Taking a Stand

Faith is a hard thing to have sometimes. We are asked to believe in God in every situation without question, yet we do not know how the situations are going to turn out. We are taking blind steps towards the unknown. We can be assured that the outcome will be God’s will, but we can never be certain that it will be desirable or favorable to us. God has asked us to take a stand for what we believe and that sometimes means taking a stand when it is not the cool thing to do. That stand while adding to our reward in heaven can have disastrous effects here on earth. It could cost us friends, family, relationships, jobs, and a host of other things. Daniel chapter 3 12, 16-18 show us just how dangerous that stand we take can be.

They were instructed to bow before the golden statue of Nebuchadnezzar and they refused. They had first made the choice to not defile their bodies with the food of the king and now this. They were not in danger of losing their lives before in the diet situation but now they were. They had made their decision based on the fact that they would not compromise what they believed in. Any deviance from those beliefs would water down their testimony they had established. If they bowed before the statue it would all but erase their devotion to the power of God they had demonstrated in their new homeland; but to not bow before the statue would mean certain and immediate death. There had to be a thousand reasons that they could have generated amongst themselves to make bowing before the statue seem alright. There was one reason not to bow before the statue that kept all the other reasons to bow at bay. That reason was that if indeed they did bow they would be turning their backs on the God that they believed in and defile their own undefiled faith.

If God calls you to do something for Him that would involve taking a stand that could cost you a lot, if not everything, could you? It is hard to think of something so severe in our liberal and accepting melting pot of society that would indeed cost us that much. What if you were a missionary in a foreign land where being a Christian could cost you your life, would you risk it to reach the people? If you work for a church, would you risk standing up to your pastor if you felt he/she was compromising your faith? Would you risk losing your job for your beliefs? Or would you water down your faith to keep status quo? All food for thought.

Father I thank you that I have You to have Faith in. I pray that I will always take a stand when You call me to. Amen.