Sunday, January 25, 2009: The Call to Character

Lesson Topic – The Call to Character

That’s Good to Know – God helps me to live a clean life.

Bible Lesson – Daniel Pleases God- Daniel 1:1-21

Spoken Word – Offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. – Romans 12:1

Parent Corner – Have you ever gotten completely lost when you were trying to drive somewhere? When you’re lost in an unfamiliar place trying to find your way out, it can seem like you just get more and more lost!

So where do you place the blame? Do you blame the lousy directions you got off the Internet? Your outdated road map? The person who gave you directions? The road signs? Or maybe yourself? If you spend your energy looking to cast blame rather than getting the help you need, you may never find your way!

When it comes to finding the road to righteousness in this unholy world, boys and girls are often helplessly lost, just like a mixed-up driver. The world they live in is pointing them in every direction except the way of holiness. Shows on TV send the message that kids are smarter than their out-of-touch parents; popular music promotes sex without restraints; public schools promote humanism, and secular media promotes tolerance for every lifestyle people want to follow. How can a Christian kid ever hope to have a clean life? The challenge can seem impossible to some parents.

Today’s Bible lesson give us hope. Daniel became firmly grounded in the ways of the Lord through his family upbringing. That foundation enabled him to stand up for righteousness when all seemed hopeless. When Daniel was taken away to Babylon as a slave, he lost his family, his beloved homeland, and the political freedom to worship the God of Israel. Could Daniel continue serving God in a strange nation full of worthless idols? Could he stand up for what was right under extreme pressure? Daniel could -and did-by the grace of God. If Daniel could live a clean life under extreme pressure, your kids can live by the empowering work of the Holy Spirit.