SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/6/2025 9:56 AM
My Worship Time Focus: “Introduction to 2 Tim. 4:9-22”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2 Tim. 4:9-22
Message of the verses: “9 Make every effort to come to me soon; 10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. 12 But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13 When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus. 21 Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren. 22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.”
I just checked on the day that I began my study of 2 Timothy and it was November 14, 2024 and so that was almost nine months ago, and by the time that I finish this last section from 2 Timothy it will probably be nine months, and let me just say that one of the reasons that I began to look at 2 Timothy was because it was the very last letter that Paul wrote that is included in the Word of God. Perhaps he wrote other letters, but this one was the last letter he wrote that is included in the Word of God. My plans are to just quote from John MacArthur’s commentary’s introduction in today’s SD because I always enjoy reading his introductions when I read his commentaries. I have to say that I still miss John MacArthur as he went home to be with the Lord last month. I only casually ran into him in an elevator in February of 1978 in Chicago as my wife and I were attending Moody Bible Institute’s “Founders Week.” I did not talk to him as I suppose that I was kind of afraid because of who he was. I did not even begin to read his commentaries for a long because I thought they were too deep for me to understand, but then I decided to study the book of Ephesians and I had that commentary from his writings and found out that I could understand what he writes pretty well, and I suppose that the Lord had much to do with that as He was preparing me to post my Spiritual Diaries onto the internet.
“A business, government, or large organization cannot function properly or survive without networking. Suppliers, customers, employees, stockholders, and many others are necessarily involved. There is no better illustration of this principle than the human body with its wonderfully varied and intricately related parts. Paul used that figure in his first letter to the immature and disunified church at Corinth to teach them what unity and harmony in the body of Christ must be like (1 Cor. 12:14-27).
“It is therefore no surprise that the last part of Paul’s last letter focuses on other people, the many friends and a few foes, who influenced his ministry in one way or another. The great apostle knew they were involved in everything he did, and in these closing verses he recognizes and remembers this network of people. Even he could not effectively minister alone. He was fully aware of his distinctive calling and authority as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ (see, e.g., Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1; 1 Tim. 1:1; 2 Tim. 1:1). But he did not presume to work for the Lord independent of other believers or try to meet every need and accomplish every task himself. He had teams of fellow workers, fellow servants, fellow preachers and teachers in whom he placed great trust for mutual ministry. Most of them were faithful co-laborers, ‘valiant men [and women] whose hearts God had touched’ (1 Sam. 10:26).
“Some of the people were old friends and some were new, some were consistent in their service and some were not, some were always ready to volunteer and some were never to be found, some were willing to make any sacrifice for the Lord, and others were not willing. Quite a few were unbelievers, some of them being within the church and others being outside. But all were a part of Paul’s life, and all played a role in his ministry.
“As he faced the executioner’s ax, many of these people were on his mind. In passing on the mantle of ministry to Timothy, he brought the young pastor up to date on the spiritual condition, activities, and whereabouts of certain men and women. Some of them, including Timothy, he hoped would visit him before he died. Others he simply greeted or extended greetings from. Some are named, and others and nameless. Some of them he was sending out or had already sent out to strategic places to build up faltering congregations. Others he mentioned because of the special harm they had brought to him and to the cause of Christ.
“Paul did not write this section as an afterthought; it was not incidental but vital to the Spirit-inspired message. The Lord wanted the rest of His church to know about these people in Paul’s life and to learn from their faithfulness or their failure.”
Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today: Three paragraphs up in this SD I highlighted it because some of the things written in it caused me to think, as some of it convicted me, and some of it caused me to smile. The Christian life is a series of ups and downs and when I am up it is the best thing that I can do, but when I am down I just have to trust the Lord that He is using those moments to teach me what He wants me to learn.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I continue to trust the Lord as my wife and I deal with her health, knowing that the Lord is in control of it, and that makes me content.
8/6/2025 10:34 AM
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