The Sword of the LORD

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High." (Psalm 92:1) This is the time of season when Americans stop to consider all of the blessings that have been bestowed upon them, and to give thanks to the Creator for all of His benefits. The emphasis, however, is on being thankful for the abundance of things that we possess. Might I suggest that we learn to be just as thankful for those things which God has withheld? And might I further add that it is important for us to thank God during our trials and hardships? "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1Thessalonians 5:18) We, as humans, too often become discontented with what we have, and desire to have more. Even when we are blessed with an overabundance of possessions, we crave some new toy or gadget, and take all that we already have for granted. Isn't it strange that the season of thanksgiving is foll

"Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up." (Daniel 3:1, 2) Once all of these officials were gathered together, it was commanded that they bow down and worship the image of gold that the king had set up. Anyone who did not do so was to be cast into a fiery furnace and burned alive. It would seem that the king meant business, and expected compliance! Among the crowd that day were three Hebrew boys who were part of the group of people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away as captives when he destroyed Jerusalem in the 6th century B.C. The names of the three were