Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood out from the crowd while everyone else was bowing down to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. In the light of this I asked the question: How does your distinctness show itself? Christians are prone to answer this question with reference to moral differences. But this leads us to a position of unrealistic moral arrogance. Of course, we should expect that being a Christian involves living a moral life, but that isn’t the essence of Christianity. Anyone can lead a moral life and I know many non-Christians who do that far better than many Christians. The essential thing is what you pursue. To be a Christian means that you put your life in God’s hands and cease to live independently of him. It means you allow God to set the agenda and goal of your life. This is something much deeper than morality. It is a matter of the heart, but it is not for that reason hidden. It shows itself but in a way that is impossible to mimic and hard to describe. When your life is in God’s hands you live in peace and rest and that is so rare in this world that it radiates luminously. What really impressed Nebuchadnezzar about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was not that they stood when everyone else was bowed down. It was the fact that they were so fearless in the face of their execution. Their lives were in God’s hands and Nebuchadnezzar saw that in their attitude and then in their remarkable deliverance. This is what people need to see in our lives.
Commit yourself into God’s hands.
Read Daniel 3:19-30
