But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.
Daniel 3:18.
Thank you for joining me in this review from the book of Daniel. I hope you see the parallels between those historical accounts and our current context. Taking a public stand for Jesus, through your membership in the Christian Lawyer Directory and otherwise, exposes you to spiritual attack and increasing pressure to abandon God for the advancement of self.
I pray you have gained insights into this ever-present dilemma and have benefited from evaluating the courage of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. To recap…
- In the Introduction, we assessed the timeless dichotomy of standing with the Lord or conforming to the age-old patterns of this world. While the most popular response is to comply and a tempting response is appear to comply, we must find the courage to defy and be the non-conformists Paul challenges us to be. (See Romans 12:2)
- The second installment focused on the inspiration we gain from cohorts. Let us not repeat Elijah’s error in perceiving himself to be the only man true to God. Even if you do not have cohorts physically with you in your particular crisis of belief, know that there are others who are walking, or have walked, a similar path. You are not alone. Take courage and inspiration from your cohorts.
- We next looked at inspiration from leaders. Daniel’s objection to the king’s menu enlightened Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the virtue of honoring God even in the “little things”. You may need examples to follow in your crisis of belief. Your acts of faith may, in turn, be the examples others follow in their crises of belief.
- The fourth installment introduced the concept of “faith success” and how our past faith successes should inspire future acts of faith. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego saw God respond to their faithfulness in the “little” stuff (dietary choices), giving them courage to trust that He will remain faithful in the big stuff. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His faithfulness endures for generations. You’ve seen it in your own past. Use those past experiences to inspire current faith acts.
- We next considered how the faith success of others should also be an inspiration. Daniel’s bold choice to worship God “just as he had done before”, came after (and was likely inspired by) the death-defying courage of his three cohorts. Reflect on the faith successes of others you know or have read about, particularly in scripture, to bolster your courageous stands for the Lord.
- In perhaps the most important installment, we saw how our faith stands should be aimed to magnify God’s glory. Pagan kings were effusive in their praise of Yahweh God, thanks to the courage of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in standing resolutely committed to Him. It was never about these four men.
It was always about the Almighty God they served.
Remaining faithful in an increasingly faithless world is undoubtedly challenging. Honoring the Lord in our profession remains our ever-present and daunting task. God deserves nothing less. Our aim must not be just to honor the Lord in our profession but to honor the Lord of our profession and of all. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
While we have many inspirations to act in faith, there is but one chief intended result for such acts.
Take a stand for Jesus. He is worthy.
