Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 5:19-22
Sat, 16 July 2022

The Word of God: Discern

Observation:

What are the “good” (v.21) and “every form of evil” (v.22) that Paul is referring to?

Deeper Reflection
WE HAVE THE COMPLETED CANON OF SCRIPTURE, the written Word of God, and affirm the supremacy and sufficiency of Scripture. So, the secondary kind of prophecy, as portrayed in 1 Corinthians 14, is not comparable to that of the biblical prophets. However, “God undoubtedly gives some” with the prophetic gift and ministry “a remarkable degree of insight either into Scripture itself and its meaning, or its application to the contemporary world, or into His particular will for particular people in particular situations”38. We can legitimately call such insight “prophetic insight”39.But regarding such “prophecies” we are to “test everything” (v.21a) – “to sift” them, “to weigh carefully what is said” (1 Cor 14:29, NIV). We are to discern the true and the false, the right and the wrong. And through such testing of prophetic utterances, we are to “hold fast to what is good” (v.21b). Apparently, when Paul uses the word “good” (kalos) here, he was using “the imagery of testing coins”40. For the word kalos “was used of what was ‘genuine as opposed to counterfeit coin’”41. So, Paul implies that “every form of evil” that we are to “abstain from” (v.22) is a counterfeit of truth.We are to test prophetic utterances against the Scriptures, like the Bereans. The Bereans “received the word” preached by Paul and Silas “with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:10-11). They did not assume that what was spoken was true, just because the preachers were Paul and Silas. They were not gullible, but critical – and with critical teachability.
38 John R. W. Stott, 128 39 John R. W. Stott, 128 40 John R. W. Stott, 129 41 John R. W. Stott, 129
Application:

How do I go about “testing everything” in hearing the teaching and preaching of the Word of 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 Church Board: To grow in discernment through the Scriptures
  • 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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