Scripture:
Psalm 8:5; Ephesians 1:3-10
Wed, 19 April 2023

Man: Valued in God’s Eyes

Observation:

What do verse 5 and Ephesians 1:3-10 tell us about what God has done for us,
because He values and loves us?

Deeper Reflection
Psalm 8:5-8 gives us two wondrous truths about our place in God’s creation. We will cover the first truth today and the second tomorrow. The first truth is: our value is given by God. Verse 5a tells us that God has made humanity a little lower than the “heavenly beings” (or “angels”, NIV). The Hebrew noun translated into these two terms is elohim, which can also be translated as “God”. Thus, one reading of verse 5a is that humanity was made a little lower than God Himself! By God’s design, we are closer to God than anything else in the created order.28 God, the King of all, graciously crowns us with the glory and honour that only He has the right to bestow!When we deeply understand that we are worth that much to God, it profoundly changes the way we live. We can stop being insecure about ourselves and envious of others. We can cease trying to shore up our selfworth in all kinds of unhelpful ways, such as through worldly achievement, the accumulation of wealth or looking for love in all the wrong places.Also, we can be empowered to love and honour other people, regardless of whether the world deems them lovely or honourable, because they too are wonderfully created by God. We can value those whom society despises or marginalises. We can love and serve others out of the reservoir of God’s redemptive love. For God has forgiven our sins and redeemed us in Christ from everything that makes us unworthy of God; through faith in Christ, we have become God’s sons and daughters (Eph 1:5-7)! Hallelujah!
28 Longman, T., III. (2014). Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary. (D. G. Firth, Ed.) (Vol. 15–16, p. 81). Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press.
Application:

How does my tremendous value in God’s sight impact the way I view myself
and others?

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 Nations: That people from every nation, language and tongue will come to know the God who loves us more than we can imagine
  • 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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