" I WON'T BOW DOWN "

Praise the Lord, here we are at the dawning of another year. I for one am looking forward to doing a better job with my Walk With Christ. Shadrach is the name given to " Hananiah " by the Babylonians who invaded his country and took many captives. Hananiah was one of three companions of Daniel, all of whom were thrown into a fiery furnace for not bowing down and worshiping the golden idol set up by Nebuchadnezzar the king.

They were miraculously protected from the fire by God. Why didn't the three young men Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego just bow to the image and then tell God that they didn't mean it? They had PRE-determined never to worship another god, and they courageously took their stand. The boys did not know whether they would be delivered from the fire; all they knew was that they would not fall down and worship an idol.

Are you ready to take a stand for God no matter what? I'm of the mind that when you stand for God, you will stand out. It may be painful, and it may not always have a happy ending. Be prepared to say, " If he rescues me, or if he doesn't, I will serve only God. "

Now the boys names were changed because Nebuchadnezzar wanted to make them Babylonian. New names would help them assimilate into the culture. " Hananiah " means the Lord shows grace;". The name, Shadrach, probably means " under the command of A K U" (the moon god). The story of Shadrach (Hananiah), Meshach (Mishael), and Abed-nego (Azariah) is told in the Book Of Daniel. They refused to bow down and worship an idol, how about you?

 Until Next Time...
 Jim