Lilies, in Gail’s side garden, in Cape Elizabeth Picture by Gail Prince
“we will not serve your god”
Our Blog is Inspired by The Holy Spirit.
The first reading today is one of my favorites in the Old Testament.
Let me briefly summarize;
King Nebuchadnezzar who ruled Babylon decreed that every person in Babylon would have to worship a golden god he had set up, and if they didn’t they would be thrown into a white-hot furnace.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar,
“There is no need for us to defend ourselves before you
in this matter.
If our God, whom we serve,
can save us from the white-hot furnace
and from your hands, O king, may he save us!
But even if he will not, know, O king,
that we will not serve your god
or worship the golden statue that you set up.” Daniel 3
The King had the furnace heated up seven times more than usual, seven by the way is a holy number. I just realized this, the Holy Spirit working in our life.
He had the three, again, a holy number, thrown into the furnace
and,
Nebuchadnezzar rose in haste and asked his nobles,
“Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?”
“Assuredly, O king,” they answered.
“But,” he replied, “I see four men unfettered and unhurt,
walking in the fire, and the fourth looks like a son of God.”
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,
“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who sent his angel to deliver the servants who trusted in him;
they disobeyed the royal command and yielded their bodies
rather than serve or worship any god.
except their own God.” Daniel 3
Now for the part that was omitted in today’s reading, which is a shame.
When the satraps, prefects, governors, and counselors of the king came together, they saw that the fire had had no power over the bodies of these men; not a hair of their heads had been singed, nor were their garments altered; there was not even a smell of fire about them. Emphasis mine Daniel 3
And the last and most important part, Nebuchadnezzar next said,
“Therefore I decree for nations and peoples of every language that whoever blasphemes the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut to pieces and his house made into a refuse heap.” Daniel 3
Wow-what a change in Nebuchadnezzar!
He saw with his own eyes the glory and power of I Am whom Nebuchadnezzar didn’t know. Actually, we can’t say that because in chapter 2, Danial correctly interpreted a dream Nebuchadnezzar had, whom no one else in the court could do, and Nebuchadnezzar said,
“Truly your God is the God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries; that is why you were able to reveal this mystery.” Daniel 2
Nebuchadnezzar believed in Daniel’s God in chapter 2, fell off the wagon at the start of chapter 3, and had to climb back up on the wagon and continue his journey to find the true God.
Isn’t this true of us?
Sadly it has been of me, as we have related in our past blogs.
But,
By observing God acting in my life, through miracles some of which we have told you about in earlier blogs, my life changed to our life and I was set free. Free because I now know, God is a God of Love, and of course from Love comes, Joy and Peace.
When you consider the effects of Love, Joy, and Peace, I slowly concluded I was living in Heaven here on earth, the new Kingdom set up by Jesus where He conquered satan by His life, death, and resurrection.
Therefore,
“I will not serve any other god”
“The nine” We pray you will grow in the Love, Joy, and Peace of the Holy Spirit by growing in Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Sidebar:
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.” John 8
The Gospel reading points to a problem I have had for a very long time in my life.
The problem was that I didn’t fully understand the Triune God. In this reading, Jesus clearly tells us that God the Father sent Jesus.
Jesus didn’t come on His own.
Jesus was sent by His and our Father.
This short sentence tells volumes about the Love of the Father for us, and yet how many times in your daily life do you thank God the Father for this Love?
Earlier in my younger life,
Never!
Now,
Every day multiple times a day, why wouldn’t I?
I now also realize how blessed I am to worship a Loving Father, who sent my Brother who by His life, death, and resurrection makes it possible for me to be justified, not because of what I did as I tried to earn my way into Heaven, as I believed for way too many years, but by what Jesus did, at the direction of His and Our Father.
I have been pulled up from the fire of hell, and am welcomed into the Family as a brother, or sister, for the women, and all I have to do is have Faith in a Loving God.
Tim Gray, www.The Formed, who has a daily three to four-minute talk on the current day’s readings said in Sunday’s talk, the Prodigal son demonstrates that at the heart of ALL sin is the REJECTION of God the Father.
That’s what the Prodigal son did!
The Prodigal son wished his father dead so he could get his inheritance now.
Wow!
Talk about the Holy Spirit working in my life!
I thought we had finished, six paragraphs above, and then I listened to Dr. Tim Gray afterward. We always type the first draft first thing Monday morning, then we do whatever is next, and Tim this Monday really put more meat on the bones.
“The heart of ALL sin is the REJECTION of God Father.”
I had never realized this, but as I think about it, Tim is right on.
Why?
Since it was the Father who started the whole process of salvation, rejection of His plan or His Son is in reality a rejection Of God the Father.
Look how beautifully what Tim said added to what we typed earlier.
All we can add is, “Thank you, Father!”
