PT-2 "God's Purpose For His Children Demands It" (Matt. 7:12)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/29/2021 11:50 AM

 

My Worship Time                            Focus:  PT-2 “God’s Purpose For His Children Demands It”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matthew 7:12

 

            Message of the verses:  “12 "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

 

            We have been talking about how in most, if not all, religious systems what we call the “Golden Rule” is basically selfish, as the expressions that these systems have can go only as far as sinful men can take them.  MacArthur adds “The motivation is basically selfish—refraining from harming others in order that they will have not harm us.  Those negative forms of the rule are not golden, but they are primarily utilitarian and motivated by fear and self-preservation.  As Scripture repeatedly tells us of fall mankind, ‘There is not who does good, there is not even one’ (Romans 3:12; cf. Ps 14:3) ‘each of us has turned to his own way (Isa. 53:6).”

 

            After looking at this first paragraph which was just written one can come to the conclusion that man’s basic problem is preoccupation with self.  Man is innately beset with what is called “Narcissism,” which is a condition named after the Greek mythological Narcissus, who spent his life admiring his reflection in a pool of water. This does not seem like much of a life to me, but that is what he did.  As we look at the final analysis, we can see that ever sin results from preoccupation with self.  I for one am very thankful that Jesus Christ did not live this kind of life when He came to earth as He was always doing what would please His Father, and in pleasing His Father He provided salvation for those who call upon His name and repent of their sins and invite Him into their lives to rule and reign in their lives so that they too can live a life that is not selfish like His life was.  MacArthur adds “Unregenerate man can never come up to the standard of selfless love—the love that loves others as oneself and that treats others in the same way that one wants to be treated.”

 

            It is only Jesus who can give the fullness of the truth, which encompasses both the positive and the negative.  And also only Jesus can give the power to live by that full truth.  MacArthur writes “The dynamic for living this supreme ethic must come from outside our fallen nature.  It can come only from the indwelling Holy Spirit, whose first fruit is love (Gal. 5:22).  In Jesus Christ, ‘the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us’ (Rom. 5:5).  Only Christ’s own Spirit can impower us to love each other as He loves us (John 13:34).  We can only love in a divine way because God Himself has first loved us divinely (1 John 4:19).”

 

            Remember that selfless love does not serve in order to prevent its own harm or to insure its own welfare.  So one may ask “then how does it serve?”  Well it serves for the sake of the one being served, and serves in the way it likes being served—whether it ever receives such service or not.  That is truly what Agape love is all about, the kind of love that God loves us with.  He does for us what we need and yet He does even though we may not love Him back for it, but the only way we can love Him back is through the power of His Holy Spirit.  God’s children are the ones, the only ones, who can have right relations with others, because they possess the motivation and the resources to refrain from self-righteously condemning others and tolove in an utterly selfless way.

 

1/29/2021 12:18 PM