SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/5/2024 8:33 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “Consider Your Resources”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
2 Timothy 1:7
Message of the
verse: “For God has not given us a
spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (NASB 95). “For God has not
given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”
(AKJV).
I put this verse up in two versions of the Bible because
when I memorized it a very long time ago I memorized it in the KJV and as one
can see there is a difference between the NASB and the KJV.
This Spiritual Diary begins a second means for guarding
against being ashamed of Christ and that is to consider our divine resources.
MacArthur adds “The Greek verb (didomi)
behind has not given is in the aorist active indicative tense, showing past completed
action. God already has provided for us
the resources.” I for one am glad that
he explained this because I surely am not any kind of Greek scholar like
MacArthur is.
It
is possible and very likely that the Lord may withhold special help until we
have special need. Let us now look at
what Jesus told the Twelve in Matthew 10:19-20 “19 “But
when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it
will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 “For it is not you who
speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” I remember reading something about this
promise from these verses and it had to do with a preacher who would not
prepare for his sermons but claimed these two verses to be able to preach his
sermons. Of course this was not right
theology as Jesus’ point here is when a person comes under persecution and has
not prepared to speak during that time then the Spirit of God will give him something
to say.
The
truth is that God does provide everything we need for everyday faithful living
and service when we first believed writes MacArthur.
As
we move further into this verse there is a negative perspective, as we can be
sure that any spirit of timidity that we might have is not from God. Both the New and Old Testaments speaks of a
fitting and proper fear of God, in the sense of awe and reverence, however the here
is what the Greek Word for timidity means “deilia timidity, fearfulness,
cowardice is. This is a shameful fear that
is generated by weak, selfish character.
MacArthur adds “The Lord is never responsible for our cowardice, or lack
of confidence, or our being shameful of Him.
The noun deilia (timidity) is
used only here in the New Testament and, unlike the more common term for fear (phobos), carries a generally negative
meaning.” I think that what is being
explained here is that one was given us something when we are born-again that has
to do with not being afraid, especially not being afraid so that we will become
shameful of our Lord, and in the case we are looking at now Timothy as not
using that resource. Look at the verse
again “For God has
not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline”
Notice the highlighted portion of the verse
for in that we learn that it was not God who is giving us a spirit of timidity,
but God has given us power and love and discipline. I can’t help but think of what Peter did when
the Lord was crucified, how he denied Him three times just like the Lord said
that he would, but in the 21st chapter of John’s gospel the Lord
asked Peter the following “15 So when they had
finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John,
do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know
that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs." 16 He said to
him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?"
He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to
him, "Shepherd My sheep." 17 He said to him the third time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved
because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said
to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said
to him, "Tend My sheep. 18 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were
younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you
grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and
bring you where you do not wish to go." 19 Now this He said,
signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken
this, He said to him, "Follow Me!’”
The Lord was brining Peter back into fellowship with Him for He would be
using Peter in a few short weeks to preach the very first sermon in the Church
age. Peter denied knowing Jesus three
times and so Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him.
In
a similar way Paul’s letter to Timothy is being used by the Lord to bring him
back to where he was before he became timid.
Not only is this second letter to Timothy for Timothy but for all of us
when we become fearful and deny the Lord.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I now realize why it is that the Lord has
put upon my heart to study the letter of 2 Timothy, and there are different
reasons, but one has to do with some of the things that Timothy was going
through, that I too am going through from time to time. Learning to take this verse apart to see what
God has not given me and what He has given to me is something that has blessed
my heart this morning.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Remembering what God has not given me, fear
or timidity but has given me power, love and discipline.
12/5/2024 9:20 AM
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