SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/31/2023 9:54 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-7 “The
Riches of Poverty”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
19:26-29
Message of the verses: “26 And looking at them Jesus said to them,
"With people this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible." 27 Then Peter said to Him, "Behold, we have left
everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?" 28 And Jesus
said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son
of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 “And everyone who has left houses or
brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s
sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”
I want to begin this, with I hope to be the last SD on
this subject, but talking about the thrones that His disciples would sit in
during the Millennial Kingdom. I believe the throne that Jesus will
be sitting on during this time will be a literal throne, but the thrones that the
disciples sit on must also be literal thrones as seen in verse 28.
MacArthur writes “The Word makes clear that in the reign
of Christ over the world, He will be sovereign and rule over Jews and Gentiles
with righteousness, peace, and immediate justice. He will be worshiped as supreme Lord, and His
kingdom will bring prosperity, healing, health, and blessedness.”
There
is more to be added to what I just quoted, but “everyone
who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or
farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit
eternal life.” The ones who renounce
their possessions and become poor for the sake of Christ are going to share
with the apostles in His triumph and reign.
Let us now look and see what Mark reports in Mark 10:30 “but that he
will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and
brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with
persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.” Once again as we compare this statement with
the rich young ruler we will see why he turned down the truth of the gospel
message, as his riches were more important.
I
want to conclude this section with a quotation from John MacArthur: “When a person comes to Jesus Christ he must
often have to turn his back on certain relationships, even with those who are
very dear to him. Many times his
conversion turns his own family and closest friends against him, in some cases
even to the point of seeking his disinheritance or even his life. But the one who gives up everything for
Christ’s sake, not only will inherit eternal life but also the family of God in
this present life. He will have a host
of new fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters with whom he will forever be
united in God’s divine family. Wherever
he goes, he meets spiritual loved ones, many of whom he has never seen or heard
of before. Throughout the world he finds
those who will share his sorrows, encourage his spirit, and help meet his
needs, material as well as spiritual.
“The
believer in Jesus Christ will have blessing now, blessing in the millennial kingdom,
and blessings throughout all eternity.
To be poor for the sake for Christ is to rich indeed. Jim Elliot, a young missionary martyred by
the Auca Indians of Ecuador whom he was seeking to reach for Christ, wrote
shortly before his death, ‘He is no fool
who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.’”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I have mentioned before in a few of my SD’s a
saying that I heard from the person who was ministering to me right after I
became a believer and it seems to go along with what I am learning from this
section. My friend Fred would say to me “Ken
you have to keep your emphas and the right sylivble. Keep your emphasis on the right syllable.”
My Steps of Faith for Today: I want to continue to pray for a visit that I
am going to make to share the gospel with two lifelong friends. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will be
preparing them to listen to the message of the gospel and then to give them an
effectual call to salvation when they hear the message of the gospel.
3/31/2023 10:29 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment