| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Deep discipleship” Our Bible verse for today: “Then Daniel responded with tact and discretion …” Daniel 2:14 (CSB) Our thought for today: “How deep does your discipleship go?” We have just concluded a month of devotionally considering what it means to “be” the Church out there in this messy world of ours. It was all about action and attitude – what to do and how to do it. We thought widely and deeply about how we can most effectively serve others in the name of Christ and share the Good News of the Gospel with them as well. This month we will build on what we learned last month and I hope to show that such effectiveness grows out of deep discipleship. Being effectively on-mission with Jesus in the society we live in today is going to require all of us to be much more than just casual Christians. Our relationship with God will have to be deep and strong. We will have to be firmly tethered to sound doctrine and living faithfully according to Biblical principles. I think the Old Testament leader Daniel is an excellent example of exactly that. He lived in circumstances much worse than our own. He was a captive in a pagan culture that was marked by gross immorality, violence, and cruelty. Also, there was little grace and zero tolerance for faith practices that ran counter to the culture. And yet, Daniel was a man of uncompromising faith in God. He refused to give in to the pressure being applied to him and would not go along with the immoral and ungodly practices all around him. But beyond that, he responded to it all in a calm, confident, reasoned manner as he stood firmly on his convictions without losing his head. As verse 2:14 says, “Daniel responded with tact and discretion …” God teaches us an important lesson through the story of Daniel and I believe it is summed up nicely by the introductory comments to the book of Daniel offered by the editors of the “Experiencing God Study Bible”: “Daniel’s book seeks to convince believers that God is steadily working out his purposes even during the worst of times and that persecution of believers is a call to faithfulness, not to apostasy. Though times may be difficult now, God is in control, steadily working out his purposes and gradually bringing history to an end … Some of your greatest encounters with God can come during your most difficult moments in life.” We will come back to Daniel’s story in the days and weeks to come as we seek to deepen and strengthen our own relationship with God. It’s true that we live in tough times. But it’s also true that God does some of His greatest work in the middle of our most difficult and trying circumstances. As the editors wrote, “Some of your greatest encounters with God can come during your most difficult moments in life.” God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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