more immobile minute by minute.
Father God, I thank You for the examples of the men and women of the Old and New Testaments who showed us what faith means. I thank You for allowing their contributions and trials to be recorded so that we might learn from them! Not all were righteous, and none were perfect, but Your love for them is and it blows me away that You are the same God and have the same love for me. The same God that made promises to Moses and Abraham is the same God that listens to my prayers today! You are amazing and faithful, and I pray that You would strengthen my faith and my boldness to stand for You as the only Truth there is. When my heart breaks, let it be for the hearts of those who are lost and not for the comfort I might have lost by sharing Your love and gospel. I thank You that I can serve You, that I can teach about You! I pray You'd use me to Your glory and help me to remember daily that it is only by Your grace that I can say that! I praise You, Lord! In Your precious name, Amen!
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