The buzzword for the Church these days is for us to be relevant. We have to fit in and assimilate to have inroads with our community. The problem is that believers have done such a good job at being relevant that those outside the church can no longer tell us apart from them. Or worse, they hear us talking one way and living a diametrically different lifestyle.

The lesson I take away from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is that the better way is faithfulness. Or to use a very non-PC word, obedience. All they did was to be obedient to God by refusing to bow down to the golden image of the king. They were willing to die rather than compromise; too many times we are just dying to compromise. They went through the fire– literally– for their beliefs. The result was that their obedience touched the heart of a king, as well as touching the heart of God. That obedience gave their witness credibility.

We as believers don’t have to be heroes, just faithful. And to me, a hero isn’t someone who goes out and tries to do heroic things. A hero is someone who is faithful in the little things and the details. When the world is bowing down to the lastest idol and you don’t, you stand out. You don’t have to condemn them for bowing down; your standing firm will draw attention. I always like Dwight Moody’s comment that lighthouses don’t have to fire cannons to draw attention to themselves; they just shine.

And the way I see it, we’re not supposed to fit in. We’re supposed to stand out and be set apart. And to shine. The world around us won’t take us seriously as long as we’re just like them. But when they see a difference, it makes a difference.

The one part of the story that troubles me is this. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego weren’t the only Jews who were captives in Babylon. They were just the only ones noted for not compromising. It makes me think that several of the ones taken into captivity did. It must have been hard to stand up against the Babylonians when they saw people they had grown up with and played with and worked with compromising. To see the same people they went to synagogue with bowing down to idols and not bow down must have been really hard.

We’re not called to judge the sins of those around us. That’s God’s job. We’re not even called to judge those who profess faith but don’t live it. We are only called to be obedient, and it will be our obedience that will convict those around us (and possibly bring persecution and suffering). If I’m not living what I profess, the last thing I want to see is someone who is.

Obedience to God in its essence is loving God and loving others. If we do those two things well, everything else will fall into place. Oh yeah, and it’s impossible apart from the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in you. I almost left that part out.

God, I want to be faithful and obedient right now, where I am, for the next 24 hours. Help me and forgive me when I fail, which will be often. I surrender to Your plan and place myself into Your hands to do whatever You want with me. Here I am. Send me.