Defeating the Wisdom of the World

Imagine Marcy. She’s been a single mom for the last few years.  Her little family of three lives month to month barely scraping by. Yesterday her boss came up and suggested she could get a promotion and a small raise if she will just leave out some details on this month’s report.  Not lie.  Just not share this particular information.  Marcy is torn.  She calls you asking for prayer and good advice.

What would you tell Marcy?  Where can you turn in the Bible for this kind of absolutely practical advice?  We know there is no, "Thou shalt not leave out important details." It is in situations just like this one where living in and living out the story of scripture helps.  Let me suggest a story from Jeremiah.

Defeating Fear!

Bats.

Witches.

Skeletons.

Halloween celebrates fear.

Terrorists.

Natural Disasters.

Nuclear War.

The media peddles fear.

What are Christians supposed to do?

Too Stupid to be Afraid

My dad has long said that I was "too stupid to be afraid."  I don't think this is an insult.  I suspect grudging admiration.  He is every bit as adventuresome as me.  And he doesn't really think I'm dumb.  It's just that a certain amount of fear is a smart response to a dangerous situation. 

6 weeks of devotionals from Daniel

6 weeks of devotionals to share with your
kids about the book of Daniel.

I hope that you have enjoyed the devotionals but even more I hope you have had the opportunity to share them with your kids. You could share them all in one week, one per night at bedtime or once a week for the next 6 weeks.  The important thing is that you help your kids stay in the word of God.

Below you'll find a list not only of all the stories but also of each character trait that is emphasized. Don't forget to check back next week for a review of a great book to help you and your children understand Daniel 7-12.

If you have a favorite devotional book, or series online (or if you wrote one!) we'd love to hear about it and feature it on our Facebook page.

Happy and Holy Parenting!

Helene



Introduction to the Daniel Devotionals

Daniel and his friends refuse the King's food: Fairness

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream: Wisdom

The Fiery Furnace: Defiance

Nebuchadnezzar's fall: Humility

The Writing on the Wall: Blasphemy

Daniel and the Lion's Den: Spiritual Discipline

The Wisdom of School-Boys

"What were you thinking?"  Every parent has uttered these words.  My husband often follows it up with the frustrated growl, "You WEREN"T thinking!"  The hallmark of maturity is the ability to guard both our actions and our words in terms of their consequences.  But our grandparents wouldn't wouldn't have called this "maturity," they would have called it wisdom and it's this characteristic that is highlighted in the second chapter of Daniel.  

What We Want

When my aunt was a little girl, she was a stubborn thing.  (That particular trait tends to gallop in my family.)  She was convinced that the onion my grandmother was peeling for supper was an apple, and by golly she wanted a bite.  She kept asking for that "apple" over and over until her mamma got tired of hearing it and gave her that onion.  Unwilling to admit her mistake, my aunt took a large bite, handed the onion back calmly, and tears streaming down her face, chewed and swallowed it.  That was the last time she nagged my grandmother for food she was prepping.

Who Does She Think She Is?

Constructive criticism.  Advice. Reproof. Correction.  Instruction.  We have a lot of words, both Biblical and secular, to describe this process of correcting an erring sister. Yet despite all the language surrounding the issue, I wonder how much of it is actually going on?  Of course, if reproof is being done correctly, I would never know if someone else has been corrected because it would be private (Matthew 18:15).  Yet no one outside of my husband has ever taken me aside to reprove me, and I'm positive I've needed it through the years.  I'm inclined to believe that this kind of loving, patient correction has become rare in the church.

Is My Tongue a Fire?

During our Sunday worship time, we discussed the beginning of James.  Yesterday, I decided to listen to James on my new iPad.  Over and over again as James came back to different ideas related to the tongue, I just kept saying ouch, ouch, ouch.  James does a lot of contrasting between the way we should be using our mouths for good, and how many of us abuse the use of this part of our body.