Fueled by Fire

<p>When two firefighters, weary and sooty, stopped at a restaurant for breakfast, the waitress recognized the men from the news and realized they&rsquo;d spent the night battling a warehouse fire. To show her appreciation, she wrote a note on their bill, &ldquo;Your breakfast is on me today. Thank you . . . for serving others and for running into the places everyone else runs away from. . . . Fueled by fire and driven by courage, what an example you are.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p> <p>In the Old Testament, we see an example of courage in the actions of three young men: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3). Instead of obeying the mandate to bow down to a statue of the Babylonian king, these young men courageously showed their love for God through their refusal. Their penalty was to be thrown into a blazing furnace. Yet the men did not back down: &ldquo;If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver&nbsp;us from it, and he will deliver&nbsp;us&nbsp;from Your Majesty&rsquo;s hand.&nbsp;But even if he does not . . . we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold&rdquo; (3:17&ndash;18).&nbsp;</p> <p>God did rescue them and even walked with them in the fire (vv. 25&ndash;27). In our fiery trials and troubles today, we too have the assurance that God is with us. He is able.</p>