SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/25/2015
9:11 PM
My Worship Time Focus: The Lord’s Command to Smyrna
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation
2:10a
Message of the
verse: “Do not fear what you are
about to suffer. Behold, the devil is
about to case some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will
have tribulation for ten days.”
First of all let us look at several verses that go along
with what our Lord is telling these precious believers from Smyrna so that we
can get a better idea of what is going on.
We already know that they have suffered very much for the cause of
Christ and now Christ tells them that they will suffer more. John 16:33 says “"These things I have
spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have
tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."” Now keep in mind that Jesus spoke this hours
before He would be crucified so He will demonstrate to them about persecution. Now let us look at a verse in the book of
Luke. “Lu 22:31 “Simon, Simon, behold,
Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith
may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your
brothers."” Now can you imagine
what Peter’s comment could have been when the Lord told him this? Well you told him no didn’t you? Well Peter did not have a chance to say that
and he was tested, but we need to know two things. First the Lord said that He would pray for
Peter and Jesus told the believers at Smyrna “do not fear.” Next when you go through the process of
sifting wheat all the chaff is taken out and you have wheat left, so Peter
would be able to strengthen his brothers just as Jesus told him to do. John MacArthur writes the following about why
this was allowed to happen to the believers in Smyrna and also it can be
applied to what Peter when through and Job is another example this too. “Specifically, the Lord predicted that the
devil was about to cast some of them into prison. God’s purpose in permitting that imprisonment
was so that they would be tested. By
successfully enduring that trial, they would prove the reality of their faith,
be strengthened (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9-10)—and prove once again that Satan cannot destroy genuine saving faith.”
Satan has been trying to destroy saving faith in the
believer for many years, and just as in the case of Job, Peter, and these
believers he has not been successful.
Jesus tells us in John 10:28-29 that we belong to Him “28 and I give eternal life to them, and they
will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is
greater than all; and no
one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
A few months ago one of the people who goes to our church
told a story about his trip to Africa and the story was an amazing one and I
will try to share it with you here. This
man is the president of a missionary agency and his travels took him to a
country in Africa where he would teach Pastors for a while. The weather was very rainy and the travelers
had a difficult time getting to the place where the conference was to be held. When the weather cleared people started arriving
from many miles away. Most had to walk
and started out a few weeks in advance as they were hungry for the teaching
that they would get there. A couple of
the men were mugged and had their few possessions taken from them, but said
nothing at the conference about it, but someone finally told their story. A few years prior to this near this same
location the government was persecuting believers, or at least Pastors as they
had to sign something which would have been against their belief, and not one
of the Pastors signed the document. They
were all buried alive which is where they died.
There was one Pastor who had escaped and was riding his bicycle away
when he began to think that he should go back, which he did and was also buried
alive for the cause of Christ. The
president from the mission agency went with others out to a field where they
thought was the place where the Pastor’s were buried. The church began to grow as there were many
people there to hear the teaching. This
story reminds me of the believers from Smyrna and it will be many stories told
when we get to heaven as all believers who are killed for the cause of Christ
will receive a crown at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
One more thing and then we will be done with this part
and that is about the “ten days,” and what this means. In thinking about this I have to go back to
something I heard many years ago and it goes something like this “when the
truth of Scripture makes sense, seek no other sense.” Some try to add something to this, but the text
says ten days and so let us just leaves it at that and seek no other sense.
Spiritual meaning
for my life: It is wonderful to know
that I do belong to Jesus Christ, and that He prays for me and that He defends
me in heaven and also I believe that He will give me the grace I need to live a
life that is pleasing to me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Love the Lord my God with all of my soul, heart,
mind, and strength. Live my life under
the truth that He loves me.
Memory verses for the
week: 2 Peter 1:5-9.
5 Now for this reason also,
applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your
moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your
self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your
godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness love. 8 Now if these qualities are yours and are
increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9
For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “The Great Sea” (Numbers
34:6).
Today’s Bible
question: “To whom did Paul say ‘I was
not disobedient unto the heavenly vision’?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/25/2015 10:07 PM
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