Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18

What makes a man stand before his tormentor and unflinchingly declare himself an unabashed Christian willing to suffer whatever indignity for the cause of His Lord? What made the Prophets of old and the Apostles of our Lord give their bodies to death without reservation? The better question for us to consider is: Would I be willing to die for the sake of the Gospel? That this type of complete commitment is required biblically is without question. One needs to read passages such as Mark 8 to see that an unwavering commitment to Christ is what our God expects.

The passage above shows such a commitment. The three young men stand and automatically renounce the king’s attempt to have them compromise. They have no assurance of deliverance, no divine word. Notice how they state that even if God allows them to die, they would never serve the pagan gods of Babylon! They would rather die.

As I read a passage like this, I inevitably ask, “Would I have done the same?” In the big question of life, would I have been so faithful? There is a biblical test that can help us answer the question. It is found in Daniel 1:1-8. When the boys were taken as young men, they resolved within themselves that they would honor our Lord in everything, including in eating. They resolved not to contaminate themselves with things that had been sacrificed to other gods. In the private portions of their lives, when no one was watching or cared, they remained pure to the Lord. In the little things, they were holy.

This is the biblical test. Can you lay down your life in the crucial testing of your faith? Well, how are you doing in the little things? How is your walk with our Lord? How are you in your devotions, with your family, with those around you, and etc.? If you are being faithful in the small things, chances are that you will be faithful in the big things.

The call of Scripture in 2 Corinthians 3:5 is, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” Test your faithfulness in the big things, by evaluating how you are doing in the small things. If you do not like what you see, repent and by His grace, start living a life that is faithful daily.