SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/18/2024 10:21 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “Realize Your Duty”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Timothy
1:11-12a
Message of the verses: “11 for which I was
appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also
suffer these things,”
In this SD I want to continue to write about guarding
against being ashamed of Christ, as this is something that I have been writing
about for a while, and from this verse we can see the next two means of this
subject.
Think
about what Paul did, and for that matter what all believers should be doing and
that is to be a proclaimer, or herald who will officially and publicly announce
a message on behalf of a ruler and in the case the Lord Jesus Christ. In the world we live in now many believers
are so attracted to this world that they do not do their duty in proclaiming
the message about Jesus Christ. “15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that
is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the
boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world” (1 John
2:15-16).
Paul was not only was a commissioned as an apostle “of
Christ Jesus by the will of God” (2 Timothy 1:1 cf. 1 Tim. 1:1) and a
teacher. Now the meaning of a Preacher emphasizes
his function in ministry, while apostle his authority, and then teacher
emphasizes his interpreting the message he authoritatively proclaimed.
MacArthur
writes “It was for this reason, that is, his threefold divine calling, that he also
[had to] suffer these things, a reference, in general, to his ‘suffering for
the gospel according to the power of God’ (v-8) and, in particular, to his
loneliness (1:4) and his ‘imprisonment as a criminal’ (2:9 cf. 1:8). He suffered because he faithfully preached
the fullness of the gospel of salvation, because he proclaimed that truth with
divine authority, and because he interpreted that Word with divine
insight. Very often, the price of
devotion to divine duty is affliction by the world.”
I
have mentioned many times that I feel that it is my duty to make sure that what
I written on my Spiritual Diaries is truth, for I would never want to cause
anyone to go astray, and that is why on many of my Spiritual Diaries I will
quote from the author that I am using to help me learn the truth so I can pass
it along to those around the world who are reading my Spiritual Diaries. In the cause now I am listening to sermons
and reading commentaries by John MacArthur as I trust him to teach me the truth
so that I can pass it along to those who read my Spiritual Diaries. With that said I desire to continue to quote
from John MacArthur’s commentary.
“These
things also applied to the long list of afflictions Paul mentions in his second
letter to the church at Corinth, in which, ‘In foolishness, ‘he boasted ‘according
to the flesh’ (2 Cor. 11:17-18). Speaking
sarcastically about certain ‘false apostles, deceitful worker’s disguising
themselves as apostles of Christ, [who] disguise themselves as servents of
righteous’ (vv. 13, 14). He asked rhetorically,
23 Are they servants of Christ? — I
speak as if insane — I more so; in far more labors, in far more
imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 24 Five
times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was
beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and
a day I have spent in the deep. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in
dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen,
dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness,
dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; 27 I have been in
labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often
without food, in cold and exposure’ (vv. 23-27; cf. 6:4-10).”
There
is a story that goes along with the use of these verses and it is a story about
David Jeremiah. He was in the hospital
suffering greatly with a type of cancer where he had to have a bone marrow transfer
which put him a great deal of pain. He
got a letter from a friend of his, and I don’t remember the name of that
friend, but in the letter he quoted those verses from 2 Corinthians in order to
make him feel a bit better about his circumstances as his circumstances were
nothing like what Paul went through. I
mentioned in an earlier SD about what happened to Paul when the Lord spoke to
him on the road to Damascus to persecute true believers. The Lord told Ananias the following of what
would be Paul’s fate: “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.’”
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I am to do what I believe the God has called
me to do for cause of Christ, and I believe that He has called me to teach a
Sunday school class and to write my Spiritual Diaries for the Spirit of God to
spread around the world.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: I trust that the Lord will use what He has
called me to do to bring glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12/18/2024 11:12 AM
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