yep. i said it. you probably don't think so though because i generally make friends with nice people (meh...) who would NEVER tell me i'm a terrible person.
Reality check please.
I could give you lists and lists and lists of all my negative characteristics. Don't worry, i won't, i know just as much as you do that nobody wants to hear that (errr i mean read that?).
And instead of telling you all the reasons why i'm a total beezy sometimes and how sometimes i'm like really rude... like REALLY rude. i'm sure some of you can attest to that (ok so there's only 4 people that follow this blog so out of the 4 of you, i'm sure at least 1 of you can attest to that... maybe not... ok well then just trust me on this one).
Instead of telling you why i suck i'll just tell you about 3 men who don't suck.
Have you ever read Daniel chapter 3? you know... the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? Come on, you gotta know this one. They get thrown into the furnace because King Nebuchadnezzar is a total jerk and wanted everyone to worship gold and they were like "oh hell no." and he was like "fine.. .burn in this fire suckers." and then God swoops in and sends a cool little angel to protect them from the fire and at the end of the story everyone ends up not worshiping the gold image but ends up worshiping God. remember that story? Of course you remember, they taught it to you in sunday school like a million times. Unless you are like me and grew up not going to sunday school, then this story is new... in that case. hooray! now you know the abridged version! now go read it for yourself!
SMB (these dudes got the short end of the stick when it came to name picking times... their mamas hated them or something... SMB is my abbreviation for their ridiculously hard to spell names). Anyways, SMB were some really legit men that for some reason NOBODY talks about. When king Nebby was forcing everybody to worship a false idol made of gold whenever the sound of harps and flutes and lyres and horns and pipes and whatever other biblical musical instrument you could think of played. These men wouldn't do it. They knew who they served and they knew that they served the Lord God of Israel, not some flimsy piece of gold that was created by their God. And when king Nebby got so pissed at them for not bowing down to his idols he said to them "HEY!!!!! do what i say or you will burn." and their reply (brace yourself... it's good):
" O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (vs. 16-17).
Do you see the immense faith that they had in God? They knew without a doubt that their God is able to save them from the blazing furnace. They knew that their God was more than able to protect them and defend them and save them from a horrible suffering. They also knew that he can choose NOT to save them. He can choose not to spare them from the suffering of burning in the furnace and dropping dead. And with the knowledge, they still weren't going to worship false idols. They still weren't going to serve gods made from the hands of man. They would only serve their God. Even if it meant death and suffering.
I would like to think that when placed in a sucky situation like that, i would have the faith to say what SMB said.
I think it's fair to say that i have been through kind of alot (if you know me, great. if not, eh well i got some junk... hello, we ALL do). And often times i sit down and think:
God, why? How am i supposed to serve You when i'm a facing a blazing furnace? You are capable of saving me. You are capable of sparing me from this suckfest. I really hope you choose to do that.
But, often times, i don't think this last part:
But, you are God and i'm not. You are the one that chooses whether or not i get to be saved from this furnace.You can actually choose to NOT save me from this.
And i REALLY don't ever think this last part:
Even if you choose not to save me from this fire, i will still serve You and worship ONLY you.
Are you convicted yet? I am.
But that's not what i'm trying to do. i'm not trying to convict anyone. I just need to be reminded that God is good. Even in the fire. Even in the burning furnace that i am about to be thrown into, He is good. His character is unchanging. cool huh? no matter what happens, God will always be good. No matter what. End of story.
So while i face my storms and my fires and my furnaces, i will stand before my king Nebbys and say to them "i know you want me to give in. I know you want me to give up and bow down to your stupid idols. I know i'm going to get thrown into that fire and burn to death... But my God can save me. My God can do it and i have full confidence in Him. And you know what, He might even choose not save me because that might bring him more glory... and that's ok... i will still serve Him because He is Lord."
....He might choose not to save me from the fire. those are rough words to swallow. they go down REALLY pokey and sharp like glass and shrapnel (i always thought that word was so funny).
gah! my own medicine is so rough! the Bible is so rough!
ok... i've taken a break from hw long enough now. poop. sometimes i think my academic career is a joke.. but that's a different post for a different day. today, i just have to sit with the truth in Daniel 3
-amy (because bradli NEVER signs her name).
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