SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/4/2024 9:14 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-3 “Renew Your Gift”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
2 Timothy 1:6
Message of the verses: “And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (1 Timothy 1:6).”
John MacArthur points out that “A believer’s divine
giftedness is inseparable from his divine calling. At salvation, each Christian’s grace gifts
are bestowed on him uniquely to equip him to serve God in the specific area or
areas of ministry to which he has been called.
The grace gifts are divine enablements for effective service to the
Lord. Timothy’s giftedness prepared him
not only for preaching and teaching but also to ‘to do the work of an
evangelist [in order to] fulfill your ministry’ (2 Tim. 4:5).”
Paul wrote to Timothy telling him that the gift of God for
preaching the Word already is in you. Paul
was reminding him of this truth. This
gift was received at salvation but had not come to full fruition; it was not
being employed to the full extent of Timothy’s calling and the Spirit’s power. Now in chapter four Paul explains explicitly
what the means by to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you. “Preach the word,” Paul admonishes, “be ready
in season and out of season; reprove rebuke, exhort, with great patience and
instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2). I decided to look ahead in MacArthur’s commentary to
where he is explaining this verse and he has two sections as he explains more
fully what he taught on this verse. I
guess that we will have to wait on looking at it more fully.
Now I want to look at what it means or what it could mean
“Through the laying on of my hands.”
MacArthur writes that this “may mean that Paul laid his hands on Timothy
at the time of his conversion, which corresponded to the time of receiving his
unique spiritual giftedness. Or it may
mean that Timothy’s spiritual endowment was extraordinary, being received, or
perhaps enhanced at a later time, through the…hands of the apostle, as well as
through ‘the laying on of hands by the presbytery’ (1 Tim. 4:14), and ‘in
accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you’ (1 Tim. 1:18).”
I remember a very long time ago when our family was
returning home from a vacation in Florida and my wife was asking me why I
wanted to get home so soon. Well the
reason was that at our church that night was a special service for our youth
pastor who was going to be ordained that evening. Well we made it and got to watch the service
and at the end of the service a number of Pastors and former Pastors put their
hands on our youth Pastor and prayed over him.
There was an older retired Pastor that was the one saying the prayer and
I thought that it would never end, not that I was bored or anything like that
and as I look back on that, probably at least 35-40 years ago, I look back with
fond memories of that evening thankful that I rushed home to be a part of that
service. I have witnessed other ordination
service after that one, but none like that one.
I guess that I think that that was the kind of service that Timothy had
when he was ordained. The sad part of
this is that man who went on to be a Pastor near Detroit MI is not in the
ministry at this time as I think that he is selling insurance now.
MacArthur writes “But Paul’s basic admonition to Timothy,
and to every believer, remains unchanged.
Divine giftedness is to be continually rekindled, fanned into flame, in
order that Christ may fully work out His will for us and through us. The very fact that we have giftedness from
God demands its full and constant use.
And the fact that every believer has a divinely bestowed gift means that
every believer has a divinely equipped ministry.”
He goes on with this very important topic to write “Whatever
specific gifts our giftedness many embrace; they are continually to be
exercised in God’s power for the extension of His kingdom, for the building of
His church, and for the glory of His name.
If a believer has the gift of prophecy, it should be exercised ‘according
to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches
in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with
liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness’
(Rom.12:6-8). And in every case, he should not be ‘lagging behind in diligence,
[but be] fervent in spirit, serving the Lord’ (v. 11).
“Although Timothy’s gift was given to him by God the Holy
Spirit and placed within him, it could not become evident or begin to function until
he was commissioned to minister. In a
similar though not as unique a way, every believer must genuinely and
unreservedly devote himself to serving the Lord in the energy of the Spirit
before his giftedness can become truly evident or effective. When our heart’s desire is to please the Lord,
the Lord will guide us by that desire into the specific areas of service for
which He has gifted us. The Lord does
not mock His children. He lovingly
bestows desires that correspond to His gifts.
“When we begin to function in the area in which God has
gif ted us, our boldness in His service will grow, because we know we are doing
what He has appointed and equipped us to do.
Nothing gives a believer more courage and more protection from being
ashamed of Christ that knowing he is in the Lord’s will and is operating his
gift in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Spiritual Meaning For my Life Today: It
was a long time ago that I meet a missionary doctor who is the one to teach me
how to write the Spiritual Diaries that I try to write each day, and I believe
it was at that time when I realized that this is what the Lord wanted me to do
for the cause of Christ. I don’t know
how many I have written over the years but it has been many and the Holy Spirit
of God is casing people all over the world to read them. I give all the glory to the Lord as I believe
this is a part of His plan for me, and so He deserves all the glory.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I certainly desire to kindle afresh the gift of God
which is in me. I desire to do this so
that I can continue to used of the Lord for His Kingdom.
12/4/2024 10:15 AM
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