Meet Daniel Milner

What does it mean to be devoted to something? Olympic athletes have to be devoted to their training to compete at a world-class level. If you work late to finish a project before a deadline, your boss may consider you a devoted employee. If you're married, you may refer to your spouse as devoted—in love and in service.

While these examples are all different, the idea of devotion is similar. They all require a significant investment of time and a degree of self-sacrifice. What I love about today's verse, though, is that it calls us to live in devotion toward one another as believers in Christ.  

One of the Greek words used in today's verse is philostorgoi, which means to "be devoted" or show "brotherly affection," just as we would to someone in our family. This, too, requires an investment of time. It takes time and effort to call friends and ask how their week is going. It takes time to keep up with friends well enough to know what is happening in their life and what they are excited, anxious, or frustrated about.

What an amazing gift that God calls us to live this way toward one another! We are called not just to coexist with each other, but to be devoted to one another in brotherly love!

If you're not living in devotion with one another in biblical community, today is your day! Take one step toward living in community and discover firsthand that God's Word is true when it says, "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)

If you're in biblical community already, today is your day, too! Call some of your community group members and ask how you can pray for them (and then actually pray for them). You'll discover the most important things on their heart and have the privilege of petitioning the God of the universe on their behalf!