Today, I am reading and commenting on  Daniel 3-4.

Usually when I write on this passage I focus on the faith and bravery of our three young heroes when they are about to be thrown into the fiery furnace.  However today I was struck by Nebuchadnezzar’s decree and the way in which their noncompliance was reported to him.  It reminded me of parts of our culture today which require adherence to values which are contrary to those taught in the Bible.  While no one in the United States faces a fiery furnace for failing to bow down to these idols and beliefs, they may face expulsion from certain professions and other penalties for daring to remain faithful to God.  Our three heroes stood up when everyone else bowed down.  They knew the penalties they faced for publicly defying the king, but did so anyway, putting their faith in God.  They stood up and God rescued them from the fiery furnace.  Do we have faith that if we stand up today that God will rescue us from our “fiery furnace”?  More importantly, do we have the faith to say, “Even if He does not, we will not serve your gods?”

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.