God to the Rescue (Daniel 3:8-30)

Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful king, but he hungered for more power. He set up a golden statue of himself and demanded that at the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum and every kind of music, his people should fall down and worship the image.

Some Chaldeans accused three young Jews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They told the king, "These men do not worship your gods or your golden statue."

This made Nebuchadnezzar very, very angry, and he had the three brought to him. "Is it true you do not serve our gods or worship the golden statue?" Then he ordered the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, drum and every kind of music to sound off, but Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not worship the image. They said their God would rescue them in the fire, and even if He didn't, they would not worship the golden statue.

Nebuchadnezzar ordered the temperature in furnace to be raised seven times hotter than normal. It was so hot it killed the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the blazing fire.

Then something amazing happened. The king looked into the window of the furnace and saw, not three but four men walking around in the fire. He said, "One looks like a son of the gods!" The men's robes did not catch on fire and their hair did not burn. Nebuchadnezzar had them brought out of the furnace. The Jews didn't even smell like fire or smoke.

Do you know what the king did? He praised the God of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego, because He rescued the men who trusted Him.

Think About It
Has anyone tried to get you to do something you knew was wrong? Did they persuade you? Next time remember how God protected Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. You can trust Him to protect you too.

Pray About It
Father God, it's hard to stay true to you when our friends want us to go along with things that are not right. Be our strength and help us to trust you, even when it's not the popular thing to do.

King Solomon Had it All

When Solomon became King of Israel, he had one prayer--that God would give him wisdom and discernment to govern His people. God said since he didn't ask for wealth, long life or victory over his enemies, he would have all those as well as wisdom. He was the wisest of all the leaders before or since his reign.

King Solomon succeeded his first twenty years, but he failed his last twenty. Do you know why? Because he disobeyed God. In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, God commanded him not to multiply horses or to lead his people back to Egypt to get more, but he did. The possession of many horses was a measure of a king's political power.

God also commanded King Solomon not to have many wives, but he did. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. That's a lot of wives and a lot of kids! Image if they all had Macy's credit cards. King Solomon loved all his wives and he married many foreign wives for political protection from their countries. He grew to worship their gods and practice their customs, two things God hated.

God commanded King Solomon not to accumulate a lot of silver and gold, but he did. His annual income was 1.6 billion dollars, three thousand years ago. That is a lot of wealth!

So King Solomon had it all--power, women and wealth. He didn't have purity or a dependence on God. Instead of trusting God, he trusted in his power, possessions and wives. Do you know what King Solomon concluded in his old age? That everything in life was meaningless without God. He had all the worldly treasures a man could dream of but they counted for nothing.

Think About It
The cure for a meaningless life is clinging to God, loving Him more than anything. When we do, we will love others and our lives will have meaning, hope and purpose.

Pray About It
Teach me your ways O God. Show me your paths and help me live according to your will and plan. Amen.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

When Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit, not only did He send them power to speak the Good News and start the early church--He gave each of them and each of us power to live holy lives. That means we will have comfort in suffering, counsel and wisdom to make tough decisions, and peace and joy in all things. Living by the power of the Holy Spirit, we will become more like Jesus. It's a little too amazing to comprehend, isn't it?

Happy Birthday Church

The birth of the church is known as Pentecost. It happened 53 days after Jesus' crucifixion: After three days was the Resurrection. Then Jesus appeared to his disciples and at least 500 people for forty days after the resurrection. He told His followers to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came on them with power. Ten days after He ascended into Heaven, the disciples gathered in an upper room. The Holy Spirit appeared as flames of fire over each of the apostles and enabled them to proclaim the gospel in the languages of all who were present.

"Aren't these men from Galilee?" asked one man. "How is it we understand them in our own language?"

"They have had too much wine," responded another.

Peter stood and said, "We are not drunk as you said. It is only nine o'clock in the morning. What you see is evidence of the Holy Spirit just as Jesus told us it would happen," and he convinced many of the good news. More than three thousand people repented of the way they lived that day and were baptized.

Because Peter and the apostles were faithful to preach the gospel, we know the truth today about God's  grace and a relationship with a living God who loves and cares about us.