Women's Devotional for the Week of 04-01-13

Monday April 1, 2013

This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I'm telling you about.

Acts 17:23, NLT

Athens remains one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Even its ruins are magnificent! It certainly must have been impressive in Paul's day. Centuries after Socrates and Plato, Athens continued as a center of philosophical thinking. Alone in that great marketplace of ideas, Paul began to preach the gospel. Apparently both Jesus and his resurrection were novel topics to the Athenians. Paul was eventually invited to present his case in the official forum. Among the people who heard the apostle that day was a woman named Damaris. Paul achieved two results with his message: a strong reaction and a small response. The majority of his listeners reacted to his call for repentance and his claim that God had raised Jesus from the dead. People often think the gospel is a curiosity until the message confronts their own need to be right with God. Reflection can be a way to avoid repentance. How often have you heard or said, "That's an interesting idea," but the meaning of the statement is actually, "I'm not interested"? We don't know Damaris's reason for being part of the Areopagus audience, but she believed Paul's message. She was one of those who responded to the truth rather than reacting from her prejudices. She was more than "interested." She didn't let being in the minority intimidate or prevent her from making a decision about Jesus. "That ended Paul's discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them" (Acts 17:33-34). The fact that Luke mentions Damaris's name probably means she became a faithful follower of Christ and a recognized leader among the Athenians. She was a charter member of the local church in Athens. Your ears are directly connected to your action and reaction center, but your will chooses between them. God honored Damaris's decision. He honors your decisions. Do you make them with that truth in mind? What decisions have you made about Jesus Christ?