SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/17/2019
11:55 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “From
Natural Vices to Supernatural Virtues”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
4:31-32
Message of the verses: “31 Let all
bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving
each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
We
began studying this fourth chapter of the book of Ephesians on the 18th
of February and it is my desire to complete this section this morning or soon
to be afternoon. I have to say that this
is one of the most difficult chapters of what is probably the most difficult
book that I have ever studied, and I suppose that is why I have taken such a
long time in this fourth chapter. At any
rate as we look at these last two verses, and in today’s SD it will be mostly
the last verse we will be looking at the “Supernatural Virtues” which is
something that we are all probably very interested in.
No
in place of these vices that we probably all struggle with we want to move on
to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in
Christ also has forgiven” us. We see
here graces that God has given to us, not that any of us deserve them but
because of God is gracious as seen in Romans 5:8-10 with verses 8 and 10 are
what we really want to look at here: “8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood,
we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we
were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more,
having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” MacArthur adds “If God is so gracious to us,
how much more, the, should we ‘be kind,…tender-hearted,’ and forgiving to
fellow sinners, especially ‘to one another.’”
If
we are unconditionally kind it will characterize the Lord as seen in Luke 6:35b
“for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.” In
Romans 2:4 Paul speaks of “the riches of His kindness…that leads you to
repentance.” It should be our desire to
be like our heavenly Father as Jesus
says in the first part of Luke 6:35 “"But love your [our] enemies, and do
good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and
you will be sons of the Most High.”
John
MacArthur writes that “Tender-hearted’ has the idea of being compassionate, and
reflects a feeling deep in the bowels, or stomach, a gnawing psychosomatic pain
due to empathy for someone’s need. ‘Forgiven
each other’ is so basic to reflecting Christlike character that it needs little
comment. The most graphic illustration
of forgiveness is in the parable of Matthew 18:21-35. When Peter asked about the limits of
forgiveness, the Lord told him a story of a man with an unpayable debt who was
forgiven by his creditor, the king. This
was a picture of salvation—God forgiving a sinner unpayable debt of unrighteous
rebellion against Him.
“The
forgiven man then went to someone who owed him a small amount and had him
imprisoned for nonpayment. He who
eagerly accepted a massive comprehensive forgiveness would not forgive a small,
easily-payable debt of another person.
The incongruity of his action shows the heinousness of a believer’s
unforgiving heart, and the man was severely chastened by the Lord for his
wicked attitude.
“Paul
has this same relationship in mind as he calls for believers to forgive ‘just
as God in Christ also has forgiven you.’
Can we who have been forgiven so much not forgive the relatively small
things done against us? We, of all
people, should always be eager to forgive.”
I
don’t know if I have mentioned this before but Ephesians and Colossians are
similar to each other and there is a parallel text to this passage that is
found in Colossians 3:1-17 which forms a fitting summation to what Paul has taught
here:
1 Therefore if you have been raised up
with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the
right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that
are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4
When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with
Him in glory.
5 Therefore consider the members of your
earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed,
which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is because of these things that the wrath
of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and in them you also once walked,
when you were living in them.8
But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and
abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you
laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the
new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the
One who created him- 11 a renewal in which there is no distinction
between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian,
slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
12 So, as those who have been chosen of
God, holy and beloved, put
on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint
against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all
these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 Let the
peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one
body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with
all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever
you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving
thanks through Him to God the Father.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: It is my prayer that the things that we have
been talking about in this fourth chapter of Ephesians will be something that I
will use in my walk with the Lord as there are some difficult things that are
going on in my walk with the Lord which I believe has to do with what I am
trying to do a better job of learning and that is about humility. It is my thought that ever since the
beginning of this year that God is teaching me more about humility and that is
what I am having this difficult time in my life at this time.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I trust that
the Lord will bring me out of this difficult time spiritually and shine His
light on me more brightly when He has finished this lesson that He seems to want
me to learn.
Today’s quotation is from Winston
Churchill: “Success is never final;
failure is never fatal; it is courage that counts.”
5/17/2019 12:40 PM
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