1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility- 4 young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5 The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service.
6 Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Back-it-up
Romans 12:2
Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.
Ephesians 2:10
10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Psalm 139:1
You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
Jeremiah 1:5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
MEMORY BANKING
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is a basic verse that you will want to commit to memory.
When telling others about Jesus, they will often ask why He in such a big deal. This verse is one that you can use to support your statements that Jesus is the key to having a real relationship with God!
APPLY THIS: BABYLONIAN BRAINWASH
When the babylonians tried to brainwash Daniel, they tried to mold him into a good babylonian. They wanted to change his habits, his faith, his thinking, and his identity. Think about what Daniel went through, then compare your own life to Daniel's by answering these questins.
In what ways dies the culture you live in try to mold you into thinking and believing differently from how God wants you to think and believe?
What things can you do to beat the babylonian brainwash?
Think of some things that the culture around you says are important. Now think of that God says are inportant. How are these different?
Eric Liddell
Nations take a lot of pride in their Oylmpic athletes. People expect the ulmost effort from those chosen who are gifted enough to represent their countries at the games.
That's why many people in Great Britain didn't know what to make of Eric Liddell. Before the 1924 Paris Olympics, the track star meter dash. Why not? Becuase the trials for the race were scheduled for a Sunday!
Eric Liddell was a celebrated rugby player and runner in his native scotland. He also camr from a family of missonaries. A devout Christian, Eric was preparing for the mission field himself. He had always believed sunday to be "the Lord's Day". For liddell, that meant Sunday would violate what Lidell believed-so he chose not to run in the event at all.
Some people were angry with Eric Liddell for choosing to stand by his convictions. But they were just as pleasantly surprised by his success at the Paris Olympics. Liddell won both the bronze medal in the 200-meter dash and the gold medal in the 400-meter dash.
Eric Liddell went on join his family in China as a medical missionary. He was always a popular Bible teacher and preacher.
He served in China spreading the Gospel from 1925 to 1943. In 1943, he was imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp with other missionaries and their families during World War 2.
Liddell encouraged his fellow prisoners with Bible studies for all. He orgaanized games for the youth and children in the prison camp. He spent early mornings and late nights in prayer and personal Bible study, often reading the Scripture"by the light of a peanut-oil lamp". He died from the effects of a brain tumor in 1945, just a few months before the war ended.
Liddell's stand for his beliefs and the impact of his faith as a young man are shown in the motion picture Chariots of Fire. Even more impressive, however, are the numerous testmonies of his faith from friends and acquaintances.
DO YOU THINK ERIC LIDDELL HONORED GOD WITH HIS LIFE?
WHAT DO YOU THINK OTHERS THOUGHT OF HIS REFUSAL TO COMPROMISE HIS FAITH IN GOD?
TAKE A STAND
Make Up Your Mind.
IF you want to be a world-class soccer player, you have to make up your mind (purpose in your heart) to be committed to practice. If you want to be a great physician, you must make up your mind to study chemistry. If you want to have a life that counts for God and be used by Him, you have to make up your mind, like Daniel did, to seek the Lord, do what He says, and be willing to share your love for God with others. Today, when a governmennt tries the kind of program the Babylonians used on Daniel, it's called branwashing. Through consistently making God-honoring decisions, Daniel beat the Babylonian Brainwash. You can withstand the pressures of your culture by choosing to trust and obey God.
MISSION: POSSIBLE
Assignments for Servants of the Most High GOD.
This week your "MISSION POSSIBLE" is to:
1. Pay attention to the times this week when you are faced with a choice of compromising and giving in to a Babylonian or choosing to obey God. As a reminder, white down each event and how you chose to respond.
The Situation The Choice I Made
2.Explain today's memory verse to your mom or dad or a close friend. Say what it means in your own words.
" For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in his shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16
3. Read Daniel 1:1-8 again on your own. Read it out of the Bible. Remember that when you obey God, you are choosing to have the kind of life that God honors and blesses. Sure it may be scary, even dangerous at times. Commit to asking God, "WHAT DO YOU WHAT ME TO DO TODAY? Here I am- I'm willing to be used"!
Live a life of eternal significance and meaning by boldly obeying and following GOD.
