SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/19/2019
8:48 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “The Plea”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
5:1-2a
Message of the
verses: “1
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love,”
Let
us begin by looking at how Paul has used the word “walk” in previous and future
verses which shows us that the walk of the believer is a key matter for
Paul. “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord,
implore you to walk in a
manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,” (Eph.
4:1). “17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the
Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,” (Eph. 4:17). “8 for you were formerly darkness, but now
you are Light in the Lord; walk
as children of Light” (Eph. 5:8).”
“15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,” (Eph.
5:15). “2 and walk in love,” (Eph.
1:2a). John MacArthur writes “Growing in
love is a continuing need for every believer, since love fulfills all of God’s
law (Rom. 13:8-10). ‘8 Owe nothing to
anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the
law. 9 For this, "YOU SHALL NOT
COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT
COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this
saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore
love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:8-10).’ As we grow in love we also see the need to be
even more loving. And since biblically
defined love is so contrary to the flesh, we are always in need of reminders
and encouragement to love.”
I
have mentioned many times how much I like the way the word “therefore” is used
in the Word of God as it is used some 905 times in the NASB95 version. The “therefore” used in verse one refers
back, as most of the time that is what the word “therefore” is used for, to the
last part of chapter four, and especially from verse 32 where we read “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
Notice all of the highlighted words from verse 32 and you will see that
they are characteristics of God, who is love, and all of these highlighted
words show that God is kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.
In
our last SD when we quoted from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary we was that the word “imitator”
comes from the Greek word “Mimetes”
which we get the English word Mimic. The
word mimic speaks of someone who copies specific characteristics of another
person, so as we read verse one we see that Paul is instructing us to mimic God’s
characteristics, and some of those characteristics are the ones mentioned in
4:32 as we have already discussed, and especially the character of love as seen
in 5:2a. MacArthur writes that “The
whole of the Christian life is the reproduction of godliness as seen in the
person of Christ. God’s purpose in
salvation is to redeem men from sin and to conform them ‘to the image of His
Son’ (Rom. 8:29(. To be conformed to
Christ is to become perfect, just as God is perfect (Matt. 5:48). ‘As obedient children, ‘ Peter tells us, ‘do
not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but
like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’’ (1 Pet. 1:14-16; cf.
Lev. 11:44). The great hope of believers
is, ‘We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see
Him just as He is’ (1 John 3:2).
Imitation His love is possible because ‘the love of God has been poured out
within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us’ (Rom. 5:5).”
We
will continue, Lord willing, in our next SD as we look more at “The Plea.”
Today’s quotation is from Lord Byron who
said “Words are things; and a small drop of ink falling like dew upon a
thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions think.”
5/19/2019 9:19 PM
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