Last week the Sunday School Students of the Eastern Zone of our Diocese came together under the title ‘Young and Respected' at Ramapo College NJ for the Junior and Senior Conference. The young kids who came were restless in their quest to find out how to be respected in a society, that accepts only the Bold and the Beautiful. In a world where people try to define you by the feed backs they give you which may sometimes make you feel rejected we are to remember that we are image bearers of God, that gives our life worth and respect.

The theme reminds me of three young men who stood boldly before King Nebucadnezer and proclaimed their faith even at the most rejected moments of their life as found in Daniel 3: 16 - 18. What makes us respected? 

Your choice: For Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego the choice is between life and death. Their circumstances turned out to be hostile to them. But they were not scared of the circumstances because they believed in the Lord of the circumstances. The situations may catch us where circumstances may force us to do unethical things. The choice is ours. Develop self-respect and walk differently so that the patterns of the world may not catch us.

Your obedience:  Here we see a tension between the lesser and higher obedience. To obey the king and remain in a better position or to obey God and face the fiery furnace. They opted for the latter because they focused their eyes on the one who had called them and placed them in king's court. When you are pushed to the walls by the pressures around you, focus your eyes on the eternal/ultimate or else you will be hijacked by the immediate that will set agenda in your life. The example of obedience to the higher call is seen in the garden of Gethsemane where Christ says, "Not my will let your will be done."

Let us offer ourselves to be used by Christ.