SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/27/2024 10:32 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-1 “Affirm
Your Doctrine”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
2 Tim. 1:13-14
Message of the verses: “13 Retain the
standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love
which are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us,
the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”
As I begin this section of 2 Timothy
I have been thinking about this very last letter that Paul wrote, which is
found in the New Testament. What I have
been thinking about is what kind of letter that Paul writes to his son in the
Lord, Timothy. I have mentioned in
earlier SD’s that the letters that are found in the new Testament which are
written by different authors, all inspired by the Holy Spirit are written
because of issues that the readers of these letters have. In the case of 2 Timothy we realize that
Timothy is timid and because of that is fallen away from the Lord in his service
to Him. I have also written that being
timid is something that I have had to deal with for most of my life and so it
is my hope that as I study this letter that Paul wrote to Timothy that the Spirit
of God will deal with this issue in my heart.
I desire to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Today we begin looking at a seventh
guard against being ashamed of Christ and that is affirming and holding onto
right doctrine. Doctrine is so very
important in the life of a believer, having and making sure that the doctrine
is correct. It is true that our ultimate
confidence is in Christ Himself, His truth is also of great importance. MacArthur writes “It is in fact, absolutely
required for faith living as well as for certainty of our security. If we belong to Christ, we will be secure,
but if we neglect His truth, our confidence in that security will wane. Many Christians, perhaps most, do not have
the courage of their convictions simply because they have no clear convictions.
Before you put your life on the line for what you believe, you must believe it.”
John MacArthur writes what he said
in a radio interview some years ago: He
said “What is particularly tragic about the many scandals that plague
evangelicalism today is the fact that so many churches, and so many individuals
who call themselves Christian, have little concern for biblical truth and
biblical standards of living. In the
name of love, understanding, and peace within the church and with society,
almost any theology is accepted, or at least not challenged, no matter how much
it may contradict Scripture.”
I will now quote one more paragraph
from MacArthur’s commentary, something that is very important as it goes along
with the previous paragraph.
“Much of the professing church is
atheological, that is, without any significant theological convictions. Like the world around them, many people who
go by the name of Christ believe that to hold and teach absolute doctrines is
to be unloving, antagonistic, and even ‘un-Christian.’ The fit Paul’s description of those in the
last days who ‘will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears
tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their
own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside
to myths’ (2 Tim. 4:3-4). When you
examine those today who deride doctrine, you discover they are also like those
in the last days who Paul says ‘will be lovers of self, lovers of money,
boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal,
haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God; [They are ] always learning and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth’ (2 Tim. 3:2-5, 7).
Sound doctrine leads to holy living, and the absence of it to unholy
living.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: “Study to
show yourself approved to God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.” This is 2 Timothy 2:15 and it is the verse that
I have named my blogs after, and the reason is because understanding the truth
of God’s Word is the most important thing that I can do and it is what I strive
to do as I write my Spiritual Diaries and put them onto my blogs.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: To continue to follow 2 Timothy 2:15 each and
every day.
12/27/2024 11:09 AM
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