Do you ever have trouble doing or speaking up for what you know is right? Most of the time the wrong thing is presented in an impressive and deceptively attractive way. It's often easier to just go with the flow, to conform to the culture around you and do what everybody else is doing. We invent clever excuses and apologetic explanations for our behavior without giving it a second thought.
But God calls His people to be holy. Set apart. Not because it's easy or glamorous, but because of who He is: "I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy" (Lev. 11:44, emphasis mine). We are urged to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (Rom. 12:1). This command extends to every area of our lives. It shapes how we conduct ourselves privately, and how we relate to God and others.
The third chapter of Daniel opens with King Nebuchadnezzar constructing a 90 foot tall, gold-plated statue of himself, and summoning all the provincial officials of Babylon, including Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, to its dedication (Dan. 3:1-3). At the sound of music from a great array of instruments, the people were ordered to bow down and worship the image of gold the king had set up. Anyone who did not fall down and worship would be thrown into a blazing furnace (v. 5-6).
Nebuchadnezzar was clearly lording his pride and power over the people through this elaborately orchestrated test of their allegiance. His fiery threat left no room for opposition! But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's allegiance was to God. They knew they were to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). But how often do we as believers, when confronted with a challenge of our own allegiance, fail to put God's principles into practice (Lk. 6:46-49)?
Charles Spurgeon wrote, "If you cannot say that you take Christ's cross, and are willing to follow Him at all hazards, then...do not make a profession at all...for if you do, you will lie against your own soul. He that is married to the world...is of no service in this war."
Are you waiting for something "big" before you obey God? Is your life filled with many small compromises, even as you profess to stand firm where it "really" matters? If so, then take to heart this truth today: the small things matter to God! Just as he used the "small" issue of food to prepare Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Dan. 1), so He uses the small things in our daily lives to prepare us for the bigger ones. And as we are faithful, our confidence in God grows.
After hearing of their disobedience, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned the three young men to ask them whether or not this was true. They replied, "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... 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" (Dan. 3:16-18).
At the bottom line of any struggle is our spiritual integrity.
"What do I have to gain by resisting? Is it not better for me to avoid loss and continue to serve God?”
But we will all suffer loss; why not suffer making a stand for God? "It is ours to do the right, and leave the results to the Lord" (Spurgeon).
"My stand might cost me my job and, therefore, my standard of living.”
We turn God's blessings into idols if we compromise our relationship with Him to maintain what we have. "Do not love the world or anything in the world" (1 Jn. 2:15).
"It's not like I'm renouncing God…"
Statements like these betray the elasticity of our conscience and the bent of our heart toward compromise. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9)
"Well this is just the culture I live in. Besides, everybody else is doing it!”
God's jurisdiction knows no bounds! And we grow in Christlikeness when we are willing to stand alongside Him. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).
"It's just this once. God will understand.”
Anyone who has any experience with habitual sin will tell you "just this once" is all it takes to destroy an entire life. And yes, God does understand our struggles with sin (Heb. 4:15). That's why He sent His Son to make provision for sinners! Knowing this should be a spur to obedience, not a license to act however we choose.
At the bottom line of any struggle is our spiritual integrity. These challenges can bring our dual loyalties into conflict and thrust us into situations where we must ask ourselves: Will we compromise? Is ours a faith at any cost? It was for Daniel's three friends.
In a furious rage, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual and threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, firmly tied, into the fire (Dan. 3:19-23). Then an amazing thing happened: the king saw four men walking around, unbound and unharmed, in the flames!
What a beautiful and reassuring picture of how Jesus is with us even in the worst of our trials! He is perfectly able to both deliver us from them and sustain us within them. God was more real to these young men than a blazing furnace, and He is just as real to us today!
In the end, Nebuchadnezzar calls Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego out of the fire. The flames had not burned their flesh, nor the hair on their heads, nor even their clothes—there was not even the smell of fire about them! Upon seeing their total deliverance, the king proclaimed praises to God and declared, "No other god can save this way" (v. 26-29).
Seeing God at work in the lives of His people is the most effective testimony! That is why we must resist Satan's attempts to make us bow down to the world's idealized image of what men and women should be. Rather, we must pursue God's will and His ideal—offering our bodies as living sacrifices—that we might fulfill Scripture's command: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2).
Lord, renew my mind by Your Spirit that I may be transformed. Guide me in Your will; make me bold for my faith! Give me courage to stand for what I believe in, rather than making excuses. Be with me in the difficult times so I can resist the urge to compromise. Show me any areas in my life where my allegiance to You may be wavering, and help me reclaim that ground by taking to heart the truth in Your Word. Above all, help me to have integrity as I walk out my faith day by day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Reflection Questions
- Is there any area where you have conformed to culture rather than put into practice the principles of God? Are you ready to begin pursuing His ideal for you today?
- Has there been a time in your life where you stood up for what you knew was right, even if it was unpopular? What was the result?
- Our minds are renewed and we are transformed as we spend time with God and in His Word. What does your daily time with the Lord look like? How would you change it, if at all?