Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered . . . . Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Dan. 3:16-18.

One of the proverbs people quote from time to time is "When in Rome do its the Romans do." When you are with the gang, do as the gang does. When you are with the crowd, do as the crowd does. When the majority vote a certain way, vote along with them.

To say No when everyone else says Yes requires the clearest thinking and the highest form of courage. Everywhere in government, in business, in pleasure, and even in education, men easily compromise principle.

As followers of Christ, we need the clearest convictions and strongest determination to stand firm. The three Hebrew slaves in the city of Babylon stood alone. They would neither bow down nor bend before the idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. The God of heaven was their only Master.

The Christian life is a life inspired with courage from God, a life reliable in all situations. There is no more persistent obligation for us than to take our stand for Christ with all the integrity we can muster, regardless of the consequences.

The German count Moltke was arrested and charged with involvement in a plot against Hitler's life. Just before he was taken out to be hanged he wrote his wife a final letter that described his stand before the Nazi judge. "The entire room could have roared like judge Freisler, and all the walls could have trembled—it would have meant nothing to me. I found it was actually true what is said by the prophet Isaiah: 'When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour' " (Isa. 43:2, 3).

Let us reject all vacillation when confronted with the truth. Let us exercise the strength and uprightness of a firm faith in God; courage to be loyal to the best and to the highest, to break with those who would betray our Lord. Let us not be ashamed of Jesus Christ. Let us be wholly on His side.