Acts 18:26 English Standard Version (ESV) He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

We are blessed to live in a time when we have all of the New Testament to read. If we were to live in the 1^st century church we might have to wait years for the next letter to be written by Paul and distributed throughout the region. That comment was not meant to persuade anyone away from reading the Old Testament. Please do not assume that position.

What is important is that during Paul’s imprisonment his epistles to the churches formed a series of exhortations on how the body of Christ should interact with one another. They are the foundation of exhortation in living with each other. Up until the time the bible was canonized Christians had to rely on each other and their personal relationship with God and in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is how Priscilla and Aquila could exhort Apollos.

In this sense exhortation is not admonishment as some would fear but rather to draw them into fellowship with those who have a better understanding of the Way. In Acts 18:3 it is noted that Paul came to live with Priscilla and Aquila because they were all tent makers. They learned the Way more accurately from Paul directly. They had no need for an epistle.

These devotionals and many others published daily are not epistles. They are exhortations of a type in which we share what we know and are led to write by the influence of the Holy Spirit. They are not intended to replace those epistles. Devotional writers encourage the reader to do personal bible reading. These are not meant to replace personal quiet time.

Go, read your bible.

1 Kings 19:12 English Standard Version (ESV) And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

If it was important, why would God whisper?

1 Kings 19:13 English Standard Version (ESV) And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

The first point to be made is that Elijah heard the Lord. The second point to be made is that Elijah hid his face in his cloak. That is a sign of shame. The third point is that Elijah repented and went out to face the music.

Then comes the all-important point. “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

We can read scripture to understand why Elijah was hiding in that cave. The main point should be that Elijah, for whatever reason, was not walking in the will of the Lord. There will be times when we are not walking in the will of the Lord and we will need to hear that low whisper to accept that we need to come back into line with God’s will.

What is making the loudest noise in our lives is not where we will find the will of the Lord. It is in our quiet place, where we can hear the low whisper clearly. A loud shout from the Lord might be taken as His displeasure with us. God is not displeased with those He loves. He has no desire to scare us away.

Who and what we listen to that is shouting at us is not God. They are a distraction from a deep personal relationship with our God.

Treasure the quiet time.