Stay Committed

Daniel 3:17-18

¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

If you’re rooting for the Orioles – this year – you’re one committed fan. They are in the midst of their worse season – ever. They are on track to finish with only 48 wins and a whopping 114 loses – or some terrible record like they have never seen. Their current record – after being swept by Boston is 35-84 – the worst in the majors this year (although Kansas City is not too far ahead of us at the moment). The race for the worst record is on – the prize – the #1 draft choice in each round of the upcoming draft.

Some believe the Orioles will not win 50 games this year. Their current record supports this theory – as I mentioned. They are headed to a 48-114 record at their current pace – and that is certainly a sorry state. If you are a follower of the Orioles – this year – you have your work cut out for you to stay committed.

Lawless Behavior Does Not Honor God

Judges 17:6

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

One of my favorite old movies – of all-time – is one starring Charles Bronson (the Death Wish Series). It was a movie about a lawless group of people who were corrupt and evil. They kept their community scared by their lawlessness and their violence. The actor that Charles Bronson played – and has played in many movies – was Paul Kersey. He wife and daughter had been brutally treated and killed by lawless persons and he became – in several movies – a vigilante. He began to bring order to a lawless area in his city.

While I don’t support vigilantes – he stood up against lawlessness when few would – if any. In the movies his efforts to stand up against lawlessness won him the admiration and support – eventually – of his neighbors and others in the community. Lawlessness is not the answer. Obeying the laws or working to change the laws – lawfully – is the answer.

In our society we see or hear about lawlessness all around us. In cities like Chicago and Baltimore – the murder rate is often higher than the number of days in any given year. I have a friend – a colleague in ministry – that reminds us often how many murders there are in Baltimore. Lawlessness is so hard to comprehend.

God Is Able To Deliver Us

Daniel 3:17

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.

Is there anything we are going through today that is too much to face alone? I know some folks – myself included – who will face Christmas this year without a parent for the first time (my mom passed this year after my father passed 5 years ago). I know some folks who have some major medical issues – and at times they seem to compound – one on top of another. I know some folks who are facing broken marriages this Christmas. I know some folks that are out of work this Christmas.

What are some of the difficult things we are facing this year? The economy is doing amazingly! The market is higher than it has ever been – gaining 5,000 points in a calendar year for the first time ever. Yet some are not invested in the market – even with their retirement funds. Joblessness is the lowest it has been for decades. Yet there are still folks who haven’t planned well or haven’t had the opportunity to do so – and their economic state is not what they would wish. Some folks are still living paycheck to paycheck or social security check to social security check.