For over 20 years, Dr. Jay Strack has been working with young Christian leaders throughout the U.S. and teaching them have a better understanding of God's Word and His calling in their lives. The topics chosen for the Student Leadership University Study Guide Series represent part of the teaching model that Dr. Strack has developed over the years and address tough questions that young people are asking today.

In this study guide, Dr. Strack and Ron Luce will take the student on a journey through the lives of teens such as David, Joseph, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Timothy, Mary, and others to discover what it takes to really make a difference in the world around you. They will teach students the importance of:

• having a powerful personal devotion time with God / keeping your mind protected and fortified / defending your faith / having accountability / honoring your parents / finding your purpose and living it out fearlessly

8 ESSENTIALS FOR A LIFE OF SIGNIFICANCE

By JAY STRACK RON LUCE

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2006 Student Leadership University
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4185-0598-1

Contents

INTRODUCTION................................................................5KEY.........................................................................61. KEEP A QUIET TIME Daniel................................................92. LIVE A LIFE OF WORSHIP David............................................273. PARTNER WITH OTHERS IN THE GOSPEL Timothy...............................434. MAKE NO COMPROMISE Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.....................595. KEEP AN OPEN HEART Lydia................................................776. KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE Joseph.............................................937. TURN PAIN INTO COMPASSION Esther........................................1118. START A REVOLUTION John the Baptist.....................................129NOTES.......................................................................144ABOUT THE AUTHORS...........................................................149

Chapter One

KEEP A QUIET TIME DANIEL

KEY SCRIPTURE

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. -Romans 15:4

COULD THIS BE YOU?

He could hear the members of his church scream, "Champ!" as he ran up and down the court. Some people might have thought the cheer was merely praise for the six-foot-nine guy wearing the L.A. Lakers jersey, but to the young athlete, the cheer had a deeper meaning. It was to remind A. C. Green and his friends from church that they were striving to be champions for Christ.

At the age of seventeen, A.C. became a Christian and dedicated his life to the Lord. He continued his spiritual journey while attending Oregon State University. "In college, even though I had 7:30 a.m. lectures and labs some mornings, I made it a practice to get up by 6:00 a.m. to spend time with God." This habit of spending time with God would continue throughout college, the sixteen years he played in the NBA, and today. He says, "The Bible is my manual for living. I have developed the habit of spending time with God and reading the Bible every morning."

Now retired from the NBA, A.C. still holds the NBA Iron Man title for having played in 1,192 straight games. But most players and coaches remember him for another number-zero. That's the number of women he slept with as a professional basketball player.

"I made the decision as a teenager to be abstinent. I wanted to take control of my future. It wasn't a popular decision then, just like it can be an unpopular decision now." When he started playing with the Lakers, A.C.'s convictions were known, but not yet proven. "A few players taunted, teased, tempted, and tried me to see if I'd hold up to my standards to save sex for marriage. 'You won't last two months in the NBA,' one of the guys told me." But as they watched A.C. abstain in the face of temptation, the other players began to understand his faith and commitment weren't going to be shaken by their jeers. Eventually they got tired of trying to trip him up and left him alone.

A.C. wasn't entirely alone, though. His friends and church family encouraged his spiritual growth and stand. "The friends I have are true friends. True to themselves and true to me. We know each other's goals and dreams, and we encourage each other to achieve them."

By making a commitment, growing in his relationship with Christ, and looking to his Christian friends to keep him accountable (he had a roommate the first four years he played in the NBA), A.C. Green was able to remain a virgin until he married the woman of his dreams-the year after he retired from professional basketball.

WHY KNOW IT?

* 32 percent of Protestant teenagers read the Bible, outside of church, weekly.

* The younger a person is, the less likely he or she is to have a quiet time.

* The average teen watches approximately 23 hours of television per week.

* The average person will spend five years waiting in line, two years trying to return phone calls to people who aren't there, one year searching for misplaced items, six months sitting at red lights, and eight months opening junk mail.

transfuse (trans FYOOZ): to cause to pass from one to another; transmit

For a very brief moment, Quiet Riot was a rock-and-roll phenomenon. Their name is a great description of our world, and their short-lived fame is prophetic of the amount of time most students can be still. The reason that the spiritual power of many students is waning is because this generation has a difficulty with the word quiet. We run everywhere, anytime-to the mall, to the Internet, to our cell phone-and we are restless in spirit. As a result, we don't understand our purpose and aren't able to stand strong.

* * *

Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God." All ... have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. -Daniel 6:3-5, 7, 10

In Daniel's time, Babylon was one of the most splendid cities of the ancient world. The state religion of Babylon involved big temples filled with large cults worshiping the great gods of the cities, who were ranked in an order corresponding to the political status of their cities. The multitude of cities and pantheons in Babylonia and the fluctuating political fortunes of the various cities throughout Babylonian history resulted in a great deal of conflict and confusion among the numerous cults.

Young Daniel found himself working and living in Babylon after being kidnapped at the king's request. Far from home and in a different culture, he was in the minority. What's a young guy to do in that situation?

* Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself. * Daniel kept the traditions of prayer, quiet time, and living a holy life. * Daniel focused...