Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 2:17a; Philippians 2:19-21
Tue, 29 March 2022

The Interests of Jesus Christ

Observation:

What does Paul’s description of his separation from the Thessalonians, “we were made orphans from you” (v.17a, NIV), tell us about him?

Deeper Reflection
PAUL’S FORCED DEPARTURE FROM THESSALONICA RESULTED in a separation from his new converts, which he describes as “we were made orphans from you” (v.17a, NIV). Paul uses the word, aporphanizō, which means “to cause to be an orphan”41, to describe the “extremely painful”42 separation. Paul felt a great sense of loss, like a child who has lost his parents. We need to capture Paul’s intense feelings, which shows how much the Thessalonians meant to him.The separation was unbearable even though it had been only “for a short time”. While being separated “in person”, for Paul, it was “not in heart”. Although they were separated physically, Paul carried the church in his heart and thoughts. It was out of sight, but never out of mind. In a similar vein, Paul said to the Philippians, “I hold you in my heart” (Phil 1:7), and to the Corinthians who had brought him many heartaches (cf. 2 Cor 2:1) he spoke of “the abundant love I have for you” (2 Cor 2:4) and the “earnest care I have for you” (2 Cor 8:16).These intense emotions of Paul tell us the importance of people to him. Disciplemaking is not just a task to be done or a mission to be accomplished. It is essentially about building people’s lives. Paul sees people as the “interests…of Jesus Christ,” and because of this we ought to be “genuinely concerned for the welfare” of people (Phil 2:19-21). How we sensitively feel for people and are consciously concerned about them is an indicator of the importance of people to us.
41 Johannes P. Louw & Eugene A. Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, Second Edition, Volume 1 (UBS, 1988, 1989), 85.17 42 Gene L. Green, 150
Application:

What changes do I need to make in my feelings toward people?

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 not neglect people in fulfilling their ministry tasks
  • Pray for significant people
  • Pray for those in need
  • Pray for self

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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

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