Prayer
– Lord Jesus, You took care of Daniel’s friends there in that fiery furnace.
They were so right—so brave—and devoted to You when they wouldn’t bow down and
worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol. They lived up to Your commandment to have
no other gods before You. Help me to see if I’m putting things in my life ahead
of my relationship with You. I am so very grateful that You have promised to be
with me…with everyone who believes in You—to the end of time. No matter what
trials—like the fiery furnace—come our way, You will never leave us or forsake
us. I praise You.
"Again,
the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and
caught fish of every kind. When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the
shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones
away. That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come
and separate the wicked people from the righteous, throwing the wicked into the
fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Do you
understand all these things?" "Yes," they said, "we
do." Matthew
13:47-51
Meditate.
Consider what Jesus taught His disciples.
Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a
rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him.
When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship
the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and
worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical
instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing
furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need
to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the
God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your
Majesty. But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty,
that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set
up." Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be
heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he ordered some of the strongest men
of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the
blazing furnace. So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully
dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. And because the
king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames
killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. So Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames. But suddenly,
Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers,
"Didn't we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did," they replied.
"Look!" Nebuchadnezzar shouted. "I see four men, unbound,
walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!"
Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming
furnace and shouted: "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the
Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and
advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a
hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They
didn't even smell of smoke! Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise to the God
of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants
who trusted in him. They defied the king's command and were willing to die
rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make
this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a
word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb
from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no
other god who can rescue like this!" Daniel 3:13-29
Jesus
used the parable of the angels separating the good and the wicked people at the
end of time. Those that are following Satan—the wicked people—will go with him
into the Lake of Fire for eternity. Do you believe in Hell—in the fire and
brimstone that awaits the evil ones. God is pretty specific in the Book of
Revelation as to where those evil ones will go.
Then the devil, who had deceived
them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and
the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 20:10
But cowards, unbelievers, the
corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol
worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
This is the second death.
Revelation 21:8
We may go
through trials during our lifetime—and in the days ahead—but if we choose Jesus
as our Savior, He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We don’t have
to worry about the temperature of the fiery furnace. Like Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, we will be safely taken care of, rescued from the scorching blaze.
Verse
of Salvation ~ Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your
name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name. Psalm 79:9
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
With the
fires in the western States there won’t be many people roasting their food over
the flame of a scorching blaze. Consider some cool foods and drinks to enjoy on
these HOT days. When we recently went to Disney World, we had a traditional
cooling dessert that our family had raved about—and it was as good as they
said. Pineapple Whip. Yum! There are lots of recipes that are very similar to
that cool, tasty dessert. So, I’m using this one adapted to be versatile for
those who are or aren’t lactose intolerant.
Pineapple
Whip
Put the
ingredients into a blender in this order:
½ cup of
pineapple juice
2 cups
frozen pineapple (Not fresh. Plan ahead. Buy the pineapple on sale, chop it
up, and freeze it)
½ cup
vanilla ice cream OR ½ cup cold coconut milk OR ½ cup non-dairy frozen ice
cream (some recipes used frozen Cool Whip)
Blend
well and thin with more juice or thicken with more ice cream as needed. If
desired, pipe the whipped dessert into serving bowls with a swirl. You can use
a plastic bag with the corner cut off or a piping bag and a large star tip. Serve
immediately and enjoy before it melts. Repeat as often as desired!
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House
Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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