Daniel 3:16-28
3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar,
“We do not need to give you a reply
concerning this.
3:17 If
our God whom we are serving exists,
he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well.
3:18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”
3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his disposition changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was normally heated.
3:20 He ordered strong soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire.
3:21 So those men were tied up while still wearing their cloaks, trousers, turbans, and other clothes, and were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire.
3:22 But since the king’s command was so urgent, and the furnace was so excessively hot, the men who escorted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were killed by the leaping flames.
3:23 But those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the furnace of blazing fire while still securely bound.
God Delivers His Servants
3:24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and quickly got up. He said to his ministers, “Wasn’t it three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied to the king, “For sure, O king.”
3:25 He answered, “But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!”
3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire. He called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here!”
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire.
3:27 Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically unharmed by the fire. The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!
3:28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, “Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than serve or pay homage to any god other than their God!
Matthew 7:22-23
7:22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do
many powerful deeds?’
7:23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’
John 13:37
13:37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!”
John 15:13
15:13 No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life
for his friends.
Acts 21:13
21:13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking
my heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up,
but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Philippians 1:20-21
1:20 My confident hope
is that I will in no way be ashamed
but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live or die.
1:21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.
Philippians 2:3
2:3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition
or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.