There once lived a man named Daniel from Babylon. He was a faithful man and loved God and he prayed to God every day. One day, because he was so good, the king promoted him, lifting him to a position of high power in the kingdom. However, others became jealous of Daniel and his success. They tried and tried to find something wrong with Daniel to tell the king, but they couldn’t find anything, because Daniel was a man of God. So they had to resort to other methods. They tricked the king into creating a law that forbade anyone from praying unless it was to the king for 30 days. But there was also a terrible punishment for breaking this law. Anyone who broke it would be thrown into a den of lions! Even though Daniel had heard about this law, he continued to pray to God, opening his window and praying out of it three times a day. When the jealous men saw this, they ran straight to the king and told him all about Daniel’s praying. Although the king liked Daniel and thought he was a good man, he could not break the law he had written, and it could not be changed. So, even though he did not want to punish Daniel, he threw him into the lions’ den, saying “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you.” So Daniel spent the entire night in the den of lions, but was unafraid because he trusted that God would keep him safe, and He did! God sent down an angel from Heaven who closed the lions’ mouths, so they never had a chance to hurt Daniel. He had made it safely through the night. The next morning, the king came right to the lions’ den and asked Daniel if his God had saved him, to which Daniel replied, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king!” The king was so overjoyed that Daniel had survived that he created a new law; everyone should serve the God of Daniel because he is the true and living God who saves and rescues. From Daniel’s story, we are able to learn that the right thing is always worth it. Daniel knew that continuing to worship God was the right thing to do, and it paid off because God protected him. Even in our scariest times, God will always be with us, so trust in Him and his promise to be with us, until the end of the Earth.
Daniel in the Lions' Den
There once was a man who went traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. He travelled a long and dangerous road. While walking along, the man was suddenly attacked by robbers. After attacking him, the robbers took his clothes and his money, leaving the man with nothing. The man was severely hurt and all alone on the side of the road when a priest from the temple began to walk toward him. However, instead of helping the man, the priest just walked by him and left him there on the ground. So there he stayed until a little while later, when a Levite walked by (a member of the Jewish tribe of Levi). However, he too walked right by the man and did not help him. It seemed hopeless for the traveler. If even the religious leaders wouldn’t help him, who would? Well, just as things appeared more and more bleak for the traveler, a man from Samaria walked by. Samaritans were not considered outsiders by society and did not get along with the Jews. However, the Samaritan had compassion for the man and decided to help him. He cared for the traveler, cleaning his wounds and putting bandages on them. He even had his donkey carry the man to a nearby inn. He gave the innkeeper two silver coins to pay for the traveler’s stay at the inn, and offered to come back and pay them more if it wasn’t enough. The Samaritan’s kindness and compassion saved the traveler’s life. Although the Samaritan was from a different place, he was the true neighbor to the traveler, and Jesus tells us all to go and do the same as the Samaritan did. We must always show kindness to others, no matter who they are.
The Good Samaritan
The Tower of Babel
There once was a time when everyone on Earth spoke the exact same language. Crazy, right? Well, it’s true! And at this time, many people were traveling to migrate to Babylonia, and they live as God’s people. However, this is not enough for the people, and they want glory for themselves. So, together they begin to build a city with a tower very tall using bricks and bitumen, hoping that it will reach Heaven. Although, in an effort to make a name for themselves, the people had completely forgotten about God and His glory. Noticing this, God comes to observe what they are building. He knows that, because the people are all united in language, there is nothing they cannot do. With this in mind, God decides to scramble and confuse their languages, so they can no longer understand each other. After this, God scatters the people across the Earth, creating new cultures and language groups and the people must stop building the tower. There is a lot to learn from these people. They acted out of selfishness and not out of love for God, wanting only to better themselves. It is important to remember that God is the only one who deserves the glory and the praise.
