Tuesday, November 19, 2024

PT-2 "Appreciation" (2 Timothy 1:3a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/19/2024 8:11 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  PT-2 “Appreciation”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                   Reference:  2 Timothy 1:3a

 

            Message of the verse:  “I Thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did.”

 

            I want to continue looking at this verse in today’s SD.  I have to say that as I listen to the sermons by John MacArthur and read his comments from his commentary I am amazed at how much in depth truths that he gets from the verses he is commenting on.  In the post from Nehemiah that I put onto my other blog this morning which was on the gates of Jerusalem Dr. Warren Wiersbe looked at the gates and applied them to the Christians in the New Testament, and that too was amazing to me on how he sees this in the Word of God.  Now you will understand why on many of my Spiritual Diaries that I write I use quotes from, in this case, John MacArthur in order to get the truth out so that the Holy Spirit of God will use these Spiritual Diaries to bring glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

            I can imagine that as Timothy reads what Paul wrote to him that the appreciation that Paul has for Timothy must have had profoundly touched Timothy and placed on him a great sense of responsibility to live up to the high expectations of his spiritual mentor.  We know that what Paul spoke to Timothy was true for it is in the Word of God so these feelings that Paul had for Timothy were vary genuine.

 

            I want to pause and talk about something that it seems that the Lord brought to my attention after posting my Spiritual Diary yesterday.  It has to do with the fact that the names of my blogs are from 2 Timothy 2:15 which states “Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  This is from the KJV of the Bible and when I started putting my Spiritual Diaries onto my blogs I actually did not realize that I started two blogs and that is why both of my blogs are under the name of 2 Timothy 2:15.  I have to say that it took me a very long time to begin to study this letter, which is Paul’s last letter that he wrote found in the New Testament, but I am thankful to be able to study this letter and post onto my blog what I am learning as I Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 

 

            I’m sure that after Timothy read what Paul wrote about him that is how much he appreciated him that this had a great effect on his life.  Timothy knew that this dear friend and peerless saint in the cause of Christ was facing imminent death.  Yet, even during his last painful and uncertain hours, Paul thanked God and held up before Him a younger pastor who, although incomparably trained in the gospel, he yet to fully prove himself in the difficult areas of the Lord’s service.

 

            MacArthur writes “In the midst of unimaginable physical misery, Paul not only continued to praise God but did so with deep gratitude from a guiltless mind and heart.  With full conviction and truthfulness he could testify, ‘I serve the Lord and continually stand before Him with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did.’ Latreo (serve) was sometimes used of godly worship or even priestly service.  Standing falsely accused by the Jewish leaders before Felix, the Roman governor in Caesarea Paul said ‘According to the Way which they call a sect I do serve [latreuo] the God of our Fathers’ (Acts 24:14). Speaking of true children of God, whether Jew or Gentile, Paul assured the Philippian believers:  ‘We are the true circumcision, who worship [latreuo] in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh’ (Phil. 3:3).”

 

            One of the many things that I truly admire is that Paul had a clear conscience in his service to the Lord.  I realize that Paul was the one person who walked to closest to the Lord, and perhaps the reason was that he went through so many difficulties that this drew him closer to the Lord.  Look at this passage that comes from the 9th chapter of the book of Acts which is where we see that the Lord called Saul to salvation, where he lost his sight for a while and where Ananias goes into speak to Saul and he receives his sight back.  Now before that we read the following:  10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." 11 And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight." 13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name." 15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake’” (Acts 9:10-16).  Suffering is what brought Paul closer to the Lord, and the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross for me and for all who will be saved is what was used of God to give us forgiveness of sin. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have to say that one of the things that has caused me trouble in my life is the fear of suffering, and yet as I look at what the Lord went through for me in His sufferings and what Paul and all the other Apostles went through I realize that it caused them to be closer to the Lord.  Now all believers suffer for the cause of Christ, but those who do it seems to me that they draw closer to Him in their love and service for the Lord.

 

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  I have to trust the Lord to do what is needed to do in order to walk more closely to the Lord, which is my desire.

 

11/19/2024 8:50 AM

 

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