SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/11/2018
8:24 AM
My Worship Time Focus: “The Right Precautions”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts 16:3b
Message of the
verse: “and he took him and
circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew
that his father was a Greek.”
As we read the last half of Acts 16:3 perhaps we have a
question as to why Paul circumcised Timothy.
Perhaps we go back to what we learned from the Jerusalem Counsel about
trying to add something to being saved, and in this case circumcision. We mentioned in our last SD that it is
believed that Timothy’s dad had died and so it seems that because Paul was
going to become Timothy’s spiritual father that because of the Jews in that
area as the verse states that it would be proper to take on the role of his
father and have him circumcised. Timothy’s
circumcision would grant him to be able to go into the synagogues which Paul
and Silas would go into in order to tell the Jews from the Old Testament that
Jesus was their Messiah. There was
nothing wrong with Paul doing this at all because of the fact that Timothy’s
mother was Jewish.
John MacArthur writes “Far from lapsing into legalism,
Paul was being consistent with a principle he would later express in 1
Corinthians 9:19-22:
‘19 For though I am free
from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20 To
the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under
the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I
might win those who are under the Law; 21 to those who are without law, as
without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of
Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became
weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I
may by all means save some.’
“Significantly, Paul
refused to circumcise Titus (Gal. 2:3).
Titus unlike Timothy was a full-blooded Gentile. To have circumcised him would have been to
capitulate to legalism.”
We can see that from Paul’s actions that concerned his
two companions that we see an important principle become evident. As a missionary not only for Paul but all
missionaries, they must become sensitive to the unique characteristics of the
culture that they were working in.
Similar to what Paul did in circumcising Timothy, missionaries should
avoid giving any unnecessary that is offensive. However like Paul in refusing to circumcise
Titus, they must not compromise any of the timeless truths of Scripture. We cannot do wrong when we follow the Bible,
and that is what Paul was doing.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: Remember to
always follow what the Bible tells me to do, as I know what it says about
situations, and then pray about situations and rely upon the Spirit of God to
lead me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to give us direction on what
we are going to do with my father-in-law situation.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “At midnight” (Exodus 12:29).
Today’s Bible
question: “On what day of the week
should one make his gifts?”
Answer in our next SD.
4/11/2018 9:04 AM
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