INTRODUCTION
- Three young Hebrew men who served God—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were asked to bow down and worship a golden image. Like, true men of faith, they refused. There were, however, some Chaldeans who observed the Hebrews’ refusal. They quickly reported the incident to the king. Now the heat was on! It was literally bow or burn. They had to choose between bowing to an idol or being true to the God of Israel.
THEME THOUGHTS
In this day of micro-technology, we should have no difficulty in grasping the concept that small things can be significant. We may feel that we are just one among millions on this earth, but in God’s eyes we are important; and that is the point we wish to convey throughout this quarter.
God has a plan for each of us! As we begin our Christian walk, and then continue to grow in His grace, we will want to find out what that plan is, and do our best to follow it. To discover God’s plan for us, we need to communicate with Him. With that thought is mind, this quarter opens with two lessons focusing on prayer. The lessons following those deal with recognizing the call of God and fitting ourselves to be usable in His service.
We look at the importance of witnessing to others, and the vital necessity of holding on through hard places. The quarter moves on to a series of lessons on choosing and keeping friends who will not hinder our spiritual growth. The concluding thrust is the importance of staying on the alert, ready at any moment for the Lord’s coming.
SUPPLEMENTAL SCRIPTURES
Romans 8:35-39
QUESTIONS
- Who are one’s peers? Who were the peers of the three Hebrew children? See Daniel 2:48-49 and 3:2-3.
- What is meant by the phrase harmful peer pressure? Give an example of harmful peer pressure from your own experience.
- How can harmful peer pressure be resisted?
- Is there such a thing as positive peer pressure? Explain. Give an example of positive peer pressure from your own experience.
- What guidelines can you use to determine whether the peer pressure you experience is positive or harmful?
- How can resisting harmful peer pressure help a Christian? How do you think it helped the three Hebrew children in Daniel 1?
- Why didn’t God deliver the three Hebrew children from going into the furnace?
- How is peer pressure experienced among church associates?
- How can one effectively accept positive peer pressure among friends?
- Read Daniel 3:30. The end result of resisting harmful peer pressure was a promotion for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Is the end result always a promotion? Explain.