MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/21/2026
8:48 AM
My
Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “The Commands of Kingdom Love”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference:
Luke
6:27-28
Message of the verses: “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who
mistreat you.”
I want to continue looking at these
verses in this morning’s SD.
I begin with a quotation from John
MacArthur’s commentary: “Paradoxically, love and hate are linked in connection
with the gospel. The Lord’s command to
the apostles in John 15:17, ‘This I command you, that you love one another’ was
followed immediately by a warning that the world would hate them (vv. 18-19).” “18 ¶
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated
you. 19 If you were of the world, the
world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I
chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” “Since sinners love darkness rather than
light (John 3:19), and believers are children of the light (Eph. 5:8), who
present Jesus Christ as the light of the world (John 8:12), they can expect to
be hated by the world.”
(John 3:19)
“19 And this is the judgment: the light has come
into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because
their works were evil.”
(Eph. 5:8)
“8 for at one time you were darkness, but now
you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”
(John 8:12)
“12 ¶ Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the
light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have
the light of life.’”
“Surprisingly, the most intense
hatred always comes from religious people.
Nothing is more precious to religious sinners than the illusion of their
virtue and lofty position before God.
They in effect erect their own personal tower of Babel, a monument to
their own supposed piosity. But the
gospel strips away sinners’ religious veneer of self-righteousness and reveals
them to be wretched, helpless, blind rebels, facing eternal judgment. In response to being unmasked, they lash out
in hatred at those who proclaim the truth to them.
“When believers face hatred, they
are to respond by seeking the welfare of those who hate them, thereby
reinforcing their supernatural love. The
credibility of the gospel is at stake and believers must love the lost
evangelistically.
“Christ’s disciples must not only
manifest love for their enemies by what they do, but also by what they
say. Instead of reviling them, they are
to bless those who curse them; to say good things in response to their
evil words. Many of Christ’s followers were
vilified, cursed, and ostracized in an unofficial way, just as Jesus had warned
would happen (Matt. 10:35-37; Luke 12:51-53).”
(Matt. 10:35-37; Luke 12:51-53)
35 For I have come to set a man against his
father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies
will be those of his own household. 37
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and
whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
“51 Do you think that I have come to give peace
on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be
five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and
son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against
mother-in-law.’’
“Others
were cursed in an official way by being excommunicated from the synagogue,
which Jesus had also predicted would be the case (John 16:2; cf. 9:22; 34;
12:42).
(John 16:2; cf. 9:22; 34; 12:42)
“2 They will put you out of the synagogues.
Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering
service to God.”
“22 (His parents said these things because they
feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess
Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)
“34 They answered him, “You were born in utter
sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.”
“42 ¶ Nevertheless, many even of the authorities
believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that
they would not be put out of the synagogue;”
“This command does not preclude
warning unbelievers of the consequences of their sin, as the Lord Himself did
(cf. 6:24-26; Matt. 23:13-36).
(cf. 6:24-26; Matt. 23:13-36)
“24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you
have received your consolation. 25 “Woe
to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. ”Woe to you who laugh now,
for you shall mourn and weep. 26
"Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their
fathers did to the false prophets.”
(I will
not quote Matthew 23:13-36 because of the length of it.
“Apart
from such warnings, there could be no conviction of sin (cf. John 17:7-11).”
(cf. John 17:7-11)
“7 Now they know that everything that you have
given me is from you. 8 For I have given
them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to
know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for
the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I
am glorified in them. 11 ¶ And I am no
longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy
Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one,
even as we are one.”
“Unbelievers
must be confronted with the reality that apart from repentance from sin and
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ they are cursed (1 Cor. 16:7-11).”
(1 Cor. 16:7-11)
“7 For I do not want to see you now just in
passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost,
9 for a wide door for effective work has
opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 10 ¶ When Timothy comes, that see that you put him
at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way
in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.”
“But when
Christ’s followers confront sinners they must, like Paul, have an attitude of deep
concern and love for them (cf. Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1).”
(cf. Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1)
“1 ¶ I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not
lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing
anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish
that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my
brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
“1 ¶ Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God
for them is that they may be saved.”
“And, like
Paul, they must be willing to pay whatever price is necessary to take the
gospel to the lost (cf. 1 Cor. 9:22: 2 Cor. 11:22-33).”
(cf. 1 Cor. 9:22: 2 Cor. 11:22-33)
“22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win
the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might
save some.”
I am not
going to quote 2 Cor. 11:22-33 because of the length of it.
“Finally, Jesus commanded His
followers to pray for those who mistreat them. Specifically in this context, they are to
pray for their salvation, as Jesus (Luke 23:34) and Stephen (Acts 7:59-60) did.”
(Luke 23:34)
34 Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster
will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.’”
“59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called
out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60
And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not
hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
7/21/2026
10:27 AM
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