Heroes of the Faith, Part 9Sýnishorn

Faith First

Bible story: Daniel - Daniel 1, 6, 9:20-23

Theme verse: 1 Peter 2:12

Daniel was a youth when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. They took him and his friends we met earlier to Babylon to study Babylonian culture then work for the king in administration and government. During the training time, Daniel and his friends let them change their names and take them away. But they did not let them change their food. The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly why. Perhaps the food was sacrificed to idols, or prepared in a way contrary to their law, or it could have included meats that their law called unclean. For whatever reason, Daniel chose to put his faith first. In time, he was even healthier despite his food restrictions, and God gave him and his friends wisdom and understanding beyond everyone else’s. Daniel interpreted dreams and worked diligently for king after king in the Babylonian then Median and Persian empires.

Many years later, Daniel served the new king Darius. He did his job so well that Darius planned to put him in charge of all the provinces of the whole empire. The other officials became jealous and tried to find a way to bring him down. But they couldn’t find anything wrong with his conduct! We are told to do the same, to live so well that the people around us praise God for our lives (1 Peter 2:12).

The only way they could find to pull him down was for his faith, because Daniel always put his faith first. They issued a decree outlawing praying to God, and Daniel ignored it completely. The king tried to save him, but because the law was so strict, the king was forced to have Daniel thrown into the lion’s den. But again, God was with Daniel inside the lion’s den and an angel shut the mouths of the lions, so they didn’t eat him. The next morning, king Darius found Daniel safe and alive, and brought him out of the den. Daniel’s enemies were thrown into the den and were eaten immediately. Then Darius praised God about his friend, Daniel.

Jesus asks us to put our faith first, or rather to put Him first in all things. But often, like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, we can easily think that if do all the right “church stuff,” it’s ok to treat others badly. But this upset Jesus very much (Matthew 23:23). God loves all people, and He cares how we treat them. You can’t expect to be right with God when you haven’t forgiven others (Matthew 6:15). And you can’t praise God and curse people He loves (James 3:9-12). God cares what you do both inside and outside the church, We can serve Him by treating others well and doing a good job in everything that we do (Colossians 3:17). Then, if a moment comes when you must choose between God or others, put God first.

I choose to put God first, recognizing that He cares how I treat others, too.

Questions:

1. Do you really believe that God, heaven, and hell exist?

2. Why are there tests of faith like the lion’s den where we must choose faith at the risk of great loss?

3. Do you think that God tests us with difficult situations on purpose? Why?

Application to Life:

Pray alone every day this week, even if only for a couple minutes. Thank God for the good things that day and ask God to help you do well at home and away from home. Think about God’s love for you and tell Him you love Him, too.