Lessons from the life of Daniel
Daniel 1:3-6, 17-21
King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, his chief officer, to bring some of the Israelite men into his palace....to teach them the language and writings of the Babylonians... The young men were to be trained for three years, and then they would become servants of the king of Babylon. Among those young men were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from the people of Judah...
God gave these four young men wisdom and the ability to learn many things that people had written and studied. Daniel could also understand visions and dreams.
At the end of the time set for them by the king, Ashpenaz brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked to them and found that none of the young men were as good as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So those four young men became the king’s servants. Every time the king asked them about something important, they showed much wisdom and understanding. They were ten times better than all the fortune-tellers and magicians in his kingdom!
Why did Daniel and his three friends outshine the other students?
Was it because they had higher IQs than other students?
Was it because they had studied harder than other students?
Was it because they had they could quote more facts than other students?
No. King Nebuchadnezzar's test of his students was not just how well they memorized facts. He wanted to see how well his students could solve difficult problems. The king wanted to see integrity, wisdom, and character.
The other students only had information --
and a lot of it was wrong information,
based on the best guesses of other people...
Babylonian philosophers and cultists.
Daniel and his friends had better information. They had TRUTH. They had God's Word.
If you are in search for truth, evaluate your sources!!!
Do they really know?
How do they know?
Or are they only guessing?
If the source is from God, it will agree what God has already revealed in His Word, the Bible.
If the information disagrees with God's revelation, no matter how good it looks, it is counterfeit.
Daniel & his friends had not only better information (because they had a better Source),
they also had WISDOM, which they learned,
not from their Babylonian teachers,
but they learned from God.
There is a big difference between knowledge vs wisdom.
Washington DC is filled with educated fools.
#1 test of a person with wisdom
is not how much that person knows.
Check his personal (private) life. (Character.)
Story: One famous Dallas businessman fired adulterers.
Why? "Because if they can’t keep their promise to their spouses,
how can I expect them to keep their promises to me?"
Character is important!
How do you get character?
Psalm 119:105
"Your Word is lamp for my feet and a light for my path."
Knowing the Bible is very, very important,
but simply knowing the Bible is not enough.
I know many people -- some who even have the title "Rev." --
who know the Bible, but they reject it.
Wisdom from God’s Word is learned in its application in LIFE.
but simply knowing the Bible is not enough.
I know many people -- some who even have the title "Rev." --
who know the Bible, but they reject it.
Wisdom from God’s Word is learned in its application in LIFE.
Romans 12:1,2
So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to
[#1] offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him.
Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him,
which is the spiritual way for you to worship.
Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world,*
but [#2] be changed within by a new way of thinking.
* "Wisdom" of this this world...
Proverbs 14:12
"The way that seems right to man, really leads to death."
Notice Romans 12:2 says, "be changed."
We can’t do it ourselves. Christ has to do it for us.
That’s why step #1 (sacrifice our lives to Him) is necessary
Story:
I will never forget early in the summer of 1972, I was home after graduating from Concordia Senior College. My father invited me to lead family devotions after dinner. I hesitated and Dad sensed that I had something I wanted to say. So he invited me to say it. As I remember it, I described how I [thought I] had grown in the Lord the preceding four years, how I had learned how to pray and discover how the Lord answers prayer. And I was a little angry, because I could tell that Dad and Mom knew and experienced in their own lives what I was talking about. "Why didn't you teach me these things?" I scolded.
Dad simply sat looking at me from the opposite end of the table, resting his chin in his hand and your elbow on the table, smiling and gently shaking his head. After I was finished, he said, "There are some things that we can't teach you, that you can only learn from Jesus Himself."
I get into discussions with some of my Christian friends about "what is saving faith?"
They tell me that saving faith means having a head full of information
about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done,
agreeing that this information is true,
and believing that what Jesus has done, he has done for me.
Our Lutheran understanding of what faith means is not what you know, but Who you know.
When you know Him, you have
(1) His way to eternal life,
(2) His wisdom for daily life.
Without faith in Christ, you miss both... eternal life, and wisdom for daily life.
We can’t do it ourselves. Christ has to do it for us.
That’s why step #1 (sacrifice our lives to Him) is necessary
Story:
I will never forget early in the summer of 1972, I was home after graduating from Concordia Senior College. My father invited me to lead family devotions after dinner. I hesitated and Dad sensed that I had something I wanted to say. So he invited me to say it. As I remember it, I described how I [thought I] had grown in the Lord the preceding four years, how I had learned how to pray and discover how the Lord answers prayer. And I was a little angry, because I could tell that Dad and Mom knew and experienced in their own lives what I was talking about. "Why didn't you teach me these things?" I scolded.
Dad simply sat looking at me from the opposite end of the table, resting his chin in his hand and your elbow on the table, smiling and gently shaking his head. After I was finished, he said, "There are some things that we can't teach you, that you can only learn from Jesus Himself."
I get into discussions with some of my Christian friends about "what is saving faith?"
They tell me that saving faith means having a head full of information
about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done,
agreeing that this information is true,
and believing that what Jesus has done, he has done for me.
Our Lutheran understanding of what faith means is not what you know, but Who you know.
When you know Him, you have
(1) His way to eternal life,
(2) His wisdom for daily life.
Without faith in Christ, you miss both... eternal life, and wisdom for daily life.
James 1:2-8
My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do... But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to all people, so he will give you wisdom. But when you ask God, you must believe and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown up and down by the wind. Such doubters are thinking two different things at the same time, and they cannot decide about anything they do. They should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.
How do we sign "doubt?"
[1] uncertainty, standing on a fence.
[2] "I doubt it."
At a time when I was seeking the Lord's wisdom for an important decision, I checked the word "doubt" James 1. I found that here the word "doubt" does not mean uncertainty, and it does not mean, "I doubt it." Rather, the Greek word for "doubt" used here means reserving the right to veto what God reveals as His will. In other words, when I pray, "Lord, show me what You want me to do, then I will decide whether or not I will do it," I am still running my life as if I were still my own god. If I have that attitude, I shouldn't expect that God will offer me His guidance.
On the other hand...
[1] uncertainty, standing on a fence.
[2] "I doubt it."
At a time when I was seeking the Lord's wisdom for an important decision, I checked the word "doubt" James 1. I found that here the word "doubt" does not mean uncertainty, and it does not mean, "I doubt it." Rather, the Greek word for "doubt" used here means reserving the right to veto what God reveals as His will. In other words, when I pray, "Lord, show me what You want me to do, then I will decide whether or not I will do it," I am still running my life as if I were still my own god. If I have that attitude, I shouldn't expect that God will offer me His guidance.
On the other hand...
Romans 8:31,32
So what should we say about this? If God is with us, no one can defeat us. He did not spare his own Son but gave him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things.
..including His wisdom for life's difficult decision.