Do Right No Matter What the Cost

That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. [Daniel 3:5,6.]

All the people in the kingdom of Babylon obeyed the king’s command except Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (and Daniel of course, but that‘s another story). When questioned by the king and threatened with the fiery furnace they declared, “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. 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.” [Daniel 3:17,18.] Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose to do right no matter what the cost. You know the rest of the story: the king had them cast into the furnace; God delivered them; King Nebuchadnezzar blessed God and gave the men promotions.

There are still places in the world today with the “convert or die” philosophy. Here in America, though, we don’t normally face such drastic decisions. But the decisions we do make are important. Here is an example. We were in Tampa, Florida one Sunday morning looking for a church when we got on a beltway which had highways exiting about every mile, and the speed limit kept changing accordingly. We were pulled over--it was definitely a speed trap! My husband was fined $155.00. What should he do? He could refuse to pay the fine and never come back to Florida. He would save $155.00, but what would he lose? Self-respect, the respect of others, his Christian testimony and the blessings of God. He opted to pay the fine and do right even though it cost him.

How would you like to have the respect of and a godly influence upon your parents, spouse, children, friends, neighbors, and co-workers? Do right no matter what the cost. How would you like a promotion at work (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego got promotions)? Do right no matter what the cost. In every situation. Do right no matter what the cost.