8-22-20 Today in the Word

LEARNING FROM THE GREAT TEACHER Saturday, August 22, 2020 | Philippians 2 April 2020 Today in the Word Daily Devotional LISTENING WELL When our two children, Jaclyn and John, were preschoolers, I often had to gently turn their little faces toward me and say, “Listen to Mommy. Let me see your eyes and your listening ears.” Of course, their minds could be elsewhere, but the starting point of teaching them to listen well was to get their attention and have them focus on me, their mother, and my words of instruction. Listening well requires turning our attention off ourselves and onto others. We all have trouble at times focusing our attention where God wants it to focus. In a world with ever-increasing distractions, listening well is key for all who desire to lead others in serving Christ. Listening involves removing the focus from ourselves, and valuing others as Jesus did (v. 3). Philippians 2:3–5 describes Jesus as a model of humility. First, we see that He listened to the will of His Father (vv. 5–7). Notice how this humble position changes both His relationship to God and to others. Listening and following Jesus’ example means we count others as more significant than ourselves (v. 3) and enables us to look out for the interests of others (v. 4). Listening well may mean silencing our phones and turning our full attention to those Christ is asking us to serve. Verse 5 places this listening in context: “In your relationships with one another . . .” Relationship is an important word. Living in true relationship requires humble sacrifice. God sacrificed His Son Jesus for us. Can we sacrifice our own thoughts and opinions at times simply by listening well? But verse 14 takes listening a step further. We are to listen well and resist grumbling or arguing. Following Jesus, we are to exalt God and not ourselves (v. 9). >> We all need our heavenly Father’s gentle prodding through Scripture to turn our focus on Him rather than our smart calendars, to-do lists, or even our desire to be heard. Consider how well you listen to others and how your listening well represents Christ’s love through you. PRAY WITH US How do we represent Christ to those around us? Do we walk in love, grace, and humility, preferring others to our agenda? Make these matters your prayer today. This month's content is written by Dr. Mary Martin, former professor of Christian School Education. Dr. Mary Martin has served Christ not only as Moody’s Director of Christian School Education and Division Chair for Education and Counseling but also as a classroom teacher, principal, and Head of School. She is the author of Impacting Student Learning through Christ-Centered Instructional Leadership and currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, Michael. She speaks at numerous education conferences each year and loves mentoring Moody graduates.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-25-23 The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas

The Farm Chronicles: One Christmas :: By Bill Wilson Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:Bill Wilson, General Articles There are a lot of terrible things going on right now in the world. But we are at the time of the year when we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We can choose to be impacted by the world around us in its dimly lit arena, or we can choose to let our light so shine. I choose the latter. I want to tell you a little about the Christmas that I had growing up on our family farm in Ohio. I was blessed to be born into a horse and cattle farm that has been in our family for some 200 years. And Christmas, especially Christmas Eve, was a wonderful time for our family. December 24 was my Dad’s birthday. And my Dad was well-loved by his neighbors and friends, so we had a lot going on Christmas Eve. I remember one special Christmas Eve. I must have been about four years old. The night was falling, and the wind and snow were whipping across the barny...
Read more

9-18-23 Rage Against Jesus And His People — The Ominous Trend Of 2022

Rage Against Jesus And His People — The Ominous Trend Of 2022 – By Hal Lindsey - https://harbingersdaily.com/rage-against-jesus-and-his-people-the-ominous-trend-of-2022/ By the end of 2022, eight billion people lived on the earth. They were besieged by a series of plagues, droughts, false prophets, war, the threat of greater war, hatred, rage, theft, and violence. The eight billion were fragmented in a variety of ways — according to their nations, level of income, race, gender, various understandings of gender and human sexuality, along with religion or the lack thereof. Change became overwhelming to most of the eight billion. For those over 40, it was almost unfathomable that by the end of 2022, not even half the students at Cambridge University identified as heterosexual. In 2022, deception ruled the day. Trust in government, educational institutions, and the news media had been largely obliterated. Trust in health officials and doctors had become severely damaged. In suc...
Read more

9-16-23 It Is Coming

It Is Coming :: By Daymond Duck Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:Daymond Duck, General Articles On Dec. 17, 2022, it was reported that Rep. David Cicilline, a Democrat from Rhode Island, has introduced legislation to permanently bar former Pres. Trump from running for president again, and 40 Democrats have signed on. Cicilline is accusing Trump of orchestrating an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. At the time of this writing, it is debatable as to whether Cicilline’s legislation will get voted on before the new Congress takes office in 2023, but some conservatives have said from the beginning that the main purpose of the Jan. 6 fake show-trial was to stop Trump from being elected again. Some, including this writer, have said there is no telling what the U.S. shadow government will do to prevent making America great again (MAGA) because they want to surrender the sovereignty of the U.S. to the New World Order (coming world government). It was easy to see this coming, and...
Read more