SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/01/2024 8:06 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-6 “Intro to 2 Timothy 1:6-18”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Timothy 1:6-18
Message of
the verses: “6 For this reason I
remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying
on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power
and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel
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, 11 for which I was
appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. 12 For this reason I also
suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and
I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that
day. 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. 15 You are
aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are
Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus,
for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; 17 but when he was
in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me — 18 the Lord grant
to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day — and you know very
well what services he rendered at Ephesus.”
I
begin this sixth SD on the intro to 2 Timothy 1:6-18 by again quoting from John
MacArthur’s commentary on w Timothy. He
writes “Even if they have not heard the gospel, all men are accountable before
God, ‘because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God
made it evident to them. For since the
creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine
nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so
that they are without excuse’ (Rom. 1:19-20). For those who have had the
immeasurable blessing of hearing the way of salvation, of having knowledge of
the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,’ yet refuse to trust in Him, ‘the last state
has become worse for them than the first.
For it would be better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment
delivered to them’ (2 Peter 2:20-21).
“It is
characteristic of the unsaved person to be ashamed of Christ, ‘because the mind
set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the
law of God, for it is not even able to do so’ (Rom. 8:7; cf. 5:10; Col.
2:21). Therefore, when a believer is
ashamed of Christ he is acting like an unbeliever. The shame that marks the unbelieving soul
should never mark a Christian, but tragically it sometimes does. The shame may be obvious and public or it may
be subtle and private, but the Lord always knows of it and is grieved.
“The
writer of Hebrews reminds us that ‘it was fitting for Him, for whom are all
things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to
perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are
sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call
them brethren’ (Heb. 2:10-11). Quoting
the magnificent messianic Psalm 22, he reinforces the truth, saying ‘I will
proclaim Thy name to My brethren’ (v. 12).
The Lord redeemed us through His suffering, through which He became ‘sin
on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him’ (2 Cor.
5:21). He ‘gave Himself for our sins,
that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of
our God and Father’ (Gal. 1:4).
“A Christian’s being ashamed of the Lord is cause by
a shameless self-interest that is unwilling to pay the price of faithful
discipleship. Throughout church history,
the Lord’s name has suffered reproach because of the sinfulness of His
people. Yet, despite our many sins,
including our shame of Him, the sinless and righteous Lord is no ashamed of
us! He does not hesitate to call us brethren
(cf. Heb. 2:11), even when we are ashamed to call Him Lord.
“Speaking
directly to Timothy, and indirectly to all believers, Paul sets forth eight
means by which a Christian may guard against being ashamed of Christ. They are: renew your gift (1:6); consider
your resources (v. 7); accept your suffering (v. 8a); remember your calling vv.
8b-10); realize your duty (vv. 11-12a); trust your security (v. 12b); affirm
your doctrine (vv. 13-14); and choose your associates (vv. 15-18).”
That
is our assignment to look into those eight sub-sections that are mentioned in
the last paragraph, and I have to say that it will take us a long time to go
over them, but I pray that from those eight sub-sections that the Lord will
speak to my heart and to the hearts of those who read my Spiritual Diaries.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I desire that the Lord bring about revival to
my heart as I study this last letter that Paul wrote before he was ushered into
heaven to be with His Lord and Savior.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: To remember the good things that the Lord has
done in my life and be refreshed in order for Him to continue to use me for the
cause of Christ.
12/1/2024 8:36 AM
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