True Obedience
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: True Obedience
by A. W. Tozer
“As you think of this story (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace), keep in mind that their obedience to God was what got them in trouble in the first place....True obedience is the refusal to compromise in any regard our relationship with God, regardless of the consequences.
“As long as you believe in God as millions of Americans do today, and do not make Him the number one exclusive priority in your life, the devil has no issue with you. The evangelical church today is following the course of the liberal movement and going down the same pathway of compromise. One compromise here, another compromise there, and soon there is very little, if any, difference between the so-called Christian and the man in the world.
“True obedience, as illustrated in the story of the three Hebrew children, always brings us to a point of no return. This is where faith comes in. We do not have to understand what is happening in order to obey God.
“This obedience brings us to a point of personal resolution where we do not have to be delivered from our trouble....”
“Obedience is recognizing God’s sovereignty and authority and submitting to it without question and without regard to consequence. We see this aspect of complete obedience in the lives of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego when they said, “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace...but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Dan. 3: 17-18).”
Excerpts from the ebook, The Crucified Life, by A. W. Tozer
