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| Fire in a Furnace? Is it for you? |
You
must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God
who is jealous about his relationship with you. Exodus 34:14
That was all under the first
covenant with God. Now although Jesus gave us the second covenant with God, we still
are to worship only one God. As Jesus taught…
Jesus
replied, "The Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and
serve only him.'" Luke
4:8
We are also told about John’s vision
of Heaven in Revelation.
And
the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to
the wedding feast of the Lamb." And he added, "These are true words
that come from God." Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he
said, "No, don't worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your
brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only
God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for
Jesus." Revelation
19:9-10 (Underlined emphasis.)
Who or what is most important in
your life? Who do you worship? If it is not the one true God, are you headed to
the fiery furnace?
You issued a decree requiring all
the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of
the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. ...
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
3:10, 17-29
Meditate. Consider the smell of
smoke and the absence of that in this account of the fiery furnace.
Prayer – Lord Jesus, thank you for Your
guidance and encouragement. I worship You-for You are the King and God of the
Universe—creator of all. You are worthy of all praise, honor, and glory.
Verse of Salvation ~ Praise the
Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Our God is
a God who saves! The Sovereign LORD rescues us from death. Psalm 68:19-20
My gratitude for today: I am grateful for a smoke-less life—one
with "no fear” of being thrown into a fiery furnace…one in which I can worship
God freely and know that He loves me—enough to die for me. That’s the greatest
love…and it is mine. Life shouldn’t be about “me” but about Him. I rejoice in
that…in His love.
© 2025 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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