SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/22/2016 5:37 PM
My Worship Time Focus: The Jews Claim to be
Spiritual Children of Abraham
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: John 8:39-41a
Message of the verses: “39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham
is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham’s children,
do the deeds of Abraham. 40 “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man
who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41
“You are doing the deeds of your father.’”
In this
section Jesus continues to tell them that if they were the spiritual children
of Abraham that they act like Abraham acted, and since they were really trying
to kill Him, which is something that they Abraham would have never tried to do
then they are like their father, whom Jesus will reveal in verse 44 as being
the devil. In the Sunday school book
that I am using to teach a small class there is something that is said in it
that seems to me goes along with what we are discussing here. Richard Strauss writes the following in his
book “The Joy of Knowing God:” “Did you
know that, according to psychologists, we acquire SIMILARITIES to the people we
get to know intimately and spend lots of time with? Spending time with Christ,
growing in His knowledge, we start to develop CHRISTLIKE TRAITS. The New Testament refers to these as FRUIT.” What is the point that I am trying to make
here? Simply that because these Jews
were not spiritual children of Abraham, and were children of the devil, they
acted more like him because they acquired similarities that he has as Jesus
will point out later on in this chapter.
John
MacArthur concludes his writing on this section by writing: “The contrast between Jesus’ opponents and
Abraham was sharply drawn: Abraham was
not a murderer, yet they sought to murder Jesus; Abraham obeyed and loved the
truth, while they vehemently rejected it; Abraham welcomed God (Gen. 18:1ff.),
but they rejected Him (Heb. 1:1-2). No
wonder Jesus said to them again, ‘You are doing the deeds of your father.’ The clear implication, as in verse 38, was
that their father was neither Abraham nor God, but Satan (V. 44).”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I desire to spend more time with Jesus so
that I can act more like Him.
My Steps of Faith for
Today: Continue to read and study
the Word of God so when God brings people into my life, I will have the right
things to say to them.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible question: “Syria” (2 Kings 8:28).
Today’s Bible question:
“Who told Naaman where he could be healed?”
Answer in our next SD.
6/22/2016 5:56 PM
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