8 Virtues Seen in Godly Young People

Principles Seen in the Lives of Daniel and His Friends

Note: This article was originally prepared as a sermon outline. The full outline is available for download at the bottom of the post.

This sketch comes from the life of Daniel and his three friends. We are looking at a group of four young people, tracking their lives, and finding these eight virtues demonstrated in their lives.

1. Reverence for God—1:8

This is demonstrated by their obedience to their parents’ doctrine.

This doctrine was learned before their teen years. These laws were so implanted into their minds and hearts that they wouldn’t budge, even though they were totally immersed in a pagan, pluralistic culture.

2. A Teachable Spirit and Compliance from Within—1:4

Teachability is the ability to be taught anything by anybody. This sheds a new light on schooling. It doesn’t matter what is being taught or who is teaching, a teachable teenager will learn something.

A wise parent will not tolerate disparaging remarks about learning, education, school, studies, teachers, or being pushed academically. A wise parent will not relay their own difficulties in learning to their child, as this bit of an excuse is often all the child needs to accept defeat too early.

We ought to encourage our brightest students to continue their education route as far as the road will take them, however we should remember and note well that academic achievements do not equal teachability and compliance from within. Teachability means that our children are humble, and maybe there is a scenario like David where they know more than their teachers, but they are not proud or haughty.

3. An Excellent Attitude toward Life and All Authorities

1:8—Requested; 11—Beseech, let them; 12—Let our; 13—As thou seest, deal

It is normal, proper, common, respectful, and godly speech that is expected from teenagers.

It must be demanded by parents, or it will not be given. As your teenager grows older, they will begin to feel a bit more of their own ideas, but they must learn to obey and submit to all authorities with respect.

It will slip first from mom and dad. At the first hint of disrespect to you, mom and dad, nip it in the bud. If you allow your children to show disrespect toward you, then they will also show it for every other authority in their lives, especially God. Do not allow them to test the waters in the area of disrespect.

This is especially spectacular when we catch the scope of this excellent attitude. Their parents were most probably butchered in front of their very eyes; their homes were broken into and ravaged; their homeland city was destroyed and burned; they were taken prisoner some 500 miles away; their names were changed; and they were made eunuchs.

Now, how would you speak to a man or the men who had done this to you? (requested, beseech, let them, let our, as thou seest?) Their respect was being shown toward the people who had done them the most evil.

You do your teenagers an injustice when you allow them to mope, whine, pout, or complain about their circumstances in life. Their hearts will be broken, they will get benched, they will be made fun of for something at some point in their life, they will never be treated fairly on this side of Heaven, and we would do well to quickly get them in a framework of having an excellent attitude toward life and all authorities.

4. Passionately Hungering and Thirsting for God—6:5

When we think of young people, we think of passionately hungering and thirsting—for food. Even for their boyfriend or girlfriend, or for being with their friends. But when is the last time we have noted a young person who is passionately hungering and thirsting for God?

I know that this is in chapter 6 which some argue could have been more than 50 years later. The point is that chapter 6 proves what chapter 1 is intimating. Daniel was passionately hungry and thirsty for God personally—he wasn’t just going through the motions.

Psalm 63:1–3
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

This is written by the young psalmist of Israel when he was just a teenager. So the goal for every young person is that they will say of their God that God’s love for them is better than anything in this life. Knowing that God loves them is the best news that they could hear. If they had to choose anything in this life, they would choose God.

5. Looking and Longing for Right Relationships—1:8, 10

All young people long for relationships—a wise young person, a godly one will long for right relationships. It is not wrong for your teens to have a strong affinity for their peers. This is normal, but what is spiritual is when they long for right types of relationships with godly friends.

6. Seriously Considering Godly, Missional Living—1:15–16

These have a proper understanding of 1 Corinthians 6:19–20:
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

They are here for a purpose, a spiritual purpose. This is why our purpose with our youth group is not just to have fun.

Godly young people get into their teen years and they wrestle and pray and struggle and dream about how God wants their life to be spent.

7. Self-implementing Christ-exalting Standards of Morality—3:16–18

Not everyone agrees on every standard. If everyone in a church agreed on every standard that would mean that there are no young believers in the church, and that the church is not reaching out to bring people into their community for the glory of God. I believe that there has to be room in the body of Christ for good people to disagree on standards. Standards that are not specifically spelled out in Scripture. A wise parent will shoot for their young person first to understand the greater issues of morality and then the lesser standards.

What good is it if my son doesn’t wear an earring, yet he doesn’t love Christ. My daughter wears or doesn’t wear something, yet she loves the world; my teenager is a liar.

Many people focus on lists of rules and not on relationships with Christ, because lists are easier than walking with God.

8. A Gracious and Maturing Mindset toward Brothers and Sisters

I list this one last for two reasons, first and most primarily because there is no hint that these teenagers were brothers physically. So, although their love and affection and goodness to each other was not filial, they acted the way we would expect brothers and sisters to act. Their bond was spiritual, which through the adoption of sons makes their bond a spiritual bond of brotherhood.

Secondly, because more often than not, it seems to be one of the last ones to come to godly teenagers. Now, it is true, that these boys were not brothers, but I would argue that all that they had was each other, their parents were gone, they were the only ones trying to do right—these guys were as much like brothers as any non-related boys in the entire Bible.

• They genuinely watched out for each other. (Daniel tried to do something good for them.)
• They helped each other do right. (When they were living on pulse and water they encouraged each other.)
• A brother is a friend given to us by God.

This is paramount for every home to believe in, to recite to each other, to embrace, and to enjoy. Truly, the bond I have with my brother today is stronger than it has ever been, he is living five time zones away, but the bond that we had when we were at home together has only grown stronger. I hate it that we spent time arguing.

It is imperative that every parent teach and re-teach every week, every day, every hour if needed that your first friends are your family members. No arguments allowed. So start it at the top and work it down.