SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/11/2019
8:59 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
“The Command”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
5:11a
Message of the
verse: “And
do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness,” (NASB).
John MacArthur tells us the Greek
word for the English words “to participate in” which is Sunkoinoneo. He says that
this word “may also be translated ‘to become a partaker together with others.’ The child of light should not become involved
in evil even by association.” Now with
this said it reminds me of a story, a true story that happened back in the 1920’s
or 30’s. It is about the father of a man
that I knew a few years ago, and the story of this man’s father was made into a
kind of radio play from “Pacific Garden Missions” located in Chicago, Ill. The program is called “Unshackled” tells the
true stories of how the Lord brought different people to the Lord. John, the friend of mine tells the story of
how his father got involved with a gang in Chicago, not the kind of gangs we
think about today, but none the less a small gang who end up doing a robbery gone
bad when one of the people they were robbing was killed. It was during that time in our country when
if you were associated with others who killed someone that you would also
receive the death penalty and even though John’s father did not participate in
the murder he was sentenced to die. The
story goes on to show how John’s father came to know the Lord as his Savior and
Lord before he was executed. It also
tells of how after he came to know the Lord that he spent his last days studying
the Bible and growing in his faith.
John says in one of his letters that
we are to be in the world but not of the world.
We are to go out and witness to a dying world, but while we are out
there in the world we are not to become a part of the world system, but because
we are believers we are to stand above those worldly things through the power
of the Word of God and His Holy Spirit.
MacArthur writes “To compromise God’s standards is to weaken our witness
as well as our character. No act of unrighteousness
is permissible.”
Paul tells us in his letter to the
Corinthians not even to be associated with a fellow believer who is openly sinning;
he writes “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people. I did not at all mean with the immoral people
of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then
you would have to go out of the world.
But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with an so-called brother
if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or and idolater, or a reviler
or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.”
MacArthur concludes: “Paul’s command is direct and simple: Christians who are to produce the righteous
fruit of light are to have nothing at all to do with ‘the unfruitful deeds of
darkness.’ These unspecified ‘deeds of
darkness’ are typified by the specific sins he has already mentioned in
chapters 4 and five—lusts of deceit, falsehood, stealing, unwholesome speech,
bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice, immorality, impurity, greed,
filthiness, silly talk, coarse jesting, covetousness, and idolatry. Those and every other kind and degree of sin
are to be avoided by the believer, because they bring no benefit to man or
glory to God.”
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I think
the spiritual meaning for m y life today is very obvious from this last
paragraph.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Humility is,
and always will be needed in my life, and pride is always to be avoided.
Today’s
quotation is from Francis of Assisi who said “Remember that when you leave this
earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received—fading symbols of
honour, trappings of power—but only what you have given: A full heart enriched by honest service,
love, sacrifice and courage.”
6/11/2019 9:25
AM
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