SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/13/2023 10:29 PM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “The Response
to Jesus”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matt. 19:20-22
Message of the verses: “20 The young man said
to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?" 21 Jesus
said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your
possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven;
and come, follow Me." 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he
went away grieved; for he was one who owned much property.”
We have been talking about the fact that this young
ruler knew that something was missing in his life and that is why he is talking
to Jesus about eternal life, but he was not willing to admit what he did have
and needed to receive, to be rid of, namely sin. The problem was that he had too much
spiritual pride to acknowledge, that he was sinful by nature, as we all are,
and that his whole life fell short of God’s holiness and was an offense to
Him. His desire for eternal life was
centered entirely in his own felt needs and longings.
Here
is a problem that he had, and probably a problem that even many of us believers
have, and that is not having a hatred for sins that needed forgiving and no
admission of a heart that needed cleansing.
Now I know that all of us as believers have had our hearts cleansed when
we became a believer, but what I am talking about is our battle with the flesh,
and sometimes it seems that the flesh wins some of these battles because we don’t
hate sin as we should hate it. Now all
this man wanted from Jesus was another commandment, another formula, another
rite or ceremony by which he could complete his religious obligations and make
himself acceptable to God, showing that he wanted easy answer to something that
it took God sending His Son to take our place on the cross to make payment for our
sins, and that in fact was the greatest thing that has ever happened on planet
earth.
The
hour is late as I have had a difficult day today and so I will close this very
short SD with a quotation from John MacArthur’s commentary. I want to also say that John MacArthur has
had some health problems as he has had to have some stints put in and then he
fell down a while back and hurt his wrist and head and actually missed the
Shepherds Conference that is held each year in the college he is a part
of. He did make it to the last day to speak
but I hear that he had to wear something to cover his wrist and a hat to help
cover the wound on his head. I think it
would be good to hold this wonderful man up in prayer.
“But
salvation is for people who despair of their own efforts, who realize that, in
themselves and by themselves, they are hopelessly sinful and incapable of
improving. Salvation is for those who
see themselves as living violations of His holiness and who confess and turn
from their sin and throw themselves on God’s mercy. It is for those who recognize they have absolutely
nothing good to give God, that anything good they receive or accomplish can be
only by His sovereign, gracious provision in Jesus Christ.
“Paul
spends three full chapters of Romans declaring the sinfulness of man before he
ever discusses the way of salvation.
John 1:17 declares, “The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth
were realized through Jesus Christ.” Law
always precedes grace; it is the tutor that leads to Christ (Gal. 3:24).”
3/13/2023 10:48 PM
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