SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/17/2018
10:36 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “Be Right with God”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts 20:28a
Message of the
verse: “Be on guard for yourselves”
We have been talking about our relationship with God in
our last SD on the book of Acts a couple of days ago. We looked at Psalm 30 in yesterday’s SD, but
now we are back in the book of Acts for today’s SD.
Let’s begin with a quote from John MacArthur’s commentary
where he quotes The Reformed Pastor, Richard
Baxter as he gives a stirring call for pastors to examine themselves:
Take heed to yourselves,
lest you live in those sins which you preach against in others, and lest you be
guilty of that which daily you condemn.
Will you make it your work to magnify God, and, when you have done,
dishonor him as much as others? Will you
proclaim Christ’s governing power, and yet contemn it, and rebel
yourselves? Will you preach his laws,
and willfully break them? If sin be
evil, why do you live in it? If it be
not, why do you dissuade men from it? If
it be dangerous, how dare you venture on it?
If it be not, why do you tell men so?
If God’s threatening be true, why do you not fear them? If they be false, why do you needlessly
trouble men with them, and put them into such frights without a cause? Do you “know the judgment of God, that they
who commit such things are worthy of death”; and yet will you do them? “Thou that teachest another, teachest thou
not thyself?” Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, or be drunk,
or covetous, art thou such thyself? “Thou that makest thy boast of the law,
through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?” What shall the same tongue speak evil that
speakest against evil? Shall those lips
censure, and slander, and backbite your neighbor, that cry down these and the
like things in others? Take heed to
yourselves, lest you cry down sin, and yet do not overcome it; lest, while you
seek to bring it down in others, you bow to it, and become its slaves yourselves: “For of whom a man is overcome, of the same
is he brought into bondage.” To whom ye
yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether
of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.” O brethren!
It is easier to chide at sin than to over come it. (The Reformed Pastor [Edinburgh:
Banner of Truth, 1979], 67-68).
In conclusion to this section I think that one thing that
all believers should do, especially leaders of the church is to first of all
put on your spiritual armor each and every day, and another thing is to keep a
short list with God. When you sin claim
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: It is difficult
for me to read things like I quoted as at times it makes me feel like a
failure, and yet God is faithful and will lift me up as He promised.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
Trust the Lord to lift me up when I am spiritual down.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Samaria” (1 Kings 16:28).
Today’s Bible
question: “Which disciple is referred to
as the one whom Jesus loved?”
Answer in our next SD.
7/17/2018 11:09 AM
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