SPIRITUAL
DIARY FOR 8/21/2025 9:53 AM
My Worship Time Focus: "The Benediction”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: 2Tim.4:22
Message of the verses: The
Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with
you.”
This
morning marks the end of my study of 2 Timothy, something that began on
11-14-2024. Paul’s benediction to this
letter is one verse and very short.
As
mentioned in a previous SD Lord willing, I will begin the look at the OT book
of Jonah, followed by Nahum. John MacArthur
wrote the commentaries on these two OT books, which I purchased not long ago as
I truly wanted to use them in aiding me in writing my Spiritual Diaries. It has been a while since I did my Spiritual
Diaries from the Old Testament, so I look forward to studying these two OT
books, especially Jonah.
Now
we have been looking at a lot of people that Paul mentions at the end of his
letter to Timothy as they were part of the network in which he was involved. This network included both men and women,
close friends and avowed enemies, the faithful and the deserter, the true
believer and the unbeliever. In one way
or another, they all affected the ministry and outreach of the early church,
especially the ministry and outreach of this great apostle.
MacArthur
concludes his commentary on 2 Timothy by writing “As always, Paul’s focus was
on the Lord, whom he now asks to be
with those special friends and co-workers in spirit. Most of them he would never see or hear from again. He left them in the Lord’s hands and in His
grace.”
This
last letter from the apostle Paul brings some emotions up in my heart as I
think about when I first read about Saul of Tarsus first mentioned holding the
cloak of Stephen as the Jews were stoning him. I want to quote some verses from
the 7th and 8th chapters of Acts.
Ac 7:58 When they
had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside
their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Ac 8:1 Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And
on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they
were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the
apostles.
Ac 8:3 But Saul
began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off
men and women, he would put them in prison.
It is believed that Paul may have
been about the same age as The Lord Jesus Christ, perhaps a bit younger as we
see the phrase a young man named Saul. Now as
we briefly look at the life of Saul, who later on in the book of Acts is called
Paul we can see a great change come into his life. This change came about in the 9th
chapter of the book of Acts where we read “3
As he (Saul) was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and
suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice
saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" 5 And he
said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom
you are persecuting, 6 but
get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.’” Later on in this 9th chapter of
Acts the Lord through Ananias would
relate to Saul what He wanted Paul to hear which is: “15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument
of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16
for I will show him how
much he must suffer for My name’s sake.’” Here we have the marching orders for the
Apostle Paul and he certainly fulfilled what the Lord wanted him to do as seen
in this 9th chapter of Acts.
I have mentioned that I had wrong thoughts about verse 16, but now
realize that this was part of his marching orders from the Lord Jesus Christ
for Paul. He certainly suffered much for
the cause of Christ as in 2 Corinthians we see a list of many of the things that
Paul suffered for the cause of Christ, and now we have come to the end of his
life as seen in this second letter to his beloved friend Timothy.
I am thankful to the Lord for what
he did in the life of Saul of Tarsus as it reminds me just a little bit of what
the Lord did for me on the 26th of January in 1974. No I was not persecuting the church of God,
but I was living a life that was indeed sinful and the circumstances that
happened to me were similar to what the Lord did for Saul, and what I mean is
that I had bad intentions in traveling to a friend’s house who lived in
Florida, not as bad as why Saul was heading to Damascus, but bad enough. The quickness of salvation that came to Saul
was in fact similar to how the Lord saved me as it was very fast. In some cases it takes a person a long time
after they hear the good news of the gospel to come to a saving faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. In my case that was
not the case, all though as I look back there were things that the Lord was
using to bring me to Christ, as I went to Florida to meet my friend and this
was a spur of the moment decision, and I had to stop at the airport in Atlanta
and a young couple did witness to me, and I believe that is the first time I
had really listened to the gospel message.
They talked about the end times, and then later on that was what the
Lord used to call me to Himself, a study of the end times, something that I
have always loved to study about.
Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today: It was good for me to go over a short version
of Paul’s life, especially how the Lord called him as again, it reminded me a
bit of how He called me, and I will be ever thankful for that call.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I desire to continue to write these Spiritual
Diaries each day as this is what I believe that the Lord has called me to do
for the cause of Christ.
8/21/2025 10:42 AM
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