Scripture:
Acts 17:16-34
Tue, 13 December 2022

Listen

Observation:

How did the Apostle Paul seek to understand the culture and worldview of the Athenians?

Deeper Reflection
IN HIS 1937 CLASSIC, “HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE People”, Dale Carnegie gave this advice: “you can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”9 Listening attentively and sincerely is essential to relationship-building. In our digital age, many of us have lost the art of listening, for we are glued to our devices and drowned in a world of over-stimulation.The Apostle Paul spent time with the Athenians, to know them and their way of life, before presenting the Gospel to them. He conversed with their philosophers and listened to their views (vv.17-18). He studied and understood their religious practices (v.23). And he found a bridge into their culture, a way to connect with the questions that they were concerned about (v.23)! The bridge was the inscription to the unknown god, which Paul used to proclaim to the Athenians the God that they had never known.Listening to and understanding someone else will always require an investment of time and energy. But this is a worthy investment, because the act of listening conveys respect and love. Listening shows that we are willing to take the other person seriously and are genuinely interested in them as people. When we listen to others for the sake of the Gospel, they start to learn that God is genuinely interested in their lives, before we even say a word.
9 “The Digital Age: The First Duty of Love is to Listen”, The Gottman Institute, accessed 12 October 2022, https://www.gottman.com/blog/the-digital-age-the-first-duty-of-love-is-to-listen/ 2022.
Application:

Take time this week to really pay attention to what someone else is saying, and to understand that person’s perspective, thoughts and feelings.

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 listen to our culture and evaluate it through the lens of Scripture
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self
 

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Daily Devo
Daily Devotional Journal
Scripture:
Daniel 6:1-10
Wed, 7 June 2023

Consistent Daily Devotion to God

Observation:

What does verse 10 tell us about Daniel?

Deeper Reflection
For Daniel’s distinguishing competency and character, and commitment to ensuring that the king suffered no loss in his empire, Darius “planned to appoint” him “over the entire kingdom” (v.3). But out of jealousy, Daniel’s fellow-commissioners and the satraps attempted to accuse him of “negligence or corruption” in “government affairs” (v.4a). They could find nothing, because Daniel was “faithful” (v.4b). So, they planned to make accusation against him “with regard to the law of his God” (v.5). And they maliciously instigated Darius to establish a law that “anyone who makes a petition to any god or man” besides the king “for thirty days, shall be cast into the lion’s den” (vv.6-9).Then, “when Daniel knew that the document was signed…he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously” (v.10). This was Daniel’s spiritual discipline with a structure of regular “three times a day”. He kept it daily. We can say that Daniel never missed his quiet time. The most important words in the verse may be “when Daniel knew that the document was signed”. They indicate the context of Daniel’s spiritual discipline: A discipleship challenge where his life was at stake. Daniel’s spiritual discipline was no mere religious ritual and routine. He could have skipped his quiet time “for thirty days” and be safe. He didn’t. Daniel’s spiritual discipline manifested his consistent daily devotion to “his God”: “he continued…three times a day…as he had been doing previously.” At the heart of this spiritual discipline was Daniel’s relationship and fellowship with “his God”.
Application:

How can I cultivate a consistent daily devotion to God?

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 leaders
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for the Generations: That young people will seek to be devoted to God consistently
  • Pray for self
 

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