The Encourager
“The Decision to Believe”
The Decision to Believe
by Jeff Curtis
Throughout the book of Daniel, we see his faith put to the test. He was required to make choices that were contrary to the prevailing wisdom. He had to act against the standards imposed upon him by ungodly people. Other captives were submitting, however reluctantly, to the Babylonians’ commands.
The name “Daniel” means “God is my judge.” Daniel is surely referred to in Hebrews 11:33, among the great examples of faith. The concepts of faith and judgement are inseparably linked. Daniel trusted (believed) in God. He believed in God’s providence, and he trusted in God’s power. We will see these manifestations of his faith again, specifically in chapter 6.
How did Daniel know that God would give him and his friends a better appearance and better physical and mental health (Daniel 1:15-20) than the other young people under the same tests? Daniel didn’t know, based what he new from life, but he had assurance (Hebrews 11:1) because he did know his God. Therefore, Daniel consistently made the right choices. This is what our faith should cause us to do.
Every day we are confronted with choices. Some require mundane, routine decisions, and some are more significant. The Bible is full of stories of people who made choices – some bad (like Cain, Lot and Judas) and some good (like Moses, Daniel and Paul). God has a way of letting us experience consequences of our choices, even in this life. Of course, the ultimate consequences of our decisions will be seen in the life to come. God rewarded Daniel on this occasion and the following years.
The importance of one right choice cannot be overemphasized. Thousands of lives, over many years, are affected. Only God knows the power of a right decision.
Even bad choices, though unfortunate, can be amended if we act in time. While we have no example in the Book of Daniel of the main character making a bad choice, we know of many others who made poor choices. Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son shows the possibility of our coming to our senses and correcting a bad decision (Luke 15:17). As God gave Daniel favor because of his faith, so God will give us favor if we repent of bad choices.
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Jesus, the Master Teacher
by Joe R. Price
“And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples” (Mark 4:33-34).
Jesus was the Master Teacher. He used parables to teach the gospel of the kingdom to the multitudes that gathered to Him in Galilee (Mark 4:1-2). Then, away from the crowds, He explained the parables to His disciples (Mark 4:10-12).
Jesus knew His audience. He spoke the word “as they were able to hear it” to the crowd (v. 33). He did not impress them with scholarship or eloquence (a healthy reminder to preachers and teachers today, 1 Cor. 2:1). He was not condescending toward His audience. His goal was to teach them by planting the seed of God’s word into their hearts (Matt. 13:34-35). A godly woman once told young preachers, “Put the hay down where the calves can reach it, and the cows will have no trouble getting their fill.” Good advice.
The parables challenged the crowd to ponder and prioritize God’s will. How people responded to Christ’s teachings exposed their hearts, and it still does (Mark 4:11-12, 13-20). Away from the crowd, Jesus also took the time to explain the parables to His disciples (v. 34). He unraveled the parables’ meanings to them as He prepared them to take the gospel to the world (Mark 16:15-16).
We benefit from Jesus’ teaching style as we listen to His words and the explanations of truth His apostles, in turn, gave to the world (Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:8-13).
