SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/20/2025 10:02 AM
My Worship Time
Focus: PT-2 “A Discerning Mind”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
2 Timothy 2:23
Message of the
verse: “23
But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce
quarrels.”
Today I am picking up from where I
left off on the 10th of March as I stopped to look at a little
booklet written by John MacArthur that went well with what we are looking at in
2 Timothy 2:23. It took eight days to
quote this little booklet and I can say that it was like eight days having
someone step on your feet. I have
mentioned that my wife has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing some
things before she will have to have surgery to remove parts of her body to get
rid of the cancer. It was a few months
ago that I wanted to write a letter to John MacArthur and in that letter I mentioned
that I was quoting things from his commentaries so that he would understand
that. I was sent a letter back and there
was nothing said about my quoting from his commentaries, and also in the
envelope was the little booklet “Keeping a Pure Mind.” And after beginning my study of this verse in
2 Timothy I really thought that the best thing I could do was quote from this
booklet. Now back to my wife’s cancer
and what that has to do with this booklet.
Let me quote James 5:16 at this time:
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another
so that you may be healed. The
effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” The highlighted portion was the part that I
was looking at and so because of this booklet, and God’s timing of me receiving
it and then looking at this verse from James I knew that the Lord was working
on my heart concerning things that at times went through my mind, and so by
reading this booklet I knew that by following the things found in it that the
Lord would hear my prayers for my wife.
If you have not read the last 8 SD’s then take the time to read over
them as that will be an encouragement to you.
I continue to ask for prayers for my wife as she is not sure at this
time who will do surgery or who will help her after the surgery with care to
help keep cancer away from her body.
Remember The
effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”
I will now quote two paragraphs from
John MacArthur’s commentary, and the second one I have highlighted in my copy
of his commentary.
“As we saw in the second chapter of
the second letter, Paul admonishes the younger pastor to warn those under his
care, ‘not to wrangle about words, which is useless, and leads to the ruin of
the hearers’ and to ‘avoid worldly and
empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will
spread like gangrene’ (2 Timothy 2:14-17).
“The truth and purity of ideas that go
into the mind are of the utmost importance. An automobile needs filters to trap
harmful objects in the gasoline, oil, and air.
If not filtered out, even small particles of dust or grime can cause an
engine to lose power, stop running, and suffer permanent damage. In the same way, an accumulation of even
seemingly insignificant moral and spiritual pollution can corrupt a Christian’s
mind and heart, making him less and less effective and usable in the Lord’s
work. The things we allow to enter our
minds affect our thinking, our beliefs, our values, our motives, and our
priorities. And the more willingly we
allow them to enter, the more powerfully they affect us. The writer of Proverbs wisely observed that ‘a
fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind,’ and
that ‘a fools lips bring strife, and his mouth calls for blows’ (Prov. 18:2,
6).”
Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:
I realize that it is a struggle at times to keep a pure mind, but with
the help of the Holy Spirit, and looking at the Word of God I know it can be
done.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I trust the Lord to work in my heart to cause my mind to be on the things that are profitable and will bring glory to the Lord. Php 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
3/20/2025 10:35 AM
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