More Impressive than a Miracle

“Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.” (Da 3:28 AV)

For a king who could take their lives, the fact they survived the fire was not nearly as important as their willingness to sacrifice them.  One might even suggest that had the three died, the result might have still been the same.  The lengths we are willing to go through for the glory of God may just be far more effective then that which we think we have accomplished.  Self-sacrifice, or dedication, speaks louder than the details of what we do.  This is the essence of discipleship and the first step thereof.  Deny self.

To say that I have an example from my own personal history would not be accurate.  Very rarely are we called upon to this great depth.  Nor can I say that this level of dedication is my normal state of mind and heart.  If we are all honest, we would have to conclude that it takes a special person with monumental faith and integrity to be willing to jump in a pit of fire for the sake of God’s name.  But, the principle is still the same.  Dedication says a lot.  Dedication has more fruit plucked from its branches than all the methods we implore today.  We devise newer and better methods of reaching the lost when what they are really looking for are those whoa are willing to go the distance for that which they claim to believe.  There is no magic phrase.  There is no ultimate program.  There is no new-fangled wall-street sales pitch that will win the world for Christ.  What has been and always will be effective is the saints of God willing to suffer in the name of Christ that others might come to know Him.

The greatest Christian to ever live was not won by the three steps to soul-winning.  He was not won by constant harassment into the kingdom.  The greatest Christian to ever live came to Christ in part because he held the coats of those who stoned Stephen.  He saw the dedication of the church’s first martyr and realized the people whom he was persecuting had something worth dying for.  Now, programs are not necessarily wrong in and of themselves.  We need a plan.  We need structure.  We need direction.  We need goals.  But all those cannot take the place of dedication.  An unbending belief that God is real and He desires all to come to Him is what will ultimately win the lost.  The miracles are often explained away by some extraordinary event of science.  But see a man or woman willing to hazard their lives for what they believe in; there is no explanation for that!  What are we willing to go through that will advance the faith of others?  What are we willing to risk that others may see Christ in us?  Do we play it safe?  Or, do we get out there and hazard our lives for something we say we deeply believe?