But if Not, Be it Known

Daniel 3:16-18, “[16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. [17] If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. [18] 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.”

I have read these verses so many times and even memorized them, but something stuck out to me that I had never noticed before. It’s amazing how God’s Word works. What stuck out to me is in verse 18 where they said, “But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods…”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were determined that they would serve God no matter what. How they served and obeyed God was not going to hinge on whether or not God would take care of them. They realized that up to this point, God had already done so much for them that they could not repay him. They were determined to serve God no matter what.

It’s amazing how many Christians place terms on serving God. They will serve God IF God will meet all their needs the way they want. They will tithe IF God blesses them financially. They will do this for God IF God does that for them. There should be no “ifs” when it comes to serving God.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abedego had faith that God would protect them, but if God decided not to protect them, they were not going to bend. They would continue to do what they knew was right.

Let us determine today that we will not put any terms to serving God. How sad it would be if in order for us to serve God, He has to check the box saying He agrees to our “terms and conditions.” He has done so much for us in our lives to this point (saving us alone) that we owe Him a lifetime of service with no strings attached.