How much does one life matter? What could I learn from the biblical figures of 2,000 years ago? Can God use Christian teens? How can I connect with God?
Daniel Darling’s recent devotional Teen People of the Bible answers these questions and many more. Unlike many other devotionals, Teen People of the Bible digs deep into God’s Word, featuring a solid message that is challenging, yet easy for teenagers to understand. The stories of the Bible come alive through Darling’s work as he shows how biblical heroes were more than “supersaints,” rather they were people like you and me.
What’s encouraging is that their stories are not made-for-TV movies. They don’t often have Hollywood-type endings. You’ll see that those heroes and heroines you’ve learned about in Sunday School were not perfect. They didn’t always do the right thing. Most importantly, they were people like you. While their lives were dramatically different in terms of culture, they too, faced many issues you face. (Teen People of the Bible, by Daniel Darling, Pages 17-18)
As I mentioned above, this one-hundred day devotional is challenging and truly illustrates many of the struggles and trials that young people in the Bible faced. And, perhaps this is one of the greatest strengths in this devotional. Many church going youth constantly struggle to “relate” to the Bible due to the idea that many of yesterday’s biblical heroes are perfect and holy. Instead, Daniel Darling illustrates how these young people face trials and how they deal with them. This devotional, however, does not constantly do this through the author’s words, rather Darling takes us directly to the Word of God, illustrating points straight from the Bible. As a result, the average reader is shown how amazing and how real the Word of God truly is.
In addition, one thing that truly pleased me was the fact that this devotional does cause the Bible to become “real” without compromising the message. Sometimes, I’m afraid, we are tempted to “soften” Scripture so that people will find it more exciting or fun. However, Teen People of the Bible tells the truth of God’s Word and gives great advice on how one can do great things for Jesus Christ. This is illustrated perfectly in a section answering the question, “How do I attract a good Christian guy or girl?” Instead, of focusing on telling people to try to “look hot” or “be cool,” Darling focuses on being dedicated Christian men and women. In a culture where so much emphasis is put on looks and whether or not you have a girlfriend or boyfriend, it is truly wonderful to see a devotional so dedicated to God’s Word and to sound Christian guidance.
Throughout this review, I have referenced how “challenging” Teen People of the Bible is. Each one of the one-hundred days for this devotional features a thought provoking question, like the ones posted at the beginning of this review. The questions asked and the Scriptures read truly cause one to stop and think about his relationship with God and about other things in the Christian walk. These biblically based challenges allow God to move in the heart of any Christian teen, causing them to examine their hearts and let God change their lives.
In the end, Teen People of the Bible by Daniel Darling is a devotional that I would recommend to any Christian teen. The dedication to Scripture and the challenging message creates a devotional rarely seen today. If you are looking for a devotional that will challenge you to deepen your walk with Jesus Christ, then this devotional is the one for you. By the way…God can use teens. He does it with many teen people in the Bible.
Teen People of the Bible is available from Amazon. You can check it out here.
September 29, 2007 at 12:32 am
[...] webmaster wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptWhat’s encouraging is that their stories are not made-for-TV movies. They don’t often have Hollywood-type endings. You’ll see that those heroes and heroines you’ve learned about in Sunday School were not perfect. … [...]