SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/18/2021 10:36 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-4 “Chosen To be Prepared”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
10:1a
Message of the
verse: “Jesus
summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority”
We begin this SD by looking at the
third weakness of the disciples which is a lack of faith. We know that all of them with the exception
of Judas was a believer but they struggled to trust in His truth, His goodness,
or His power. There are a number of
times in the gospel accounts where we hear Jesus say “O ye of little faith.” I will cite a couple of examples,
and the first one is from Mark 4:40 “And He said to them, "Why are you
afraid? Do you still have no faith?’”
This was the incident of the disciples and Jesus being in a boat in a
storm. Mark 16:14 says “Afterward He
appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table;
and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they
had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.” These disciples of Jesus who had been with
Him for three years and seen all of His miracles, and also Him telling them
that He would rise from the dead, and after they had been told of this they
still did not believe.
A fourth problem with the disciples
was lack of commitment. MacArthur writes
“Their lack of humility and self-understanding made them quick to promise they
would never leave or forsake Him, but their lack of faith bread weak
commitment, which rendered them just as quick to fail the test of their
promises. When the time of real testing
came, Judas betrayed Jesus, Peter denied Him, and the other ten were frightened
away. In the beginning, when the cost
was small, the disciples ‘left everything and followed Him’ (Luke 5:11); but
when they faced the swords and clubs of the soldiers in the garden, ‘they all
left Him and fled’ (Mark 14:50).
We know what happened a few hours
earlier when Peter had confidently boasted, “lord, with You I am ready to go
both to prison and to death!” (Luke 22:33).
Peter was not the only one to boast of this as seen in Matthew 36:35 as
the rest of the disciples said the same thing in agreement with Peter. A short time later the disciples fell asleep
when Jesus wanted them to pray with Him, and then Peter denied that He knew the
Lord three times.
Fifth is the frailty of the
disciples lack of power, and because it is Sunday evening and I am tired we
will save this one, which is the last one until our next SD.
7/18/2021 10:52
PM
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