day no. 12, 770: no bull‏

 

1 Kings 18:26-29

²⁶ And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. ²⁷ And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” ²⁸ And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. ²⁹ And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
 
I love Elijah.

"Hey guys! Maybe you should consider speaking up. Your god is probably daydreaming about doulel-stuff oreos or something. Maybe he's in the bathroom and can't be bothered right now. Maybe he is out-of-the-office and forgot to set his Outlook to reflect that fact. Or maybe he's taking a nap." (VVCSV)

As funny as Elijah's mockery is, I can't help think about how sad those last words are,

"there was no voice. no one answered; no one paid attention."

Ignorance ends in being ignored.

Romans 10:3-4

³ For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. ⁴ For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

If you do not submit to God's righteousness, rest assured your self-righteousness will not persuade Him to action on your behalf.

day no. 12,762: shirts v. skins‏

1 Kings 16:21-22
 

 ²¹ Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. ²² But the people who followed Omri overcame the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king.

I love the Bible.

 

You almost have to intentionally restrain yourself to tell a story with as little detail as this one gives.

But I'll give it a try...

The people wanted two teams so some followed one guy and some followed the other guy. The one guy's people were stronger than the other guy's, so the other guy died. The end. (VVCSV)

day no. 12,729: toil, et, ette‏

Toil – labor

Toilet – crap box

Toilette - The act or process of dressing or grooming oneself

 

Ecclesiastes 2:24

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God

 

In other words:

 

“it is a gift from God to enjoy your job.”(VVCSV)

 

Not everyone gets to enjoy their work.

 

Some because they do not like what they have to do in order to feed themselves while others because they do not like having to do anything that only a person paid to do it would do.

 

There is a reason employers pay you to do some things

 

No one would do them without a paycheck.

No one “feels called” to do them or fills up their hobby-time in the evening doing them.

Some crap would never get flushed if someone was not paid to do it.

 

Even these, however, can be enjoyed by the grace of God when clothed in Christ.

 

Not in the same way, but by the same God who grants joy in doing that which we desire and in doing less than desirable tasks while in Him whom we desire.

benediction = bene (well) + dicere (to speak)

Hebrews 13:20-21

Benediction

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

For those of you playing at home, “No” the sub-title “Benediction” is not inspired, but added after –the-fact as a point of clarification or identification to the reader as to what is about to be communicated.

I remember the very first small group I joined. It was Spring and it was in Pastor Dodge’s living room that a group of people I did not know were finishing a study of the book of Jude. I had been working out at a local gym for a while and had gotten to know the staff there as I checked in and out quite regularly (sometimes 2 to the 3 times/day). I had began over the course of the previous summer to ride my bike outside for exercise in order to lose weight. When the winter came, I was in danger of losing my opportunity to work-out and joined the gym initially to continue working on the progress I had made. I had gained some weight upon moving to Ames and living on my own. I was up from 170 to 188 and none of it was muscle. By the time I joined the gym that winter, I was down to 150. I eventually got down to the 130’s (which was incredibly unhealthy, but impressive – which is more of what I was aiming for at that point). Carrie was the girl behind the counter. She went to the same church as I did and was attending a small group (Connection Group). She invited me to attend. She mentioned the lead teaching pastor, Jeff Dodge, was the group’s leader. I acquiesced and attended. Carrie was dating a guy named Jacob. I got to know him through the course of going to the gym and attending the Connection Group which he also attended regularly. Once the study in Jude was done, the group was going to disband for the summer and reconvene in the Fall. Pastor Jeff however pegged Jacob and myself for a continuation of our gatherings. He asked if we would be up for meeting with him weekly on Sunday afternoons to go through the book of Hebrews as Cornerstone was going to be teaching through it that Fall. We both agreed. In the course of that Bible study I came across these verses listed above and memorized them as part of the curriculum. I was reminded of them today and discovered in them grace I did not previously see. What a powerful truth to have anchored in your soul. By the by, Jacob was the best man in my wedding. I was the best man in his. Pastor Jeff is our spiritual dad who taught us about grace, faith, faithfulness, life, livelihood and all the other in-between that requires navigation. The book of Hebrews is forever synonymous in my mind as the place my faith began to grow and mature. It is also yoked entirely in sentiment to my Pastor and one of my best friends who both encouraged me and spurred me on further upward and inward into Jesus.

By way of putting a bow on the previous paragraph: Jacob did not marry Carrie. God broke my desire for control and helped me gain healthy weight in a life/balance of eating and exercise. And Pastor Jeff officiated my wedding.

Back to it:

20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Let the VVCSV have a crack at this one:

We have peace with God through Christ. God initiated the peace treaty as we were still firing away at Heaven with the weapons of our demise. Jesus is the Shepherd of all God’s sheep. Jesus was the Lamb who was slain and His blood eternally binds us to God in peace by grace through faith in Him alone. He is both the Shepherd and the Lamb. The sacrifice and the Priest. He grants us everything necessary to be pleasing to Him. He produces through our fumbling around fruit He is eager to pronounce “faithful” in rewarding us forever for what He has already done for us in Christ. In view of God’s mercies in extending this favor to us, may He be praised forever in our hearts, in our minds, by our tongues, through our hands, with our strength, in our weakness now and forever more. Amen. (VVCSV)

what is that to you?

John 21:18-22

18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him,“Follow me.”

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come,what is that to you? You follow me!”

Peter was understandably disappointed to find out that he would be killed for his service to God in the future as Jesus points out in vs. 18.

Peter immediately, however, turns his concern to John asking, "What about John? Will he have to die too? If I have to die, I think he should have to too. It’s not fair if I have to die and he doesn’t."  (or something like that ~ VVCSV)

Jesus’ response is to say, “What’s that to you?”

Because of Jesus' response, some people interpretted that to mean that John would never die.  But John is quick to point out that this was not the point of what Jesus said to Peter.

Constantly comparing ourselves to others is always an occassion for pride or despair.  We either get cocky because we judge our neighbors as being beneath or behind us OR we get depressed because we judge our neighbors as being above and beyond our ability to reach.

God rewards and distributes according to His wisdom, mercy and purpose. If He gives some things to some people and some other things to some other people, what's that to you?

 

1 Corinthians 7:17

 

However, each one must live his life in the situation the Lord assigned when God called him. This is what I command in all the churches.

 

(I know the context of this 1 Cor 7 passage is not exactly an apples to apples situation, but I believe it does speak to the general principle of our duty to respond to what God has designed/assigned for us specifically.)

eat me

John 6:66

 

After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

 

After what?

 

John 6:60-65

⁶⁰ When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”⁶¹ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them,“Do you take offense at this? ⁶² Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?⁶³ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)⁶⁵ And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

The irony is that in response to Jesus telling the crowd that only those called can come, a large number of them leave.

 

Jesus basically says, “It’s My Way or the highway (or low-way in this case)” (VVCSV)

 

They choose highway.

Which makes sense.

The flesh profits nothing.

It could not choose Him without His consent.

 

But what started all of this hoolabaloo?

 

Two words:“Eat me” (VVCSV)

 

There are things about God you have to accept when you sign up like the tension between God being BOTH completely in control and completely good.

 

If He is completely in control, why does He allow or will so much bad?

If He is completely good, why doesn’t He take more control?

 

Does He care? If He does why _____?

Is He capable? If He is then why not _____?

That is upper echelon tension.

 

These folks had a more simple, in your face dilemma.

 

Person 1: Did He just say, “Eat me”?

 

Person 2: I think He did.

 

Person(s) 1 & 2: That is crazy!!!

 

John 6:66-69

⁶⁶ After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.⁶⁷ So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,⁶⁹ and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

When you put your stock in with Jesus, you accept a lot of that which you do not understand.

 

That is not to say that understanding is not available or worth seeking.

 

It is more of a commentary on the fact that finite creatures are grappling with the Finite.

There should be more we do not understand in many circumstances.

 

Are you so committed to Him to be totally confused and frustrated and yet confess allegiance to Him alone?

 

Or do your feet flee to what you hope are firmer foundations when He acts or does not act in a way that confuses you?

 

The flesh profits nothing, but Jesus’ flesh profits everything.

no sweat‏

“The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” ~ Sun Tzu

So many applications.

For example:

Proverbs 24:27

Prepare your work outside;
get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build your house.

In other words, “Get your crap together before inviting a woman into your life!” (VVCSV)

Proverbs 14:4

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

In other words, “Life is about shoveling crap. If you want comfort, kill your ox. If you want crops, grab a shovel.” (VVCSV)

 

Most of our lives are guided by urgency rather than importance.

We are constantly doing the thing that is most pressing rather than the thing that is most important.

Sun Tzu and Proverbs and even Stephen Covey are asking you to consider living life in Quadrant 2: Focus.

We live in Quadrant 1 because we don’t spend any time in Quadrant 2.

Once we have exhausted ourselves by putting out fires all day, we retire to quadrant 4 and do nothing (see; Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, etc…)

Do we all need a release?
Probably.

Do we all have emergencies for which we did not plan and could not have anticipated? Certainly.

But we MUST recognize that the more we sweat in peace the less we will bleed in war.

It is not fun to do important things.
The adrenaline rush of fire-fighting in quadrant 1 is largely lost.

Choosing water over pop in order to avoid the crisis of obesity is not as thrilling as taking designer pills or liposuction. The results are not as quick and not as noticeable.

Listening to your wife is not as glamorous as going to counseling after she has found another man who will listen. I get that.

But don’t be a douche!

Sweat a little.

You will bleed less.

And sweat is easier to replace.

grumblecakes‏

Numbers 11:4-6

 

⁴ Contemptible people among them had a strong craving for other food. The Israelites cried again and said, “Who will feed us meat? ⁵ We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. ⁶ But now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!”

 

Only liars and thieves eat grumblecakes; and those people go to prison. Just ask the Cheat.

 

Before we're too quick to throw Israel under the bus, it is helpful to consider how easily our attitudes are affected by our diet and routine.

 

Do you ever get hangry? You know, you haven't eaten and you find yourself getting short with people. Your mood slowly changes and your work ethic withers into apathy. You are hungry and angry.

 

"there's nothing to look at but this manna."

 

This provision of God given faithfully day in and day out.

This literal wonderbread that appears with the dew of morning.

This bread of life serving us and keeping us alive.

This heavenly food.

 

You mean that manna?

 

Yep, that's the one.

 

Yeah, that does suck! (VVCSV)

 

How bored we become with God's provision.

 

This bread, that wine, this water, that prayer, this sermon, that song. etc...

 

It is always that fish, those cucumbers, that car, those friends, that body, those kids, that prestige, those clothes.

 

I don't want what God is giving to me.

My appetite for Him and His ways is gone.

 

My hunger is for my former way of life.

So we return to our scrapbooks and swoon as we remember the passions of youth.

Oh why did we flee them so quickly?

There was so much we now would do then.

 

Beware the folly of forgetting that Egypt was death.

It was slavery.

It was forced labor.

It drove us to cries for deliverance.

It prompted us to despair.

 

But it had onions.

 

And with thoughts like this we fill our scrapbooks of yesteryear with today's backslidings.

I'll give you something to cry about!!!

Numbers 11:1-3

Now the people began complaining openly before the Lord about hardship. When the Lord heard, His anger burned, and fire from the Lord blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. ² Then the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. ³ So that place was named Taberah, because the Lord’s fire had blazed among them.

OR...

"I'll give you something to cry about!!!" (VVCSV)

This is perhaps where our parents got this phrase.

It's Biblical.

Who knew?

Take it from Dakota Fanning, "whiners are wieners."

And I personally make it a point not to mess with Dakota.

Philippians 2:14

Do everything without grumbling and arguing

How smart does Paul sound in light of Numbers 11:1-3?

God hates complaining.

He hates grumbling.

God is honored and our neighbor tastes salt when we refuse to complain about the circumstances God has engineered for our lives.

Easier said than done for sure.

But worth the effort.

with this, be this and do that‏

1 Peter 1:13

¹³ Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance.

Everyone prior to Peter’s generation looked forward in faith to the day God would make manifest His Gospel promised to them first in Genesis 3. This plan was revealed and fulfilled completely in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Peter is writing to a church that is suffering bodily and mentally the anguishes of extreme persecution. All of these sufferings could go away with a renunciation of their faith. Peter reminds his flock that Jesus suffered many things unjustly in delivering us from that which we justly deserved. In suffering like Him, we know Him more. It is in light of this reality that Peter begins verse 13 in summary by stating, “Therefore…”

We cannot forecast each and every trial that we may face. But we can be assured that the temptation to abandon Christ will be presented to us often. Our hearts have in themselves unfulfilled desires. We begin to melt our gold and cast a mold. We begin to make god out of a gift we desire. We want something that can only be given to us and we lust after it. If in ignorance we do not acknowledge this quality about ourselves or in arrogance assume we are above it, we will find ourselves like Aaron: totally dumbfounded.

Exodus 32:24

²⁴ So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off,’ and they gave it to me. When I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”

Or in other words:

“I was all like, ‘Let’s pool all of our gold together, make a mold of a cow, melt the gold down, pour it into the mold, let it cool, carefully remove it from the mold, and worship the image of the golden cow we just made.’ So they did what I said and after we did all of that, we had this calf. It is very curious, isn’t it? Anyways, as you can clearly see, this isn’t my fault! How could I have known it would play out this way?”

*** Thank you VVCSV for that clarification.

What did you think was going to happen Aaron? Some stuff is unforeseen. I will grant you that. This was not.

But I digress.
Back to Peter.

It is not unreasonable to think that you will come across temptations. These will likely be for good things. After all, temptations are usually simply our desire to make god things out of good things. Whatever we worship is our opinion of what is best (at least for us). It is not that sex, money, power, authority, or comfort are wrong. It is that they are NOT GOD!

I have never been so disappointed with things as when I assign to them godlike qualities and they do not come through. When people are not perfect, I get discouraged. When my car is not dependable, I get discouraged. When my children rebel, I get discouraged. This is not to say that discouragement is not legit in some of these cases, but rather my point is to emphasize that the more you are tempted to worship something or someone other than God, the more conflict you are preparing yourself to face with regard to that person and/or thing.

Get your mind ready for action. You are going to face temptations to stray away from Jesus. Do not be too proud as to believe this about yourself.

Because God has in good faith made good on His promise, be serious. Make every effort to find your heart and mind in concert with that in you that makes much of Jesus alone. How serious are you about addressing your sin in Jesus? How serious are you about anchoring your hope in Jesus? Let’s get real. Let’s get serious. There is too much at stake. This is not child’s play. This is big boy pants kind of stuff. Grow up. Please, for the love of God and your love of Christ, grow up.

Set your hopes completely on the grace of God revealed in Christ. Be careful to guard against former desires. Be careful to avoid casting molds for future idolatry. Be on guard against the old man within who was trained in unrighteousness and is eager to return to it.

Because God has done what He said He would do, place your mind, actions, heart, and hopes in what He has promised He will do today and tomorrow. God promises that those who aim for salvation by setting their mind on Jesus will find it. No one who by grace through faith seeks God in Jesus will be denied. This is not merely a hope for when we die. This is a hope for enduring through today.

Peter said it this way a few verses earlier:

1 Peter 1:8-9

⁸ You love Him, though you have not seen Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy,⁹ because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

#, wt., /

I thought about going with the obvious, “the writing’s on the wall,” or “your days are numbers, “ or “the finger of God,” or even “the magic hand picture show” Instead I went symbolic, but not creatively symbolic. Nothing like “this horse represents my fear of heights” kind of symbolism. More like, “$ is the symbol of money.” All that said, I figured “numbered, weighed, and divided” translated well enough to “#, wt., /.” If it didn’t, then this explanation leaves you without excuse. But I digress…

 

Daniel 5:22-23a

 

²² “But you his successor, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this.²³ Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven…”

 

What did Belshazzar know? His dad (or grandfather or great grandfather depending on the use of the word) was humbled before God and made bold proclamation of His sovereign rule over all things. Belshazzar knew better. He knew what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar achieved, how he was humiliated, and how in that he found faith and confidence in God alone. Belshazzar knew this and yet willfully ignorant, acted in complete defiance of these facts. Nebuchadnezzar exalted himself before God and God was gracious enough to pursue him through humiliation and restoration. Belshazzar is not afforded the same opportunity. He knew the (albeit ancient and not yet fully formed) Good News that by faith in God we find our only hope. He rejected this Good News in conformity to the first and oldest deception – the worship of one’s self. Satan led the way by example and Adam and Eve followed in step and ever since it has been the tendency of mankind to assume the world revolves around them. After all, “if a tree falls in the forest and I’m not around to hear it, how can I be sure it makes a sound?” As though the world requires your attendance to continue its regularly scheduled programming.

 

Daniel 5:24-28

 

²⁴ Therefore, He sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed.
²⁵ “This is the writing that was inscribed:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.

²⁶ This is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end.
²⁷ TEKEL means that you have been weighed in the balance and found deficient.
²⁸ PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

 

God is so billy bad apple. I love it. I also love how Daniel at this point has been through this song and dance enough times that the pomp and circumstances of standing before a despot has entirely worn off. He simply tells it like it is and perhaps even gets a little lippy about it: 

 

“Keep your money. I don’t want it. You can’t buy me off. Give it to one of your goons. You know how the former king was blessed by God with many things that he turned around and used for selfish gain. You know how God responded to this by turning him into a damp-backed freak with an eagle-feather hair-do/don’t. You know that he turned to God when he understood it was God’s gift and not his own work, pedigree, power, or prestige that procured all these things. Instead of heeding this advice, you make the exact same mistake he made. You know better. So God has written this message to you: 'Your days are numbered and are coming to an end sooner rather than later. You have been measured and even though you think you’re a big deal, you’re not. You fall short. You missed the mark.' Your prestige means nothing before God who is no respecter of persons. I can’t believe you were so lucky to hear the Good News and witnessed it in the person of the former king and yet you just reject it and live like a fool. Your kingdom is not your kingdom. It is God’s and He is giving it to someone else. Also, He is going to divide all of this you worked so hard for and split it up. D-bag.”

 

***By the way, that was another tasty treat from the VVCSV ~ the Van Voorst Christian Standard Version. It is less of a translation and more of a commentary. Not great for in depth word study, but fun food for thought. I also like that in my version Daniel gets to use modern slander like d-bag. 

 

Don’t be a d-bag. 

 

Your days too are numbered. You too will be measured. All you have also will be divided among those you leave behind after your demise. Humble yourself now. Do not delay.

 

Hebrews 3:15-19

¹⁵ As it is said:

Today, if you hear His voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.

¹⁶ For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it really all who came out of Egypt under Moses?¹⁷ And who was He provoked with for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?¹⁸ And who did He swear to that they would not enter His rest, if not those who disobeyed?¹⁹ So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

 

Those mentioned above saw cooler stuff than most of us: the plagues of Egypt, the Red Sea, Mt. Sinai, pillar of cloud, pillar of fire, etc… They saw all of that and yet did not believe. They did not conform their lives by faith to God. 

Belshazzar knew the deal. 
Israel knew the deal. 

It is not merely a knowing, but a believing and conforming faith that makes us right with God.

jack bauer billy bad apple‏

Seriously, how is it November already?

Daniel 3:16-18

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar,we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. ¹⁷ If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king.¹⁸ 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.”

What a senseless waste of three good Jewish boys, right? I mean, all they had to do was bow to the stupid idol Nebuchadnezzar erected. They did not have to mean it. God looks at the heart, not the behavior. God would have known that they did not really worship the idol. He would have understood the good works left to be done and the people depending on these three young men. He would certainly perhaps even advise them to acquiesce to the authorities in their lives, right?

WRONG!

While it is certainly true that in Christ God can forgive any and every sin – even that of betrayal as we observe in the life of Peter, it is wrong to make common sense and practical wisdom your barometer for following God. That is not to say that God is calling you to illogic or imprudence, but to say that the most logical thing one can do is agree with God on everything!

I adore these three young men (it is of note that I keep referring to them as “the three young men” because I do not want to have to type their three difficult names over and over). 

I love how Jack Bauer Billy Bad Apple they get with the king of the known universe at that time. A king who was arrogant and conceited and idolatrous. Most people worship themselves in a prideful way that is common, but coy. Nebuchadnezzar was brash and literally thought he was god on earth. So these three young Jewish boys approach a man with this opinion of himself with the power to enforce this opinion in the minds and mouths of others and say (essentially),

“I don’t have to answer to you. We don’t want to bow before your idol. We serve a God who created everything, even you, o King. And if our God is real, then He can do whatever He wants. He can even make it so that fire cannot hurt us. But even if He lets us burn in the furnace of your wrath I want you know something: I will NEVER worship you or the work of your hands, never! Not now, not later, not next November (?any Letter Factory fans en la casa?).”

(this introduces the very first installment of the VVCSV or Van Voorst Christian Standard Version which is essentially my paraphrase of Biblical texts.  look out "the Message," there's a new interprative dance in town.  this is the first installment, but it won't be the last.  stay sharp!)

I love their boldness in acknowledging unequivocally both the omnipotence and sovereignty of God. He can do whatever He wants and has the power to do it. So it is true that He can rescue you from the fire. It is also true that He may not decide to do that. Either way, He is still God. He is not proven to be God if He does what we tell Him to do. He is not Sovereign if He must do whatever we ask of Him.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (why not this once) demonstrate a faith in God that goes beyond circumstances. God is who He has revealed Himself to be because He is, not because I wish. He is. And if He is to us, how could we ever turn to another?

The fire was hot. Very hot. Hotter than it had ever been as a result of Nebuchadnezzar’s anger. He was angry before three Jews cracked wise, imagine his contempt after the fact. In the furnace a Man appears in the fire with these three young men and saves them from the fire and fury of Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath. A man who looked like a god. He walks with them in the fire. They exit the furnace on their own feet without even a burn, without even the smell of smoke on them.

Back to the Future:  On a particular day over 2,000 years ago God became a man and lived a perfect life and died a sinless death. He was resurrected from the dead to verify that He held the power of life and death and sin and salvation in His hands. The fire of God’s wrath is extinguished. He walked in the fire we deserved and ushered us out unscathed, baring not even the smell of the smoke. We deserve to be burnt and we look and smell like fresh linen - white as snow. He is the perfect Sacrifice, Priest, Savior and Lord.

If He is, how could we ever turn to any other?