Deeper Reflection
King Nebuchadnezzar’s command to worship his golden statue was accompanied by a penal code: Whoever does not obey his command will be thrown into a “furnace of blazing fire” (v.6). This underscores that the government was serious. “Bow or burn! Toast to the king or toast yourself!” ²⁹ For Nebuchadnezzar, “the state itself is the ultimate reality which governs the totality of the lives of its subjects and demands complete loyalty and obedience” ³⁰ .For the people of God in exile, it was compromise or be consumed. At such times, what comes to the forefront is the cost of discipleship. But, if we take biblical discipleship seriously, the cost of discipleship will be in our dominant consciousness. Paul is a model par excellence of this discipleship dominant consciousness: “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things” (Phil 3:8). In Paul’s discipleship, the starting point is not the cost. It is “the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,” which makes whatever the cost worth paying.We pay the cost of discipleship in active devotion – like burning bridges to follow the Lord – and in passive situations – like suffering persecution. When we remain faithful to God and endure and persevere in weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions and difficulties, we are doing so “for Christ’s sake” (2 Cor 12:10). We are paying a cost of discipleship when we remain faithful no matter what.What cost of discipleship have you paid in following Jesus faithfully?

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²⁹ Christopher J. H. Wright, 68 ³⁰ Christopher J. H. Wright, 68-69