SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/4/2018
11:12 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Fearlessness in Suffering
My Worship Time Reference: Acts 9:23-31
Message of the
verses: “23 When many days had
elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, 24 but their plot
became known to Saul. They were also watching the gates day and night so that
they might put him to death; 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him
down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket. 26 When he
came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were
all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took
hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had
seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus
he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 And he was with them, moving
about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And
he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting
to put him to death. 30 But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him
down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. 31 So the church throughout all
Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in
the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to
increase.”
Sometimes it is difficult to understand the exact timeline
of Saul’s life. Luke states “when many
days had elapsed,” and this marks out a time period that we really don’t know
how long it is, and so we will look at the book of Galatians. “15 But when God, who had set me apart even
from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal
His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not
immediately consult with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to
those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once
more to Damascus. 18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become
acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days (Gal. 1:15-18).” So when we look at verses 22-23 we can
conclude that three years elapsed between these verses. MacArthur adds “It is implied that Saul spent
those years learning from the Lord in the kingdom of Nabatean Arabia. (This is
an area not to be confused with the territory of modern Arabia, but located
from nearby Damascus south to the Sinai Peninsula. Some historians say that a colony of
Nabateans lived in Damascus.) He
returned and began preaching in Damascus more powerfully than ever, thoroughly
exasperating the Jews who ‘plotted together to do away with him.’ In God’s providence, ‘their plot became known
to Saul.’ He noted in 2 Corinthians
11:32 that ‘in Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the
city of Damascenes in order to seize me.’
Apparently the Jews were not the only ones Saul had irritated. During his three years in Nabatean Arabia, he
had thoroughly preached the gospel and had worn out his welcome with both the
Jews and Arabs.”
As I stated at the beginning of this SD it is difficult
for me to completely understand the timeline, but it looks like Saul left
Damascus shortly after he had become a believer and then went to the land where
he was from, Tarsus, and that is where it seems to me from reading other
portions of Scripture that the Lord had taught him what He wanted him to
know. After than it seems to me that he
went back to Damascus where he was talking and arguing with the Jews who then
wanted to kill him and that is when he was let down in a large basket and went
to Jerusalem where he stayed there fifteen days according to Galatians
1:18. Perhaps this timeline is not all
that important, but it has always been something that I have been interested
in.
The disciples in Jerusalem were not willing to talk to
Saul, but we learn that finally Barnabas, the one who was called “The Son of
Encouragement)” told the disciples what had happened to Saul on the road to
Damascus and that the Lord had talked to him, and we know also that Saul did
see the Lord there too. After the highly
regarded Barnabas vouch for him Saul was then finally accepted. We will continue looking at the remaining
verses in our next SD.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I have to believe
that God has a timeline planned for me as He does for all believers. I have to believe that part of that timeline
happened almost 44 years ago when the Lord spoke to my heart with an effectual
call from the Holy Spirit on Jan. 26, 1974 while visiting a friend in
Florida. I have to admit that there are
sometimes when I think about the fact that I have lived in our house for going
on 41 years that I wished that I would have moved, but then things happen when
I realize that the Lord still has me here for a purpose, and my prayer is that
that purpose is because of our new neighbors who just moved in a short time ago
and are in need of coming to know the Lord.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Keep on trusting the Lord as He surely has a
timeline for me in order to do the things that He wants me to do.
Memory verses: Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do Your will, For
You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever
is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever
is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if
anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “He shall be in danger of
judgment” (Matthew 5:21).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who said, ‘Whatsoever thou
shall ask of me, I give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/4/2018 11:53 AM
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