The Consequence of Obedience

The Consequence of Obedience
Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living from Daniel

Daniel 3:17–18
"If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

The Consequence of Obedience
A recently licensed pilot was flying his private plane on a cloudy day. He was not very experienced yet in instrument landing. When the control tower began to bring him in for a landing, he started thinking about all the hills, towers and buildings in that area. Suddenly he began to panic. How would he be able to miss these things if he couldn't see them? In a calm but stern voice the air traffic controller said, "You just obey instructions; we'll take care of the obstructions."

This was the testimony of Daniel's three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. They trusted their God to take care of the obstructions. The three obviously would not have chosen to be burned up in a fiery furnace—who would? But they knew that could be the consequence of their absolute obedience to God. The commandments given to Moses centuries before on Mount Sinai clearly forbade the Jews from worshiping an idol. Their instructions were clear. Their responsibility was obedience; God's responsibility was to take care of the consequences in whatever way He deemed best.

Christians have an equally clear set of instructions. Not only do we have the books of the Old Testament that Daniel's friends would have been familiar with, but we also have the New Testament. Our responsibility is to obey what we know God's Word says and let God deal with the outcome.

Commit your way to the Lord. Be obedient to the clear instructions of God's Word, and let Him deal with any difficulties that might arise. Trust the omnipotent, omniscient God of the universe. Only He can guide you through the obstacles that result from obedience. It's good to know He will.

Obedience is our responsibility; handling the consequences is God's.