SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/16/2019
10:23 AM
My Worship Time Focus: “The
Benediction”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Eph. 6:23-24
Message of the verses: “23 Peace be to the
brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24
Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love
incorruptible.”
As
mentioned in our last SD, this SD will be the last one on the book of Ephesians
as we have been looking at this letter that Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus
for thirteen months and three days. I
have mentioned many times that at the beginning of this year, 2019 that God has
been speaking to my heart about humility, and although I did not know it at the
time this study in Ephesians would be one of the ways that God was to teach me
more about humility, and for that I am very thankful. Humility is not thinking less about yourself,
it is not to think of yourself at all.
We can see from the 12th chapter of Romans where Paul was
about to talk about Spiritual Gifts, gifts given by the Lord to be used in the
church, gifts that are given to every believer, who receives at least one,
gifts that when it came to the church at Corinth puffed those believers up, and
so to the Romans in 12:1-3 Paul writes right before he begins to explain the
Spiritual gifts the following “1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies
of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which
is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove
what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For
through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more
highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound
judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Paul has spent eleven chapters in his letter
to the Romans to explain that every person every born, with the exception of
Jesus Christ, was born a sinner, and the sinner can do nothing about this
except accept the provision that God has made for them, that is the death,
burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ who paid it all. He then goes on to write about what we as
believers should do, and that is to give ourselves to God as a living sacrifice
as seen in Romans 12:1, and then tells us not to get caught up in the world
system but we are to be transformed, and that word in the Greek is “metamorphoo,”
to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure 1a) Christ appearance
was changed and was resplendent with divine brightness on the mount of
transfiguration.” Paul says that we as
believers are to be changed by the renewing of our mind in order to prove what
the will of God is, “that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Our part in all of this is to have our minds
changed as we study the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul then goes on to show us that we are
going to receive spiritual gifts, but to remember that as they are gifts given
to us, just like our salvation, that we can do nothing to earn them but that we
should humbly use them to advance the cause of Jesus Christ: “3 For through the grace given to me I say to
everyone among you not to
think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have
sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” This third verse of Romans chapter 12 is the
verse that I have been looking at and thinking about to better understand
humility, and in the midst of me looking at it for this year God also used the
letter to the Ephesians to also give me more insights into this subject of
humility, including in the last part of this letter the putting on of the
Spiritual Armor.
Now
with that said I want to quote the last three paragraphs in John MacArthur’s
commentary on Ephesians as we conclude this study with what he wrote concerning
Paul’s Benediction to this book.
“It
is beautiful clarity and simple dignity, the apostle’s closing benediction
resist being analyzed. It is not unlike
others of Paul’s benedictions, et it seems uniquely to reflect the themes of
this rich epistle. Certainly ‘peace’
(cf. 1:2; 2:14-15, 17; 4:3; 6:15), ‘love’ (cf. 1:15; 4:2, 15-16; 5:25, 28, 33),
and ‘faith’ (cf. 1:15; 2:8; 3:12, 17; 4:5, 13; 6:16) are recurring touchstones
in the thought of this great letter.
Little wonder Paul gathers all three together and prays that they would
be the experience and commitment of all believers.
“’Grace,’
or divine favor, was the gift Paul desired for ‘all those who love our Lord
Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.’
That is the love that belongs to true believers; so Paul is really
identifying the ones who will receive grace as only those whose love is not
temporary and thus untrue but permanent and thus genuine!
“To
apply obediently in the power of the Holy Spirit the principles of ‘peace,
love, and faith’ taught in this epistle we yield to every believer the
blessing, and favor of God.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: That God, through His Holy Spirit obediently
follow the principles of peace, love and faith that have been taught in this
Ephesian letter. It is all about grace,
God giving me what I can never earn or deserve to have.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to
live my life through the power of the Holy Spirit as I depend on Him to give me
the strength to do the things that He has planned for me to do since before
time began, and do them humbly to the glory of Christ.
Today’s quotation from “Love in Action”
written by David Jeremiah as he comments on Job 38:2 and Job 42:7.
“Remember the words of the Lord when He
finally interrupted Job’s miserable counselors to ask a question in Job
38:2. And consider the warning He issued
to Eliphaz and his friends in Job 42:7.
If we wish to be encouragers, we will not speak until we have truly
listened. We will not deliver
pre-packaged answers or pretend to know what we could not possibly know. And we will not point a finger…unless it is
to direct our friend to the only true Source of encouragement. Sometimes all Christian encouragement takes
is to listen, be present and quietly supportive. And then, if the right time presents itself,
to gently recall that God is good, even when we don’t understand. That’s often enough. And it’s always appropriate.”
11/16/2019 11:10 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment