MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/1/2026
8:55 AM
My
Worship Time Focus:
“Intro to
Chapter Seven”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference:
Luke
6:15-16a
Message of the verses: “Matthew and Thomas; James the son of
Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; Judas the son of James”
This morning I want to quote the
introduction to this seventh chapter of John MacArthur’s commentary “Common
Men, Uncommon Calling—Part 6: Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon
the Zealot Judas the son of James.”
“A seemingly paradoxical biblical
truth, one that appears counter-intuitive to human wisdom, is that God exalts
the humble but humbles the proud. As the
psalmist noted, ‘God is the judge; He puts down one and exalts another’ (Ps.
75:7). Moses was perhaps Israel’s most
honored leader. Yet according to Numbers
12:3, ‘Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the
earth.’ ‘A man’s pride will bring him low,’ Solomon warned, ‘but a humble
spirit will obtain honor’ (Prov. 29:23; cf. v. 25). Ezekiel 17:24 expressed that truth in
picturesque language: ‘All the trees of
the field will know that I am the Lord; I bring down the high tree, exalt the
low tree, dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will
perform it’ (cf. 21:26).
“The New Testament also reveals God’s
sovereign humbling of the proud and exalting of the humble. In her Magnificat, Mary praised God because ‘He
has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were
humble’ (Luke 1:52). So significant is
this principle that the Lord Jesus Christ repeated it on three different
occasions (Matt. 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14).
James exhorted his readers, ‘Humble yourselves in the presence of the
Lord, and He will exalt you’ (James 4:10).
“Jesus’ choice of the Twelve was
consistent with God’s use of humble people (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26-29). None of them were members of Israel’s
religious establishment; they included no scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, or
priests. Nor were they taken from the
social elite, the literate, the educated, or the theologically astute. None were from Jerusalem, the center of
Jewish culture; except for the traitor Judas Iscariot, they were from Galilee,
whose inhabitants were despised by the rest of the Jewish people. The Gospels portray the Twelve as plain,
common, and ordinary men.
“In spite of the fact that they were
empowered to do miracles, the apostles were by no means the stars of the gospel
accounts; they were at best the supporting cast. There are no records of the miracles they did
(until the book of Acts) and very few instances of any significant act by any
of them. While Peter made a profound
statement acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God (Matt. 16:16), he
then brashly rebuked the Lord and was in turn sternly rebuked by Him (vv.
22-23). Peter’s one impressive act,
walking on the water, was spoiled when his faith failed (Matt. 15:15-17;
16:5-12), or lack of humility (Mark 9:33-34; Luke 9:46-48).
“But despite their shortcomings, the
Twelve willingly gave up everything to follow Jesus Christ (Matt. 19:27; Luke
5:11), and made a permanent break with their past. That set them apart from many who temporarily
followed Jesus, as an examination of John chapter 6 reveals. A large crowd was attracted to Jesus because
He healed the sick (v.2) and fed them (vv. 5-14). The next day many of them crossed the Sea of
Galilee in search of Jesus (vv. 22-25).
Knowing their hearts (cf. v. 64), the Lord rebuked them for following
Him with improper motives (vv. 26-27).
He then taught them profound truths about Himself that many were not
prepared to accept (vv. 28-65), and ‘as a result of this many of His disciples
withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore’ (v. 66). Turning to the Twelve, Jesus asked them, ‘You
do not want to go away also, do you?’ (v. 67).
Speaking for all of them, ‘Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom
shall we go? You have words of eternal
life. We have believed and have come to
know that You are the Holy One of God’’(vv. 68-69). Unlike the fickle crowds, the Twelve (with
the exception of Judas; (vv. 70-71) were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah
as well as the Son of God.”
Spiritual
Meaning for my life today: Pride is something that can get me
into trouble, while being humble can exalt the Lord.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to trust the Lord as I go
through this great deal of trouble in dealing what is going on with my wife as
she battles cancer, an awful foe.
7/1/2026
9:30 AM
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