SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/20/2019
10:32 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “Ignorant of God’s Truth”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians 4:17-19
Message of the verses: “17 This I say
therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as
the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in
their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance
that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having
become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of
every kind of impurity with greediness.”
We
begin today to look at the second characteristic of ungodly persons, and that
is ignorance of God’s truth. Verse 18
tells us that they are “darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life
of God, because of the
ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their hearts.”
As
one looks over much of the world today they can see that education is a very
important thing for, especially young people to have. There are probably more people today with
college educations today than at any time in history, and yet education in some
fields is not nearly as important than understanding the Word of God, and the
only way to understand the Word of God is to first of all be born into the
family of God by the new birth, otherwise you can’t truly understand the Word
of God. It is like reading someone else’s
mail, or perhaps trying to read a foreign language for the first time. John MacArthur writes that in today’s world
you will probably get a harsher reply if you call someone ignorant that if you
call them a sinner. I will have to agree
with that assessment.
It
is possible for the ungodly to continue to be learning but 2 Timothy 3:7 tells
us that they are “never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” MacArthur adds “Fallen mankind has a built-in
inability to know and comprehend the things of God—the only things that ultimately
are worth knowing. When men reject God, ‘they
became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened’ (Rom.
1:21). Intellectual futility and
foolishness combine as part of sin’s penalty.”
MacArthur
goes on to write “The Greek word behind ‘being darkened’ is a perfect
participle, indicating a continuing condition of spiritual darkness. This darkness implies both ignorance and
immorality. And darkness of ‘understand’
is coupled with exclusion ‘from the life of God’ (cf. John 1:5) ‘The Light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.’ The cause of their darkness, ignorance, and
separation from God is ‘the hardness of their hearts’, their willful
determination to remain in sin.” It is
true that men determine to reject God; He judicially and also sovereignly
determines to blind their minds. A good example
of this is seen in the book of Exodus where we first see that Pharaohs heart
was hardened against God so much that God then hardened his heart so that He
could punish the nation of Egypt in order to bring His people out as He had
promised Abraham He would do in the 15th chapter of Genesis. Paul writes on this subject in the first
chapter of the book of Romans “21 For even though they knew God, they did not
honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations,
and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and
exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of
corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24
Therefore God gave them
over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies
would be dishonored among them” (Romans 1:21-24).
Spiritual meaning for my life today: As I read over the things that are seen in
the unregenerate man I can see those things that we a big part of my life for
almost 27 years before the Lord saved me.
Also as I better understand these unregenerate things I can better
understand that it was indeed a miracle of God who saved me from my sins.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to
pray that the Lord will continue to make me a more humble person.
Today’s quotation is from and unknown
author who writes “The Bible is bread for daily use, not cake for special
occasions.”
4/20/2019 11:10 AM
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