Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
What would happen if the person who you worked for asked you to do something that was against your faith? Think of it, if the person who signs your paycheck said I need you to sin in order for you to keep your job, would you? This choice may seem very possible but it happens. It has certainly happened in my own life. The choice might be clear, however usually there are many circumstances which may pull or push us in one direction or another. If this choice were a test would we pass?
For Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego the test they faced was clear. Even more clear was the consequences of their choice. Pray to a false God and live, or stay faithful to your own God and be killed. Ironic choice when we know that the wages of sin are death, or do we? For these men they choose to be thrown into the “white hot furnace” rather than to worship the statue of old. While there faithfulness was a testament to their hope that God would deliver them, their faith did not demand that God save them. Their faith challenged them to confront the king even with their very lives. Faith that strong can witness beyond the grave and often does, look at the martyrs.
My guess is that we are not all being called to be martyrs, but certainly all of us are being asked to live with complete trust as we walk with the Lord. This complete trust in our walk with the Lord is what we call faithful discipleship. The gospel tells us the best way to be faithful is to “remain in my word.” That seems easy enough, simply turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel. But sin, like the golden statue of Nebuchadnezzar, draws us in with its allure and the promises of a rich life, yet kills something deeper within us.
Faithful discipleship calls us to give ourselves to the “Word” who is Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and life who has come to set us free. Do we believe it? Do our actions draw others to Christ or send them away? Consider one choice today that better conforms your Life to the “Word” that is Jesus. Then act with courage so that your testimony to the “Word” will bring glory and praise both now and forever. Amen!
-Michael Montgomery