MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/7/2026
10:02 AM
My Worship
Time Focus: PT-2 “The Picture of the Good News”
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: Luke 2:15-21
Message
of the verses: “When the angels had departed from them into
heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let’s go
straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the
Lord has made known to us.” And they came in a hurry and found their way
to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the
statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things
which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and
praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told
them. And when eight days had passed,
before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the
angel before He was conceived in the womb.” (NASB)
I will be continuing to quote from
John MacArthur’s commentary as I begin this second SD on the verses above. “The shepherds seeking out Mary, Joseph, and
Jesus illustrates the next step in the salvation process. Those who truly believe the revelation of God
in Christ will come to Him. They will
accept His invitation, ‘Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I
will give you rest. Take My yoke upon
you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find
rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy
and My burden is light’ (Matthew 11:28-30; cf. John 5:40; 6:37, 44; 7:37).
“There must have been an interesting dialog between the
shepherds and Mary and Joseph between verses 16-17. The young couple was no doubt overwhelmed by
the shepherds’ recounting of the amazing event they had just witnessed. The words of the angel provided further
confirmation to Mary and Joseph of who their Child was. And Mary’s account of Gabriel’s appearance to
her (1:26-38), coupled with Joseph’s account of his dream (Matt. 1:20-23) could
only have increased the shepherds’ amazement.
“The angels’ appearance to them and
their conversation with Mary and Joseph had the shepherds’ privy to information
no one else had. Their enthusiastic
response was to make known the statement which had been told them about this
Child. They went everywhere
proclaiming the news that the Savior, Israel’s long-awaited Messiah, had been
born. The shepherds thus became the
first New Testament evangelists.
“Once they had heard, believed, and acted on the truth,
the shepherds could not help but tell others about it. Their witnesses to the good news they had
received reveals something else that happens in the life of a newborn
soul. The response of those who come to
Christ is to tell others about Him.
Usually the most bold and passionate people in proclaiming the gospel
are the newest Christians; the longer people are saved, the less excited they
seem about their salvation, and the less eager they are to share their
faith. But true spiritual commitment is
determined by the quality and tenacity of believers’ long-term joy over their
salvation. One measure of that joy is
how eagerly they share the gospel. Lack
of zeal and passion that compels believers to tell others about Christ betrays
a sinful heart of indifference and ingratitude.” I believe it is good that I highlight this
paragraph so those believers who read this will search their hearts to find out
if they are not witnessing to others about the salvation they were given to
them when they confessed to being a sinner, realizing that Christ died for them
and accepting the forgiveness that only He can do for them.
“The shepherds did not have that
problem. The astounding nature of their
message, coupled with the eagerness and enthusiasm with which they shared it,
caused all who heard it to wonder at the things which were told them
by the shepherds. Thaumazo (wondered)
appears frequently in Luke’s writings (cf. 1:21; 63, 2:33; 4:22; 7:9; 8:25;
9:43; 11:14, 38; 20:26; 24:12, 41; Acts 2:7; 3:12; 4:13; 7:31; 13:41). From the very beginning the life and ministry
of Jesus Christ caused people to marvel and be amazed. Unfortunately then, as now, much of that
amazement produced not commitment, but merely curiosity. When the shepherds heard the good news of the
Savior’s birth, they immediately sought Him out. But all that is said of those
to whom they witnessed is that they wondered. After their initial amazement wore off, most
of them probably just went on with their lives as if nothing had happened.
“In contrast to the shallow,
superficial reaction of many who heard the news, Mary treasured all these
things, pondering them in her heart. She
reflected deeply on the significance of the birth of God’s Son, and on what that
birth portended for her and Joseph as His earthly parents. In addition to the normal thoughts that go
through the mind of any new mother, Mary had many other things to think
about. She considered God’s redemptive
purpose, how just as He had promised, He had sent a Savior to redeem His
people. But that redemption would come
at a fearful cost. As Simeon would later
warn Mary, ‘Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in
Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to
the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed’ (2:34-35). Years later, Mary would watch her Son die
on the cross bearing God’s wrath against sin (John 19:25-27).”
(John 19:25-27)
“25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his
mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26
When Jesus saw his mother and the
disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold,
your son!” 27 Then he said to the
disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to
his own home.”
“Mary’s deep meditation on the Savior illustrates another
aspect of what it means to truly embrace Christ. Salvation’s initial euphoria and excitement
deepens into a richer, fuller, more profound understanding of the person and
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
apostle John described the Christian life as a progression from being a
spiritual child, who only knows God as Father and forgiver of sins, to being a
spiritual young man will grounded in biblical truth, to being a spiritual
father, with deep understanding of God’s person (1 John 2:12-14).”
(1 John 2:12-14)
“ 12 ¶ I
am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his
name’s sake. 13 I am writing to you,
fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you,
young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children,
because you know the Father. 14 I write
to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to
you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and
you have overcome the evil one.”
“But no
Christian will ever be satisfied with the level of knowledge they have
attained. Paul many years into his
Christian pilgrimage, yearned to know Christ even better. He expressed to the Philippians his desire to
‘know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings,
being conformed to His death’ (Phil.3:10).
“The shepherds had had an amazing evening, one that forever
changed their lives. But life goes on,
and eventually the shepherds went back to their flock, glorifying and
praising God (cf. 1:64; 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15; 18:43; 23:47; 24:52-53)
for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. Their hopes and longings that the
Redeemer would come had been realized, and their lives were marked by a
newfound attitude of praise and worship.
That same attitude characterizes all who know and love the Lord Jesus
Christ (cf. Ps. 22:26; 30:4; 33:1; 34:1; 100:4; Acts 16:25; Heb. 13:15), whom
Paul describes as ‘the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God
and glory in Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 3:3).”
Spiritual
Meaning for my Life Today: I believe that like many, if not all
believers that there are ups and downs in their (my) walk with the Lord. I believe one thing that certainly helps in
my walk with the Lord is doing my Spiritual Diaries which causes me to study
His Word. In the paragraph that I
colored yellow in this SD it shows me how I desire to do things for the cause
of Christ.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: Trusting the Lord to continue to
cause me to grow in the Lord, and to trust the Lord for what is going on in my
wife as she continue to battle with cancer .
May I be a help to her in this battle.
4/7/2026
11:02 AM
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