SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/22/2018
9:36 PM
My Worship Time Focus: Be Free From
Self-Interest
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
20:33-38
Message of the
verses: “33 “I have coveted no one’s
silver or gold or clothes. 34 “You yourselves know that these hands ministered
to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 35 "In everything I
showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember
the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ’It is more blessed to give
than to receive.’" 36 When he had
said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And they began to
weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38 grieving especially
over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And
they were accompanying him to the ship.”
One only has to look around at the different ministries
that are on the cable TV to see that most of them are only interested money and
not the spreading of the Word of God to the lost, and also to help believers to
grow in Christ. “"No one can serve
two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth (Matthew
6:24).” “Make sure that your character
is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He
Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,’
(Hebrews 13:5).” “1 It is a trustworthy
statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he
desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one
wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not
addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money (1 Timothy
3:1-3).” Titus 1:7 has some very similar
things to say.
I just want to relate on story from the gospels that has
to do with what we are talking about here.
The parable of the rich man caused the disciples of Jesus Christ to
wonder who could get into heaven, and the reason what they were wondering this
was because that is what they were taught from the Pharisees of their day. The Pharisees of Jesus day looked down on
anyone who was poor and by this one can see that love of money has always
characterized false teachers of which the Pharisees were.
Paul made sure to tell the leaders of the Ephesian church
that he had coveted no one’s silver or gold or even their clothes. Paul was what was known as a ten maker
missionary, and by that he genially made his own living so that he did not have
to have support even though he deserved to be supported.
After Paul told them that he did not covet anyone’s
possessions he then appealed to them to follow his example: “In everything I showed you that by working
hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord
Jesus, that He Himself said, ’It is more blessed to give than to receive.” While in his tent making ministry he not
only helped himself so that he would not have to have been supported, but also
helped the poor which is what Paul encourages them to do. John MacArthur writes about the quotation
Paul makes of Jesus: “This quotation of
Jesus is not recorded in the gospels but was nonetheless known among the early
Christians. It is of great consequence
that this is the only quotation recorded aoutside the gospels of a statement
spoken by Jesus while He was on earth.
That gives significant weight to the truth it reveals. The gospels no more contain every word our
Lord spoke during His earthly ministry that they do all His deeds (John
21:25). Only the divinely inspired Bible,
however, contains those words and deeds that He wished us to remember. The fanciful deeds and sayings recorded in
extrabiblical writings are to be rejected.”
As we look at the last three verses they can be
understood by just reading them. We do
know that it must have been hard on Paul as well as the elders of the Ephesian
church to have Paul leave as they would not see him again.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Forty” (Acts 1:3).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who said ‘Be on good cheer;
it is I, be not afraid’?”
Answer in our next SD.
7/22/2018 9:58 PM
No comments:
Post a Comment