Scripture:
2 Thessalonians 3:3-4
Fri, 28 October 2022

God’s Faithfulness and Our Confidence

Observation:

What significant observations can you make about Paul’s “confidence” in
the Thessalonians’ discipleship?

Deeper Reflection
PAUL EXPRESSES HIS CONFIDENCE IN THE THESSALONIANS, “the church as a whole”47 – “we have confidence about you” – that they are faithful to God in obeying “the things that we command” (v.4). Paul was confident about their present faithfulness – “you are doing” and their faithfulness in the future – “and will continue to do” (v.4, NIV).Paul’s “confidence” was not in himself, but “in the Lord” (v.4) – because “the Lord is faithful” to His commitment to those whom He has chosen and called in love (2 Thess 2:13-14) by strengthening and protecting them from “the evil one’s attempt to destroy their souls”48 (v.3). Mark this theocentric cause-effect parallelism: “the Lord is faithful” and “confidence in the Lord”. Paul had this “confidence in the Lord” in his ministry because he understood that Christian ministry is fundamentally “the work of the Lord” and his “labour” was “in the Lord” (1 Cor 15:58). Ministry “in the Lord” is we “toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within” us (Col 1:29). And out of this is our “confidence in the Lord”.Like Paul, we, too, can have this “confidence in the Lord” in our ministry of influencing lives for Christ. Let us take one step back. We can, by God’s grace, have “confidence in the Lord” about our own faithfulness to God. Paul could say, “The Lord considered me faithful” (1 Tim 1:12). And what about God’s confidence in us? It was with confidence in Job that God asked Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him…” (Job 1:8).
47 John R. W. Stott, 190 48 G. K. Beale, 246
Application:

What does it mean for me to have confidence in the Lord?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for SGI leaders: To grow in confidence in the Lord in life and ministry
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self

Download this Building Fund QR Code  and upload it to your banking app via your gallery/album. 

Download this General Fund for East QR Code  and upload it to your banking app via your gallery/album. 

Download this General Fund for WDL QR Code  and upload it to your banking app via your gallery/album. 

Daily Devo
Daily Devotional Journal
Scripture:
Daniel 10:11-12, 14-19
Tue, 26 September 2023

A Man of High Esteem

Observation:

What significant observations can you make about Daniel being called “man of high esteem” (vv.11, 19)?

Deeper Reflection
One of the heavenly beings called Daniel “man of high esteem” (v.11). This honour was bestowed on Daniel emphatically, in that it was repeated twice (v.19). This “high esteem” did not come from man, but from God Himself. God gave this honour to Daniel toward the end of his life when God called him to “enter into rest” (Dan 12:13). As a youth, Daniel “made up his mind not to defile himself with the king’s choice food” (Dan 1:8), and as an old man, he was faithful to God in spending time with Him in his “three times a day” devotion, even if it means to be thrown into the lions’ den (Dan 6:10). Daniel was finishing well in his life with “humbling yourself before your God” (v.12). When we think of finishing well in terms of successful accomplishments, we must be careful that we are not exalting ourselves.It is not for us to see ourselves in any way as a person of high esteem before God. It is for God to say that to us (2 Cor 10:17-18). Daniel never saw himself as a “man of high esteem”. A key emphasis in Daniel 10 is Daniel being greatly overwhelmed by the holiness and glory of God represented by the heavenly being with an awesome appearance (Dan 10:5-10, 15-18). And it was in this encounter with God when he was called “man of high esteem” that Daniel said, “How can such a servant of my Lord talk with such as my Lord?”50 (v.17). The man highly esteemed by God saw his unworthiness before God.
50 I have theologically translated “my lord” to “my Lord”, since the heavenly being is a representation of God.
Application:

What does being highly esteemed by God mean to me?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.
Prayer Pointers:
  • Give thanks and praise
  • Pray for pastors and staff: To be able to see oneself as God sees
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self

Download this New Life Fund QR Code  and upload it to your banking app via your gallery/album. 

Download this General Fund for BPJ QR Code  and upload it to your banking app via your gallery/album. 

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.