Sometimes it takes a lot of courage to just get out of bed every morning. It takes a lot out of you when your eyes open every morning visualizing everything you will have to face in the day ahead of you. I know someone right now is thinking that I’ve lost it and that only those who go to war or who jump out of airplanes need courage to face their day. But I think many jobs require courage and depending on personalities and where God has placed you, it might require courage for you to face what you do every day even if it’s just being a mother or a lay leader leading a Bible study every week at your Church.

Once Moses died and God assigned Joshua to lead the Israelites he encouraged Joshua three times to be strong and very courageous. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Where is Joshua’s strength and courage supposed to be rooted in? Is his courage rooted in his own strength, his own abilities and his own skills? No. His strength and courage comes from the Lord, from the presence of God with Him. The presence of God brings encouragement. It’s not the same encouragement that comes from a good friend or significant other who can do little more than advice, comfort and support you. It’s the encouragement that comes knowing that the God who designed, built and sustains the universe is present with you. The same God who knows everyone’s thoughts and knows the hairs on their head, this same God who possesses limitless knowledge and endless mind capacity to do any number of things with that knowledge knows and cares about your problems.

The Apostle Paul seems to be someone with great courage and zeal and he writes, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” (Phil. 1:20) Paul is hoping that he will not be ashamed before God but wants the courage to live out a godly life on display for the entire world. He wants to boldly proclaim Jesus to everyone and will have the courage to be bold in his faith.

Think about the men of the Bible who needed courage to do what they had been called to do. Moses needed courage from God to face Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Joshua needed courage from God to take over for Moses and to lead God’s people into the Promised Land. Jeremiah needed reassurance of God’s presence and courage from the Almighty to do the ministry of the prophet that he was called to. Daniel received strength and was told to take heart when speaking with a Man who might have been angel or Jesus Himself. Jesus told his disciples to take heart and to be of good cheer since He had overcome the world. The Apostle Paul prayed for boldness and prayed that he’d have courage to represent Christ well.

So wherever you find yourself, even if it is on the back of a U-Haul truck, take heart, be strong and courageous. For Jesus is with you will give you strength and will protect you and provide for your every need to get you through whatever your going through. Take courage in Christ today.

But do you consider what attitude you’re wearing when you leave your home every morning?

The Apostle Paul writes to the congregation of one of his churches, “You have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” He’s saying that we (as Christians) have taken off the old self, our old ways, our old attitudes that we had when we were walking in sin and unbelief. He writes that as Christians we need to have put on our new selves—made in the likeness of our Creator (God). Do you see? He’s not just saying that we need to be good. Paul’s not just saying that we should choose to wear righteousness and goodness. He’s not just saying that we should be like God. He’s saying that we were designed to be like the one who made us, the one in whose image we’ve been created. Let’s look more like we’re originally made to look.

However, often we do not act in a way that reflects our intended design or our Maker. We can be selfish. We can be greedy. We can often be judgmental. Whether kids, teenagers or adults, you’ve probably seen just how judgmental Christians can be.

“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:1-4)

Do you realize that you’re being very judgmental when you exclude people, don’t talk to people or make them feel welcome at church? Are we aware that our cliques are sinful and that we’re showing favoritism which God deems as sinful?? God forgive me for being judgmental and showing favoritism.

You’ve probably heard before that pride is like the first, original sin. I think that part of the reason is that pride often shows itself as the root of many of our other sins. Wearing an attitude of pride appears in so many different forms.

“Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:5-6)

So what Peter is saying here is take off your pride and instead put on humbleness. What is humility? It’s having a right view of yourself. I know that as human I tend to think of myself as more important than I ought to. Humility is the ability to not be thinking about how amazing you are, how everyone else would just be better if they were more like you or even emulated the characteristics you have. Humility is the ability to not to be putting yourself down and talking about how lame you are but rather to not even be thinking about yourself. Humility frees us from self-loathing, self-loving and self-worry. Because when you grasp a proper view of yourself, all that time you spent worrying about how you look, how others perceive you, hoping others like you, wanting others to be impressed with you, wanting others to feel sorry for you or wanting others to just notice you is freed up to be invested in other people and genuinely listening to them and caring for them.

Humility before God allows you to bend your knee, say you were wrong and that you are sorry. Pride doesn’t bend a knee, it doesn’t admit wrong. But a true humble person is someone who has no problem stepping aside, no problem asking for forgiveness. There is not a person on this planet who probably couldn’t use a little more humility in their lives, helping them view God as big, themselves as small in perspective to who God is and be freed up to concentrate on others rather than themselves.

These are just a few attitudes we need to take off and a few we should put on instead. So when you’re racing out the door tomorrow worrying about whether or not you remembered to comb your hair and weather your shirt matches your shoes or if anyone will notice the hole in your jeans, don’t forget to think about what sort of an attitude you’re wearing…

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.” Matt. 16:24

Every single day we must wake up and allow Christ to kill the old man. The flesh must die. The old man must be killed, the desires that raise up within you that desire things of the old man must die. Let Christ kill the old man every time he rears his ugly head. The old man will look strangely familiar—he will look more like you and be more dear to you then anyone else you know. But if Christ is to grow the New Man within you that looks more like Jesus, then the old man must go. There is no use in keeping him around, he will only drag you down to hell. The old flesh must die. When you’re angry at your parents and want to snap back at them for their guilt trips BAM, let Christ kill the old you. When you’re furious, running late and someone just cut you off in traffic, BAM, let Jesus kill the old you. When you’re offered to smoke some weed and you want to fit in, BAM, let Jesus stab in the chest with his knife, the old you. When you’re tempted to go farther than you should with your girlfriend or boyfriend, BAM, let Christ knock the old you on your back and kill you. For only once you give every fiber and ounce of yourself to Jesus can He raise to life a new you, one that you will not quite recognize but that will look with every passing day that you allow Him to control you to look more like Him.

“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:25

To the unlovable, He is love. To the fatherless, He is their Father.

He is the Father to those who hate their fathers. He is a dictator to those who refuse to be ruled or surrender. He is a lover to those who have been burned by love. To those who do not believe in the unseen, He is unseen. To those who are blind, He is visible. To those who are wise, He is foolishness. Yet to those who are foolish, He presents Himself as wisdom and understanding. To those who would pray to false gods, He reveals their fabrication. To those who say that He is not there, He is present. For those who spread falsehood and lies, He is truth and honesty. To those who are judgmental, He is merciful and full of grace. To those who shake their fists demanding God give an answer, He is silent and does not respond.

To those who are thirsty, He is living water. To those who are starving, he is a feast.

To those who think they have everything, He is unobtainable and out of reach. To those who are at the end of their rope, He is their hero. To those who would have nothing to do with Him, He will not leave them alone. To those who are lonely, He is their friend. To those who are helpless, He is their helper. To those who are in great sorrow, He is their comfort. To those who believe God to be harsh, He is gentle. To the person who is selfish and obsessed with lust, He is selfless and loving. To the person who is filled with anger and hatred, He is full of peace and love. To the person searching for answers, He is both the question and answer. To the person who is at their beginning, He is also the period, the end. To the person who is at the end, He brings a new beginning. To the person who is dying, He brings life.

To those who would seek to harm others, He plans their ultimate ruin. To those who feel lost, His truth is a compass to guide them. To those who feel hurt, His breath is healing to their souls. To those who refuse to believe in Him, He is the wonder that confounds their understanding. To those who would come to Him, He is the door greeter to let them in. To those who seek revenge, He is the one to hide and conceal. To those who always need answers, He brings more questions. To those who seek to use Him for their own means, He evades them.

To those who demand Him to speak, He is silent. To the one who looks for reasons to doubt Him, He reveals reasons to believe. To those who would kill Him, He comes back to life. To those who evade the law, He brings judgment and justice. To those curse His people, He changes their words to blessing. To those who are greedy, He blocks their path and robs them in the night. To those who are generous with what little they have, He blesses them and makes their resources over flow with abundance. To those who sin against Him, He provides a way of redemption. To those who rest in their evil, He steals their peace in the night. To those who suffer punishment, He offers the promise of new beginnings.

To those who cannot speak up for themselves, He provides words to speak against kings and rulers. To those who wonder from Him for years in the desert, He raises a new generation of promise. To those who ask for double the power to do His work, He provides it. To the one who is betrayed, He provides a plan through it all. To the one who has nothing left, He multiplies even that little bit. To the one who is depressed and hungry, He provides ravens with food and angels to comfort them. To the one who thinks they are the last to serve Him, He provides hundreds who still stand strong. To the one is old and grey, He provides the promised child. To the one who relies on numbers, He diminishes those they count on. To the one who wrestles Him in dreams, He grants a new name.

To those who are ashamed, He provides a covering. To those who deny Him, He provides forgiveness and a new beginning. To those who left family and houses to follow Him, He provides family and homes for them wherever they go. To those who are trapped in by waters, He parts the way. To those who grumble and complain, He makes what they do have rot in their mouth. To those who run from Him, He sends even the storm and creature to chastise them.

He is where you would not think to look. He says things you would never imagine Him to say. His thoughts are above our own. To every man, woman and child, He is what you would not expect, He is often the opposite of what you would give, many times the opposite of what you want, but always exactly what you need.

Would you rather be in any place other then God’s house on a Sunday morning?

I know how you feel. I’ve felt that way too. But that was before I entered into a personal relationship with Jesus.

Now I love to be in God’s house. Now, I want to learn how to be more like Him. I want to make Him happy and to use my talents and gifts for His purposes. I want to use up my best energies on things that I can do for Him. I want the things that break His heart to break my heart; I want the things that make Him pleased to cause me to be filled with joy.

However, most people in we find in church do not feel this way. It seems most of us are so fond of our small pleasures in life that we have developed stomachs that would rather munch on cheap candies even though we are offered the chance to eat at a rich and elegant gourmet feast. If you find yourself sitting in church thinking about the football game you’d like to be watching, or wondering when Bible study will be over so that you can watch that new movie you want to see or if while praying with a group of Believers you find yourself hoping you’ll be done in time to talk on the phone with your girlfriend, you might have come to church for the wrong reasons.

You read that right. You might be going to church for the wrong reasons.

If you’re going because your parents told you to go, you’re going for the wrong reason. If you’re coming because it’s tradition, you’re coming for the wrong reason. If you’re going because it’s the “right” thing to do, you’re going for the wrong reason.

If you’re in church because you want to grow closer to God, you’re there for the right reason. If you’re in Church because you want to be more Christ-like, you’re there for the right reason. If you’re in church because you want to worship God, praise Him and tell others what He’s done in your life this past week, you’re there for the right reason.

But so often, we would rather be somewhere else besides in church—somewhere other than in God’s house.

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” C.S. Lewis

You see, God isn’t looking for you to just fulfill a duty or to somehow pay Him back for what He’s done for you. He isn’t looking for ornate or elaborate expressions of worship. When we talk to Him, we don’t have to use certain words. The worship He’s looking for is true worship. The kind of worship that is authentic. The kind of worship that is gritty and real. The kind of worship that is genuine and true to the worshiper.

That’s how Jesus put it when He was having a conversation with a woman He was sitting at a common well. Soon into their talk, Jesus cuts right to the core issue: the woman’s sin. He does this because sin has to be dealt with prior to God being able to have a relationship with someone. He gets personal with her real quick. He asks about her husband and she says she’s not married to which Jesus replies that she’s been married five times and the guy she’s with living with right now isn’t her husband. Wow, Jesus doesn’t waste any time making small talk.

I was recently talking to a friend of mine. She said she was having a tough time being excited about going to church and reading her Bible. She asked me what I thought the problem was. I answered with one word, “sin.” More often then not, when excitement and joy are gone for the things of Jesus, my problem is sin that has not been dealt with in my life.

This lady Jesus is talking with quickly changes the subject and starts to talk about who was right her people or the Jews for worshiping on the mountain versus worshiping in the temple. Which was better? Where should she worship? Jesus doesn’t bother to answer her question and instead cuts to the heart of the issue.

“Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:21-24)

The woman states that there is a time will come when the Messiah will come and will explain all these things. Jesus replies, “I who speak to you am he.” Jesus is stating, “I am the Messiah, the One sent from God and I’m sitting right in front of you.”

Jesus has come. He is the Messiah and He is here. He’s announcing that worship isn’t about where you are, but about where your heart is. Worship isn’t about what Church you belong to, or how the elements of the service or some small thing the Pastor does or says that upsets you, it’s about whether or not you have a personal relationship with God.

If we would only admit that we’ve mistaken the means (going to Church) for the end (having a relationship with God) and have a good laugh at ourselves we could begin all over again (repentance) like little children and enter into joy. But often we refuse to do that. How sad that we care nothing about joy. We don’t care about having a relationship with the Creator of the Universe. We don’t care about having a personal relationship with the redeemer of our souls, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Jesus is here. He longs to talk to you in prayer. He can’t wait for you to read His Word to you. He can’t wait to fellowship with you today, tomorrow and the next day. He welcomes you into His house this weekend, will you be exited to come and worship Him?

Maybe you’re thinking, ‘I’ve turned my back on the Lord, I’ve walked away from the Lord.’ Well they took a flagellum and they whipped His back and blood flowed from His back. Maybe you’re thinking, it’s things that are inside me, I have bitterness towards her and I’m angry at them. Well blood flowed from His side when they took a spear and pierced Him in the side. Please understand, Jesus bled for you. He knows your sins. He knows what you’ve done, what you’ve thought, what you’re going to do. He died for you, so that your sins could be dealt with, His blood flowed for you. What can wash away our sin? What can make us whole again? Nothing, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

I have a lot of different ideas and beliefs then other people who don’t claim to be Christian, but I didn’t need to be another person who allows my zealousness over-shadow my love. I bet a number of people thought I was just a “crazy Christian”, I wouldn’t be surprised if a number of people were turned off to the Church, Jesus and the Gospel of Jesus Christ because of my immature zealousness. What does it mean to be a Christian? What should a Christian look like in today’s day and age?

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus says some pretty bold things. He makes statements about the sorts of people who are blessed, who see God, who inherit the Kingdom of God. Jesus said things that help us understand what it means to live as apart of the Kingdom of Heaven rather than of the World. Jesus makes some statements that will help us to understand what it means to be a Christian, how to look like a Christian. He makes statements about what people who have had life-changing encounters with Him will do, what their hearts will cause them to become. It’s pretty backwards, upside down and inside out compared to the way the world lives.

Christians are to be poor in spirit, as Christians, we should be people who are humble, who understand our need for a Savior. We are very needy people, we understand that we don’t have all the answers, we know we can’t make it on our own, we understand that as Christians, we’re just beggars who can tell other beggars where to find the bread. We are humble, we are needy, we are weak, we need Jesus.

Christians are those who mourn, who mourn for those who are under the devil’s hold, who are lost in their sin, who are enemies of God. Yes the world brings it’s share of sorrows equally raining down trials upon the lost and the saved alike. But as Christians we see a different reality, we see people who do not understand the truth pursuing hell at neck breaking speeds. If we have the heart of God, this should break our hearts.

A Christian is someone who is meek, a quiet strength, yet teachable, moldable people, not being prideful, but rather being those who are marked by meekness. Not being someone who is self-serving, not someone who is prideful and arrogant but rather being the sort of person who possesses quiet strength, whom is self-controlled, who understands that patience, humility and peaceful character traits.

As Christians, we should be hungry and thirsty for righteousness, for truth, for Jesus. We should be people who are hungry and thirsty for the things of God, the characteristics of God, the things that God loves, we should want. We should desire to be like God, we should want to be more in line with what God wants for us. We should desire holiness, desire truthfulness, desire purity, desire to be those who are filled with grace, love and humility. We should work to relieve the affliction of the outcasts and of those who are being treated with injustice.

The most evident mark of a Christian, should be mercy. We should be merciful, marked by mercifulness. We should be the most forgiving people on the face of the earth, people who are forgiving, who are loving and who offer grace and mercy to others. We have received such great mercy, we should be the most forgiving, graceful and merciful people on earth. Remember the story about the unmerciful servant?

Christians are those who should be pure in heart. We should be those who reflect Christ in our pureness, our innocence, blameless, clean and simple desire to be honest, straight-forward, untainted, light-hearted, no hidden agendas, trust-worthy, not the sort of person whom you would suspect. The sort of person who just makes you feel at peace and comfortable to be around, someone who is friendly, like family, trustworthy.

Christians are peacemakers, people who makes peace rather than strife. Someone who is more concerned about relationships, unity, peace and people then about success, things, accomplishments or projects. Christians are those who don’t back down from conflict or confrontation, but are eager to put differences aside for the sake of peace and unity. Why is it the hippies of the 70′s are more known for loving peace than Christians??

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” Matthew 5:13

A teacher I once heard tell us that we were supposed to be the salt to make people thirsty for the Gospel and the light to bring them out of the darkness.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Jesus wants me to be salt and light. Someone’s who’s heart longs for the redemption that Jesus brings. Someone who is excited to share Christ with others and explain the good news about what He offers freely to every single person on earth. But as I share, I should remember that God wants me to have certain attitudes of the heart that reflect His character, things that reflect who I am in Him and that mark me out as a Christian.

Later, I wondered how effective their “ministry” was that day. I wonder how many people in this day and age will really read those gospel tracts. Typical gospel tracts try to break down the gospel into simple step-by-step instructions giving the basic facts and basic truths. Man is sinful. He can do nothing about his condition. God cannot live with sin. Because of man’s sinfulness, he is condemned to hell forever. However, God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to live a perfect life, to die for all of mankind’s sin. Jesus didn’t remain dead, He rose from the grave on the third day showing that He was indeed the Messiah, the son of God. If you believe these things, and put your trust in Jesus, your sins will be forgiven and you will spend eternity with God. These things are true. But do they really give someone an accurate understanding of the gospel?

Please hear me out, I’ve grown up in the church my whole life. I’ve read numerous tracts that lay out these simple truths. I’ve studied theology in college and have read dozens of books on faith, Christian theology and practical-Christian living. I’ve read the Bible through a number of times. However, I realized something was wrong when I had a hard time staying awake in my “systematic theology” class. How come I found the simple truths of the Gospel boring? Was I missing something?

“Maybe the gospel of Jesus, in other words, is all about our relationship with Jesus rather than about ideas. And perhaps our lists and formulas and bullet points are nice in the sense that they help us memorize different truths, but harmful in the sense that they blind us to the necessary relationship that must begin between ourselves and God for us to become His followers. And worse, perhaps our formulas and bullet points and steps steal the sincerity with which we might engage God.” -Donald Miller, Searching for God Knows What

I think that we’ve misrepresented the gospel, we’ve attempted to reduce the Christian faith to traditions, clichés, rules, do’s and don’ts, or reduced the gospel to a list of steps to get to heaven. We’ve tried to reduce the beauty of the gospel in the context of Scripture to bullet points in tracts that use cheesy superheroes or basketball analogies to try to sell the gospel to non-believers. We keep marketing Jesus and the church without helping people understand who Jesus really is and what the whole point was in Jesus coming to die for people’s sins. I find that no one wants to spend eternity in hell and will happily say a prayer to keep themselves “safe” but many people want nothing to do with the God of the Universe, let alone have a relationship with Him — on God’s terms.

“I recently heard a man, while explaining how a person could convert to Christianity, say the experience was not unlike deciding to sit in a chair. He said that while a person can have faith that a chair will hold him, it is not until he sits in the chair that he has acted on his faith. I wondered as I heard this if the chair was a kind of symbol for Jesus, and how irritated Jesus might be if a lot of people kept trying to sit on Him. And then I wondered at how Jesus could say He was a Shepherd and we were sheep, and that the Father in heaven was our Father and we were His children, and that He Himself was a Bridegroom and we were His bride, and that He was a King and we were His subjects, and yet we somehow missed His meaning and thought becoming a Christian was like sitting in a chair.” -Donald Miller, Searching for God Knows What

I remember watching the Passion of the Christ and realizing how much I had totally missed when I had read the Gospels. Tears filled my eyes as I tasted afresh the sweetness of the story of what Jesus had done for me. I wondered how something I knew so well could be presented in such a way as to make me realize I had missed the whole point of it. I don’t think the whole point of all that coming to earth, living, talking in parables, healing people, feeding thousands of people and visiting people’s houses can be reduced to a little booklet trying to inform people how to avoid burning in hell forever. The whole point was to make it possible for us to have a relationship with the God of the Universe.

If you thought being a Christian is merely insurance to keep you out of hell, think again. If you thought that being a Christian would mean that God would bless you with possessions and an easy-going life, think again. If you thought that going to a church would mean that your life had all the meaning and fulfillment that you would need, you’re missing the point of church. If you thought that the Bible holds the answers like some kind of magical formula, you’ll miss the message. If you thought praying was like a magical utterance, then think again, you’ve missed the point of prayer entirely.

The point of it all is to have a relationship with the Maker of the Universe, the Savior of your soul, the One whom you were made to have a relationship with, the only One who can change you, change your circumstances, who desperately loves you and wants to spend eternity with you. Do you have a relationship with Him?

A long time ago in the country of Babylon there’s this King. His name is Nebuchadnezzar. He’s kind of self absorbed and makes this rather silly decree. You see, he’s built a huge golden statue of himself. He decrees that when all sorts of music is played everyone must bow down to the statue and worship it. It’s not just the people of his country, but of all the countries that he’s conquered. People of every nation, every language, everyone is expected to bow down and worship this idol. Anyone who didn’t obey and worship the idol was to be cast into a fiery furnace. He wasn’t satisfied with political power, but he wanted rock-star popularity also.

There are three Jews however, that do not pay attention to this decree. They’re officials in the King’s province of Babylon. Their Babylonian names are, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So some of the astrologers (probably advisors to the King) decide to tattle-tale on these three Jews. They go and report to the King that these Jews are ignoring his decree. He becomes outraged. I imagine he threw something or grabbed and yelled at some of his soldiers standing around. The text just states that he was furious with rage. Basically, he was really, really, really mad and angry.

So he summons these three Jewish men to his court. Now the Jews have been (like many countries) dragged into exile from their homeland by the Babylonians. I’m pretty sure he didn’t just send them invitations to dinner. He probably sent some soldiers to go enforce his summoning. You can bet they knew why they were being summoned. The King had made his decree known to the entire nation. These three Jews worked in the government, I’m sure they had gotten the memo. They knew what they were doing when they refused to be obedient to King Nebuchadnezzar. They knew full well what the consequences would be. But they knew God was on the throne and therefore they had reason to fear the cost or the consequences of trusting Him.

I’m guessing they already knew each other. I’m also thinking that as the soldiers took them on route to see the King that they must have looked at each other and I wonder if they talked about how they were going to handle the situation. Perhaps they had already talked about it since they knew they’d get in trouble for not being obedient to the King. It’s possible that they had no need to talk to each other since they knew who they really stood for. Yahweh, their God was the only one whom they would worship. When they get dragged before King Nebuchadnezzar he offers them a second chance. If they will worship before the idol when the music plays he’ll let them off the hook. I’m sure their hands were sweaty, and their hearts were racing, but they respond without fear to the King.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O 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 save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

So as if the King couldn’t be any more upset, he gets furious with these three Jews. He demands that the fire get heated seven times hotter than usual. He must have been outraged beyond his original anger. Here the most powerful ruler and successful politician of the known world was getting his own officials rebelling against him and apparently he has a bit of a temper regarding it. In fact, when the soldiers bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and drag them over to drop them into the fiery furnace, the soldiers get killed by the heat and the flames of the fire.

The three Jews are thrown into the furnace. Then, the most miraculous thing happens. They are seen walking around the furnace unharmed and with a fourth person! In fact, it causes King Nebuchadnezzar to leap to his feet in amazement. When they get out of the furnace, they’re examined and not a single hair on their heads is even singed. Their binds are burned off, but their clothes don’t even smell like smoke! The God of the universe who knows every hair on our heads made sure Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not even harmed in the slightest. They understood that when God is on the throne, there is no need to fear the cost or consequence of trusting in Him.

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.” (Daniel 3:28-29)

Our story ends happily enough. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego do not suffer from the fiery furnace for their disobedience to the king. In fact they get a promotion and even the King of Babylon seems to be in favor of worshiping the One true God. But not everyone’s story ends so great. Is it because we lack faith in God or do not trust in our heavenly Father? I don’t think that’s the case. After all, not every hero of faith had great victories, witnessed miraculous events or survived fatal encounters with death. Jesus said His followers would suffer. Many of His followers were tortured, killed and generally lived in extreme conditions because of their faith in Jesus.

The simple fact of the matter is that God doesn’t always pull His people out of the fire, sometimes He lets them suffer. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, we read about great people of faith who experienced great victories as well as those who suffered, were tortured and lived in horrible conditions because they trusted God. I wish I could explain why that is, and many people have tried to come up with reasons that make a lot of sense, and are of help to people. I don’t think there is a single easy answer to many or life’s mysteries. The thing that encourages me, is that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego state that even if God doesn’t rescue them, they will still trust Him, they will still believe and have faith in Him alone. The key that I remind myself is that God desires me to trust Him even when things do not appear like they will turn out well in the end if I do.

Another important thing to remember is that we know that God is a personal being and that He therefore does not always answer our requests as we wish. Rather than interpreting such times as meaning that God does not love me, I find it to be a good opportunity to remind myself that God sees life from a different perspective then I do. It’s also important to remember that He sees the bigger picture not only regarding my life but as well as of the whole universe also. He let Job suffer for a time where as He miraculously rescues Daniel from the lion’s mouths and miraculously spares the Apostle Paul’s life again and again.

One last thing to note is that God’s value system is often very different from yours and mine. Often when I think of what I need and want, they are things that make up a comfortable, relaxing, enjoyable life. However, God’s goal for my life is that I become more holy and more like He is. Often this “character building” process requires suffering, uncertainties, difficulties that I alone cannot handle and being stretched well beyond my comfort zone. When God does something miraculous, it’s typically to display His glory and His power, to prove that He really is the one true God. Whether or not He rescues me from the fire, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that because God is on the throne I do not have any reason to fear the cost or the consequences of trusting in Him.

When God is on the throne, do not fear the cost or consequence of trusting Him.

It is so comforting to me to know that our God is not like that. When He makes a promise, He holds to it. When He says that something will happen, buckle your seat belt, because it’s happening. He is reliable. He is faithful. He is true to His word. He never breaks His promise. He is never late. He always delivers. He is on time. He is perfect and never makes a mistake.

“When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.’ And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf…” (Hebrews 6:13-20)

When God makes a promise, you can depend on it.

Think about that, our God who never changes, who is perfect, who never forgets, who keeps His promises, wants Abraham to know that He was going to keep His promise that He was willing to make an oath. He wanted to communicate that He was going to keep His promise. The writer of Hebrews points out just how God wanted to make this unchanging nature of His promise to be crystal clear to His people. So what sorts of promises has He made that you and I can take hold of?

God’s presence: “I will never leave you…” (Heb 13:5)
God’s protection: “I am your shield…” (Gen. 15:1)
God’s power: “I will strengthen you…” (Isa. 41:10)
God’s provision: “I will help you…” (Isa. 41:10)
God’s leading: “I will guide him…” (Isa. 57:18)
God’s rest: “Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest…” (Matt 11:28)
God’s forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins…” (1 Jn. 1:9)
God’s goodness: “No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” (Ps. 84:11)
God’s faithfulness: “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1 Thess. 5:24)
God’s wise plan: “In all things God works for the good of those who love him…” (Rom. 8:28)

This should be of great encouragement to you. Our hope in God is secure. When He says He’ll do something, He’ll do it. He cannot lie. The God of the universe has never once thought something that was proved not to be, He has never said something that was false and He has never promised to do something and not followed through. God has a consistent track record. He is faithful. This fills me with hope. When God makes a promise, I can depend on it. You can depend on it.

“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” (Joshua 23:14)