I had a blessed trip to Baltimore. More info and photos are available at my blogspot if you are interested. Glad to be back on the ground safely and at my own church this Sunday where my minister Bishop Gwin offered a great message that went something like this. He spoke from Daniel, about those three; Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who refused to bow down to the image worshipped by King Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom. Instead they chose to follow the God of their hearts, willing to face whatever consequence assigned in doing so. And, their consequence was great. Ordered by the King tossed into the fiery furnace they faced a searing of their flesh they had to know would be painful and likely usher in death.
And, it is like this with our own lives sometimes. Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we find ourselves in the fire. Sometimes we wander into the heat unknowing, other times we are tossed into the raging flames without choice, and as we become more mature as Christians at times like these three, we walk into the fire purposely. The pain while in the fire is great, because it is through these difficult circumstances our flesh is honed and the Spirit made strong. It is in fact in the fire we most often discover ourselves in greater depth, and draw close to spiritual values with greatest meaning in our lives. When King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the fiery furnace opened he expected to see nothing of the three he had doomed to a painful death, but what a surprise he found. The three were not only alive, but accompanied by another who they said, “...looked like the Son of God!”
What’s more is that once the King saw those four, and realized the magnitude of God’s power, He ordered it law that all worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! Glory to our Father God! It was the ability of these three to stay faithful to God in the face of the fire that had given vision to the Son Jesus even before His birth. In the fire God had worked, giving testimony to the faith of these three, honoring their sacrifice and showing a kingdom His power through saving them. And, so it is with our own lives. When we are faithful to God and He brings us through a fire we emerge with a testimony honoring His power and glory. And, it is through our testimony someone may be drawn to a walk with God. And, that my friends, is the blessing in the fire…
Cheri Paris Edwards is the first-time author of “Plenty Good Room”, published in hardcover by Walk Worthy/Warner Books in Spring, 2005. She is the 50-year old single parent of two young men and lives in East-Central Illinois. Visit the website at www.cheriparisedwards.com
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