SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/14/2024 9:06 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “Remember Your Calling”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Timothy 1:8b-10
Message of the verses: “according to the power
of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to
our works, but according
to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from
all eternity, 10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ
Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through
the gospel,”
Now
the truth is that God’s power does not always manifest itself in our lives in
obvious ways, and an example of this is when Paul prayed three times about a problem
that he had after he had made a visit to heaven. Allow me to quote from 2 Corinthians chapter
twelve as this will give us the entire story.
“1 Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on
to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen
years ago — whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I
do not know, God knows — such a man was caught up to the third
heaven. 3 And I know how such a man — whether in the body or apart
from the body I do not know, God knows — 4 was caught up into
Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 5
On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast,
except in regard to my weaknesses. 6 For if I do wish to boast I will
not be foolish, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this,
so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from
me. 7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason,
to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a
messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself! 8
Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And
He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected
in weakness." Most
gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power
of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with
weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with
difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
MacArthur writes “Without hesitation or disappointment,
Paul replied ‘Most gladly,
therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ
may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults,
with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for
when I am weak, then I am strong.’”
I have to say that this story that Paul writes about
to the Corinthians has always been a favorite part of Scripture for me and I
have heard different Pastors say that they believe this happened when Paul was
on his second missionary trip and was stoned for the cause of Christ and though
to be dead. I’m not sure if that is when
this happened to Paul or not, but I am sure that it happened to Paul and as I
think about this in relations to what I am studying here in 2 Timothy it makes
sense to me that Paul was truly looking forward to going back to heaven and
this time staying there. His death would
be much more rapid than that of His Lord, but that means that he would arrive in
heaven quickly.
MacArthur
writes “Our loving heavenly Father is both willing and ‘able to keep [us] from
stumbling, and to make [us] stand in the presence of His glory blameless with
great joy’ (Jude 24). In light of that truth Paul prayed for believers at
Ephesus, where he hand ministered faithfully for a number of years ‘[My God]
grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power
through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to
comprehend with all the saints what is the breath and length and height and
depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may
be filled up to all the fullness of God’ (Eph. 3:16-19).”
Now I can say that I am comforted by the next
paragraph that MacArthur has in his commentary, which I will also quote and
with that will end this SD for this morning.
“God’s
sovereignly designed salvation, and He sovereignly initiates, sustains, and
completes salvation. He has forgiven us,
justified us, and delivered us from sin and Satan, from death and hell. In every sense and in every tense—past,
present, and future—God is our Savior.”
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I have been lifted up through the Word of God
this morning and I am thankful for that truth that God is in complete control
as He always is and so it is important for me to continue to trust the Lord to
keep me from some issues that I have been dealing with for some time now, but by
His grace and mercy is bringing me out of what was happening to me.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: Remember and never forget that God is in
charge of my life and that He loves me so much that He sent His One and only
Son to take my place on the cross.
12/14/2024 9:43 AM
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