MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/16/2026
10:37 AM
My
Worship Time Focus:
“A True
Hearer Listens Fruitfully”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reverence: Luke
8:18
Message of the verse: “So take care how you listen; for
whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he
thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”
In an earlier SD, Jesus’ exhortation
to take care how you listen is the theme of this entire section. Specifically, Jesus warned that people must
be aware that the consequences are serious.
Positively, whoever is a true disciple and has eternal
life, to him more shall be given. Now
the good soil is marked by varying levels of productivity, however it
invariably produces the fruit of salvation; as Jesus told the apostles gathered
in the upper room, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit,
and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8; cf. v. 16).
(John 15:8; cf. v. 16)
“8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear
much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
“16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed
you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that
whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”
Constant
production of fruit watered by the ceaselessly flowing stream of divine grace
(John 1:16; cf. Eph. 1:3-8; 2:7-10; Phil. 1:11) marks true disciples of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
(John 1:16; cf. Eph. 1:3-8; 2:7-10;
Phil. 1:11)
“16 For from his fullness we have all received,
grace upon grace.”
“3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us
in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless
before him. In love 5 he predestined us
for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his
will, 6 to the praise of his glorious
grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and
insight.”
“7 so that in the coming ages he might show the
immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through
faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may
boast. 10 For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we
should walk in them.”
“11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that
comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
John MacArthur writes “But Christ’s
promise of blessing for true disciples is balanced by His warning to false
disciples that whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken
away from him. In the end, the false
disciples lose everything. All of their
self-righteous works that they had counted on to bring them salvation will turn
out to be nothing but rubbish (Phil. 3:8), vain things that cannot save (Acts
14:15).”
(Phil. 3:8)
“8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of
the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have
suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may
gain Christ”
(Acts 14:15)
“15 "Men, why are you doing these things? We
also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you
should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the
earth and the sea and all that is in them.”
“Like the
wicked, lazy, unfaithful slave in the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30),
they will be cast ‘into the outer darkness…[where] there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth’ (30).
(Matt. 25:14-30)
“14 ¶ "For it will be like a man going on a
journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two,
to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at
once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two
talents more. 18 But he who had received
the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those
servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came
forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five
talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and
faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over
much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22
And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you
delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and
faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over
much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24
He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I
knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where
you scattered no seed, 25 so I was
afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is
yours.’ 26 But his master answered him,
‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown
and gather where I scattered no seed? 27
Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming
I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to
him who has the ten talents. 29 For to
everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from
the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer
darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Spiritual
Meaning for my life today:
I suppose that at times, many times, listening has been something that I need
to do a better job of, as that is important.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: I am trusting the Lord that when I go to this
grieving class that I will take the time to listen to what others in the class
are going through. To be a good
listener.
9/16/2026
11:07 AM
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