The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is one of my favourite Bible stories. You can find it in Daniel chapter 3 but in a nutshell, these three Jewish guys were living in Babylon. The King, Nebuchadnezzar, built a huge statue and ordered everyone to bow down to it. Shad, Mesh and Abe believed in God and refused to bow down so they were thrown into the fiery furnace (this was possibly designed to smelt iron or as a brick kiln - it was super hot). It was so hot that the guards who threw them into the fire died but the three men were unharmed - they didn't even smell of smoke. When the king looked into the furnace he saw a fourth man who looked like a God - this was Jesus. Shad, Mesh and Abe were promoted after this and King Nebuchadnezzar forbade anyone from saying anything bad about their God.
What can we learn from this?
Here's a great holiday craft project from the Simply Ciani blog. It would make a great gift too. You can find the instructions here.
In light of recent events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, famines and terror attacks, this is a question that is frequently asked. On one level, it is easy to answer. Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and since then his perfect creation has been corrupted and is in a state of decay.
On another level, the question asks why doesn't God intervene and save us from this trouble? Romans 11:34 says, For who can know the Lord's thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? The answer is no one. God sees everything from before creation to infinity. He created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, including us. Sometimes we can't understand, we just have to trust that God is in control and knows what he is doing. What we do know is, what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later Romans 8:18. These art pieces are really effective. Here are a couple of Youtube videos I found useful. You could use contact adhesive to add a word such as LOVE or a silhouette. You could write a Bible verse at the bottom too. You can leave the crayon wrappers on or take them off. A hot glue gun is best and a hairdryer will do to melt the crayons. Scripture Union offers alternatives for Leavers and Schoolies in various locations around the country. In Western Australia the destinations are:
Western Australia Queensland New South Wales (fancy doing Schoolies in Vanuatu?) As girls, we are quick to envy when someone else has what we want, whether that is a new car, a job, that A grade, that boyfriend, that award, that gorgeous curly hair, that beautiful singing voice, that gorgeous figure (the list goes on). Romans 12:15 says, Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
According to author and speaker, Nancy Beach, envy happens when we compare ourselves to others. She says, "It's impossible to have a grateful attitude when you're envious; you're too busy feeling deprived. But God designed us each as "one of a kind"--and no other human being exactly like you and I will ever walk the face of this earth again." The way to deal with envy is to admit it, confess it to God. Proverbs 14:30 says, A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. The alternative to a life of judgement and comparison is peace and gratefulness. Christianity Today has an article on Envy by Nancy - you can read it here. |
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