If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. – Daniel 3:17-18, KJV

In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were faced with this question: What is God worth to you? Given an ultimatum by King Nebuchadnezzar, they had to choose between keeping their lives, their power, and their possessions or losing everything in order to honor the God that gave them both earthly and eternal life. As we know, they chose to honor God, and in return, God honored them, preserving their earthly lives in a miraculous way.

Since 2013, Barronelle Stutzman has had to face the same question that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced: What is God worth to you? As Fox News reported on February 19, 2015:

Stutzman is a grandmother, a devout Southern Baptist and the owner of a small flower shop. The 70-year-old Christian is also opposed to gay marriage — a religious belief that could cost Stutzman her business, her life-savings and even her home.

A Washington judge ruled Feb. 18 that Stutzman, the owner of Arlene’s Flowers, violated the law when she refused to provide flowers to a same-sex couple for their wedding.

“If you disagree with the state – then you’re out of business,” she told me [Todd Starnes of Fox News] in an exclusive interview. “As a business owner, it’s really frightening that they can rule that everything I have will be lost because of my disagreement with a stand.”

Kristen Waggoner, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom…accused Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson of being on a personal crusade to destroy the elderly grandmother…Waggoner is referring to the Attorney General’s decision to seek legal fees and penalties not only against Arlene’s Flower shop – but also Stutzman personally.

The law allows for penalties of up to $2,000 per violation — and Waggoner said the flower shop has been inundated with requests  to provide flowers to gay weddings. Each one of those requests would be a violation, she said.

“Every time someone comes in you get tagged with a $2,000 fine,” she said. “They’re setting her up.”

And should they lose the appeal, there’s a very real chance Stutzman could lose her home.

“The killer part is the attorneys fees and the court costs,” Waggoner said. “She is liable to the state and the American Civil Liberties Union.”

How has Mrs. Stutzman and her husband responded to these attacks? Gracefully, and with the love of Christ in their hearts. In addition, they have decided to stand for the God of their salvation rather than cave to the Nebuchadnezzar-like pressure being placed upon them. As Todd Starnes reports:

Stutzman told me she has no plans to renounce her faith or her religious beliefs – no matter what the state may do.

“There’s the ACLU’s side and the Attorney General’s side and then there’s God’s side,” she said. “Which side would you like to be on?”

“Don’t let someone bully you into doing what they want you to do if it’s against your convictions,” she said.

As our culture (and the world) discards the truth of God more and more, the likelihood of you facing a Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego moment is growing. If and when that test comes, what will God be worth to you? Will you cast Him aside in order to please men? Or, will you cast this world aside in order to please the God of your eternity? May God help us all to remember that today is nothing compared to forever, and our loyalty should be to the God of forever, not to the pressures of today.

To learn more about Barronelle Stutzman’s story, click on the video below.