10/13 Daily in the Word

.Refusing to Bow
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
by Dr. Paul Chappell

"Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

Daniel 3:8-12

Only Christians who are faithful to stand for God will be greatly used by God.

It was a dark and stormy night outside the small hotel. Several motorists had chosen to turn in for the night at that particular hotel since it was just off the highway. The hotel manager stared out the rain-spattered window into the night sky, admiring the beauty of the lightning while at the same time pitying anyone who was stuck out in that mess. Several reports were already coming in about lightning strikes and overturned cars due to the powerful wind. Suddenly, the front door swung open and two people rushed in with the wind while debris flew everywhere. Hurrying over to them, the manager helped the man close the door and then asked, "Are you two okay?" They both removed the pieces of clothing they had used to cover their heads and he could see they were an elderly man and woman. "We're okay, now that we're here," the gentleman replied. "Would you happen to have a room for the night? We can't go much further in this storm." The manager looked at the two soaked motorists and then replied with a heavy heart, "All the rooms in this hotel are full, as are all the hotels in town. This storm has forced all travelers off the roads tonight. But I can't just turn you out, so tell you what, you can sleep in my room tonight. It might be a bit small, but it's warm and comfortable." The couple initially turned down the offer, but the manager insisted, so they accepted his proposition and paid him for the room. Excited to be out of the storm for the night, the older man said to the manager, "What a wonderful thing you have done for us! You are a special young man, and you should be made manager of the best hotel in the world. Someday I'll build you one." Laughing, the manager accepted his "offer" and helped them to their room.

A few years letter the manager received a letter from the elderly gentleman with a plane ticket to New York in the envelope. When he arrived in New York, he was taken to the corner of 5th Avenue and 34th Street, a corner where the mighty Waldorf-Astoria Hotel stood. The elderly gentleman, who turned out to be William Waldorf Astor, explained, "I recently built this hotel and I want you to be the first manager of it. Because of your kindness that night when we needed a room, I wanted to repay you by giving you command of my newest hotel."

The hotel manager could have turned down the couple during the storm; he had a legitimate reason to turn them away, yet he did the right thing in offering them his room. He was faithful to serve his guests even when it required him to go the second mile.

Over the next couple days, we will look at the faithfulness of the three Hebrew children in our verses. While being faithful to not eat the king's meat in Daniel 1 might not have cost them much, directly disobeying the king's decree was sure to cost them greatly. Yet, even in the face of punishment, they remained faithful to God.

How often do you shy away from faithfulness when it will cost you more than you are willing to pay? What if standing up for God and not bowing to the world's demands costs you some friends, your social status, or even your job? Are you willing to trust God in those circumstances?

Take time now to ask God to give you strength to follow and obey Him in all circumstances. Seek His help to stand for Him when others would back down and give in to the world's leading. Only Christians who are faithful to stand for God will be greatly used by God.