This chapter gets us into the famous dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had.  And it’s the purity of Daniel’s faith displayed in Chapter 1 that opened the door for him to demonstrate the power of God to the king.

What I hope you’ll think about is that Daniel is just a young man with no real power or amazing skills.  What makes him special is his faith.  That means if you have a pure heart and true faith, you can see amazing miracles too.

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POP QUIZ!

Those words are usually only scary when you’re not prepared.  But if you have studied prepared, then test time is a little easier to deal with.  And it’s the same with real life.  If you prepare yourself for challenges, then when hardships hit, they are much less stressful.

Daniel was obviously pretty well prepared for the challenges he would face in Babylonian captivity.  You can tell by the way he handled himself even when it came to the seemingly small things like what he ate–or rather what he chose not to eat.

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There are all sorts of pressures in life.  And it seems a lot of people use those pressures as excuses for not doing their best–or even worse–for doing bad things.  But the truth is, how you react to the difficult situations that life can throw at us is what really defines you as a person.

So, are you the kind of person who rises to the occasion?  Or do you fall apart under the pressure is on.  Take a listen to how young Daniel dealt with difficulty.

Click the link to listen.

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What’s it like to live as a hero?  I don’t mean to do one great thing and then be lauded as a hero for one act.  I mean living day in and day out according to principles that take dedication and perseverance to follow through on your convictions and not give up when it’s hard.  Is there somebody you look up to because they live a life worthy of respect?  That’s the kind of hero Daniel was–a nobody who became famous simply for doing the right thing in every circumstance, and God used him because of his faithfulness.

Click the Podcast link to listen.

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After a long time looking forward to it, I’ve finally started a series on the Book of Daniel.  It should be lots of fun because on the one hand it’s very well known for its stories about Daniel in the Lion’s Den and Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego in the fiery furnace.  But at the same time, a lot of people have never dug into the prophecy in the second half of the book, which is so interwoven with many of the other Old Testament prophets in scripture, and New Testament writings,  including the Book of Revelation, which has intricate connections with Daniel.

So this first part is an introduction that sets up the book, and gives a little taste of the history and political environment leading up to Daniel’s life.  I hope you enjoy it!

Click the Podcast link to listen.

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Luke 14:25-30 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶“If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

²⁸“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? ²⁹Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. ³⁰They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

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Have you ever gone swimming in water that was kind of cold?  You know, like when you go in the ocean and you first step in and it’s freezing.  You know once you get in all the way you’ll get used to it, but with each step the cold creeps up your legs.  And everybody knows the best thing to do is just plunge all the way in.  But a lot of people just don’t want to do that.  They know it’s best but they don’t like the idea of that instant chill.  Could it be the same with a lot of people when it comes to faith?

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I like at the end of the movie Saving Private Ryan how the main Characters have sacrificed so much to save and protect the life of Private Ryan.  Several have died in the course of finding Ryan, including Captain Miller–whose dying words to Ryan were “Earn this.”  In other words, people have given their lives to save yours, so honor their sacrifice by how you live your life.

The same goes for anybody whose life has been saved by Jesus Christ.  So much has been sacrificed to save people from an eternity in Hell.  And that gracious gift should be honored by the way we live our lives every day.  All true Christians should be living completely pure and dedicated lives, and do everything we can to bless God because he has blessed us so much!

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Have you ever driven by somebody’s house and seen something they had put at the end of the driveway to throw away and thought that would be something you’d like to have?  Or maybe you’re a garage sale pro.  Isn’t it amazing how many things some people want to get rid of, and how many others see a treasure in that item?

What’s even more amazing is how that happens in so many people’s lives.  They do things to mess up their lives, and they end up thinking they’ve become no better than garbage.  In fact, some people have even ended their own lives because they’ve lost all hope in themselves.  But the good news is that there is a potential treasure in every life.  It doesn’t matter how much we have fouled things up or wrecked our own lives with sin, God can turn any life around and make something wonderful out of what was once worthless…including you!

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There was a book written almost 10 years ago called “The Purpose Driven Life” by a guy named Rick Warren.  And it was a best seller.  Millions of people flocked to buy the book.  And unlike so many other “self help” books, it starts off by telling the reader that the purpose of life isn’t all about you.

There’s something bigger in life than just you.  There is purpose that goes beyond our own wants and needs.  There are things much bigger then our own lives at stake here.  But there’s a really interesting twist involved in dealing with that truth.  You can spend your life trying to find self actualization and fulfillment and wind up completely lost and empty.  But if you devote yourself to the purpose that you were created for, you will gain fulfillment and a contentment as a natural byproduct of focusing on what is most important–in fact that’s the only way to find true life.

Jesus put it this way “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul in the process?”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:38 — 20.0MB)