SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/21/2021 9:23 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “The
Right Balance”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
7:5b-6
Message of the verses: “first take the log
out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of
your brother’s eye. 6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your
pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and
tear you to pieces.”
We
continue to talk about dogs and hogs as we begin this SD. We all know that wild animals, as their
primary concern is to scavenge for food will not even at all appreciate being
thrown a pearl. He may even resent
someone doing this, and for that matter who would? He may even attack the foolish person who
does that. I think we get the picture
here as some people do not ever want to be told that they are sinners in need
of salvation.
We
can see from Matthew 11:25 that Jesus did not give all of His teaching to
everyone who happened to be listening: “At
that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have
revealed them to infants.” I have written about what the progression is in the
book of Matthew as there is a turning point in this book when the Jews accused
Jesus of doing healing in the power of the devil. This turning point happens in chapter
thirteen as Jesus begins to speak in parables to which His disciples asked Him
why He was doing this: “10 And the disciples
came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11
Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of
the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 “For whoever
has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but
whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 “Therefore
I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while
hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” Matt. 13:10-13). One more thing here and that is after Jesus
arose from the dead He only spoke to those who were believers.
In
Peter’s second letter which like Jude has to do with false prophets he writes
in chapter two the following: “1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as
there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce
destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift
destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because
of them the way of the truth will be maligned.”
In verse 12 of this chapter Peter uses words similar to what Jesus
taught in Matthew: “12 But these, like unreasoning animals,
born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they
have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed.” Peter will close his warnings with what is
found in verse 22 “It has happened to them according to the true proverb,
"A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT," and, "A sow, after washing, returns
to wallowing in the mire.” One does not
have to wonder too much to see where Peter got his ideas to write what he did
here.
MacArthur
writes “Dogs and swine represent those who, because of their great perversity
and ungodliness, refuse to have anything to do with the holy and precious
things of God except to ‘trample them under their feet, and turn and tear’ God’s
people ‘to pieces.’”
Any
true believe who has witnessed to people will have times when they are
ridiculed, as the gospel is offensive.
Let us look at Matthew 10:14 “"Whoever does not receive you, nor heed
your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your
feet.” Jesus says this to His disciples who
He is sending out to spread the good news.
It was Paul’s plan as he went on his missionary journeys to talk to the
Jews first and many times, in fact most of the times they rejected what he was
telling them. He said the following to
the Jews in Acts 18:6 “But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his
garments and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am
clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’”
When believers witness to the lost it can be frustrating, but sometimes
the rewards are so great that they cause you to forget being frustrated. I have felt both, the frustration and the
spiritual high that goes along with witnessing.
I remember that I am only the message giver and it is the Spirit of God
who convicts and saves.
We
conclude this section and this chapter with the last paragraph in this section
from John MacArthur to help wrap things up.
“Matthew
7:6 is one of the ‘hard sayings’ of Jesus.
We must take the command seriously and do our best to obey it, because
it is the Lord’s will. But because it is
so serious and because we may also be inclined to be self-righteous and judgmental,
we need to depend on the Lord with special care and sincerity. Even when we determine that person is too
rebellious to hear the gospel or is a heretical and false teacher, we go on our
way not in self-satisfied judgment but in great disappointment and sorrow—remembering
how our Lord, as He approached Jerusalem for the last time, ‘aw the city and
wept over’ those who refused to recognize and receive their King (Luke
19:41-42). To avoid wrongful judging and
to accomplish right discernment is to be marked as a citizen of the heavenly
kingdom.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Self-righteous is not something that I desire
to be a part of, but sometimes I am and this section from Matthew surely has convicted
me about this.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I trust the Lord to give me wisdom to be able
to teach a Bible study this afternoon at my friend’s house. I look forward to teach about the end times
in this Bible study.
1/21/2021 9:58 AM
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