Paul's Dedication to God's Glory (1 Thess. 2:6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/6/2014 10:00 AM

My Worship Time                                                          Focus:  Paul’s Dedication to God’s Glory

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference: 1 Thessalonians 2:6

            Message of the verses:  “nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority.”

4/6/2014 2:15 PM

            We will finish up a section of 1 Thessalonians chapter two in today’s SD, a section that helps us to understand what the duties of Spiritual leaders are and at the end of this section I want to put in a quote from John MacArthur as he summarizes how this section (verses 1-6) speaks of Spiritual leaders.

            We can be assured that Paul was a humble person, and not a proud person for in this verse we see that his desire was not to seek glory for himself, but to bring glory to the Lord who called him to be an apostle of the Gospel.  We remember from that calling that Paul was leaving Jerusalem to go to Damascus in order to pick up true believers of Jesus Christ and bring them back to Jerusalem in order to put them in jail, but on the way Paul met the Lord and his life was never the same.  Paul knew that what happened to him was nothing he did on his own, but something that the Lord did and therefore he had nothing to be proud about.  I believe that he was accused by his enemies of being proud, trying to bring honor to himself as false believers tends to do.  I suppose that there are true believers who have pride problems too, but honestly what do any of us who are true believers have to be proud of?  On different occasions I have quoted a song by a man named Roger Miller who sang back in the 50’s and 60’s, and one of his recordings was about pride.  The song is entitled “Husbands and Wives” and it goes like this:

“Two broken hearts, lonely, looking like
Houses where nobody lives
Two people, each having so much pride inside
Neither side forgives

The angry words, spoken in haste
Such a waste of two lives
It's my belief, pride is the chief cause and the decline
In the number of husbands and wives

A woman and a man, a man and a woman
Some can and some can't and some can

Two broken hearts, lonely, looking like
Houses where nobody lives
Two people, each having so much pride inside
Neither side forgives

The angry words, spoken in haste
Such a waste of two lives
It's my belief, pride is the chief cause and the decline
In the number of husbands and wives

Husbands and wives”

            The following are several quotes from John MacArthur and also Warren Wiersbe that will help us better understand this verse along with a review of the first six verses of this chapter.

            “Apostles refers to specially call messengers.  In the strictest sense, the plural apostles was likely intended to link Paul (as one who had seen the risen Christ and been personally commissioned by Him) to the Twelve so as to identify his unique authority.  IN less specific sense, it could designate Silas and Timothy as apostles of the churches, chosen not directly by Christ but by the churches (cf. Rom. 16:7; Phil. 2:25).”  (John MacArthur)

            “Some Christians try to win friends and influence people by appealing to their egos.  A true ministry of the Gospel deals honestly (but lovingly) with sin and judgment and leaves the unbeliever with nothing to boast of in himself.  Paul’s method was as pure as his motive: he presented the Word of God in the power of the Spirit, and trusted God to work.”  (Warren Wiersbe)

            “This passage sets forth five key qualities of fail-proof spiritual leadership:  tenacity, because the leader trusts totally in the power of God; integrity, because the leader is fully committed to the truth of God; accountability, because the leader knows the omniscient God examines his heart; and humility, because the leader is consumed with the glory of God.  If he has qualities, he will be well on his way to exercising fail-proof spiritual leadership.”  (John MacArthur)  

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Pride is something that is hard to deal with, something that I believe the Spirit of God has to remove from my life by the Word of God.  God hates pride, and therefore I do not want anything to do with it.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Jezebel” (1 Kings 19:1-2).

Today’s Bible question:  “Which book deals with the Levites and the Priests?”

4/6/2014 2:50 PM

Paul's Motivation by God's Knowledge (1 Thess. 2:4b-5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/5/2014 10:17 PM

My Worship Time                                                Focus:  Paul’s Motivation By God’s Knowledge

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1 Thess. 2:4b-5

            Message of the verses:  “so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. 5 For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed-God is witness,”

            Anyone who has been a believer in Jesus Christ for a while knows that there is a battle that goes on between your old nature and your new nature and also between your new nature and, as Paul puts it in Ephesians chapter six, “but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Jesus went up against this while on earth as Satan tempted Him greatly as described in Matthew chapter four.  My point here is that Paul had people against him in all of the places that he preached the gospel and so he defended himself against those who were trying to undermine what he was doing.  Paul knew that these enemies were not his judge, but God was and Paul tried to please God all of the time.  Paul defended himself in 1 Cor. 4:1-5 with these words:  “1 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 3 But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4 For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5  Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

            John MacArthur writes:  “since the Lord is the true Judge, the apostle called upon God as his Witness in the care of this church and asked Him to confirm that he and his friends had not come to exploit the Thessalonians with flattering speech.  The person using flattering speech compliments someone else merely as a ploy to win favor with the person or to gains power over him.  Paul did not stoop to the sin of flattery, no doubt remembering the Old Testament words:  ‘May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks great things.”

            False teachers would use flattery to get the things they wanted from the unsuspecting people whom they came into contact with. Paul was not like this. 

            Warren Wiersbe writes:  “I once read that a flatterer is a person who manipulates rather than communicates.  A flatterer can use either truth or lies to achieve the unholy purpose, which is to control your decisions for his own profit.

            “Some people even flatter themselves.  ‘For he flatters himself in his own eyes’ (Ps. 36:2).”  Wiersbe goes on to say that the example of this found in the OT was Haman, which is found in the book of Ester.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I must remember that God is my judge, but He can use others to help me see the error of my ways.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Syrophenicia” (Mark 7:26-28).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who threatened Elijah’s life on Mt. Carmel?”

Answer in our next SD.

4/5/2014 10:48 PM

           

Paul's Commissioning by God's Will (1 Thessalonians 2:4a)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/4/2014 9:09 AM

My Worship Time                                                     Focus:  Paul’s commissioning by God’s Will

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference: 1 Thessalonians 2:4a

            Message of the verse:  “but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel,”

            Just a reminder before we begin this Spiritual Diary and that is that these first six verses of the second chapter of 1 Thessalonians deal with being a spiritual leader of which Paul was probably the best that there ever was, but even that did not mean that he was perfect in being a spiritual leader.  If Paul, being the best was not perfect this means than no one can be a successful spiritual leader without the grace and leading of the Lord.  One of the characteristics of a spiritual leader was that he was commissioned by the will of God, and I believe that this is not true of all of the spiritual leaders we have in this day and age and for that matter in any past day and age, for there were counterfeits in Paul’s day and there are counterfeits in our day as well.

            Paul and the other apostles were surely different than spiritual leaders that we have today, for there are no more apostles today and have not been any since John died somewhere around 90 AD.  These men were given special things to do, that are not being done today like the great responsibility of establishing the church and writing Scripture.  Paul knew that he was speaking the Word of God, and knew that he also wrote the Word of God, and this is not being done today. 

            Paul was called by the Lord as seen in Acts 9:1-18, so we know from this and other places in the NT that Paul was commissioned by the Lord and was entrusted with the gospel.  We spoke earlier of being a steward, and Paul was a steward of the gospel, as it was his job to get the gospel out to others and to begin churches with the gentiles.  Paul was commissioned to go to the gentiles and Peter to the Jews.

            John MacArthur writes “The perfect tense of the verb dedokimasmetha (have been approved) means Paul was tested and found valid, he was given a lasting approval.  God had validated and continued to approve Paul’s ministry.”

            In closing this SD I want to quote some verses which Paul reiterated that truth of the concept of him being an apostle of God.

            “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me (1 Cor. 15:10).”

            “To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ (Eph. 3:8).”

            “According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.  I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service (1 Tim. 1:11-12).”

            “But at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior (Titus 1:3).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Being a steward of God to tell others about the Gospel is the greatest thing that I could ever do.  I have been in the room at the hospital and watched my children being born, and I have been in the room where they were born-again and being with them when they were born-again was better, because I knew that they would be in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  1 Peter 3:15.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-10

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, being made in the likeness of men.  8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  9  For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10  so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Jesus” (John 8:7).

Today’s Bible question:  “What nationality was the woman who told Jesus that dogs ate the children’s crumbs?”

Answer in our next SD.

4/4/2014 9:56 AM

Paul Was Committed to the Truth of God (1 Thessalonians 2:3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/3/2014 9:15 PM

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Paul’s Commitment to God’s Truth

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1 Thessalonians 2:3

            Message of the verse:  3 For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit.”  “3 Our message to you is true, our motives are pure, our conduct is absolutely above board.”  (Philips)

            I can say that there is a lot packed into this verse, and I will try, with the help of John MacArthur and also Warren Wiersbe to make sense of what this verse has to say to us.

            I can think of Jesus saying to His disciples a short time before He went to the cross these words:  “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.”  A little while later Jesus was before Pilate in one of His trials and He tried to explain to Pilate what truth was, but he did not have time to listen, and this was too bad for him.  One of the attributes of God is truth, and as we have seen truth is a person, Jesus Christ.  Paul took the truth of God, through the truth of His Word very seriously as he tells the Thessaloians in this verse.

            We can tell by what Paul is writing that he was being opposed from those who were involved in religion for dishonest gain, some would get sexual favors, or money and this is what Paul’s accusers were accusing him of doing.  We mentioned that God gave Paul the truth soon after He saved him as seen in the book of Galatians. 

            John MacArthur breaks down the word exhortation stating that the word is translated from the Greek word “paraklesis) and it means “an urgent cry appeal, or call with an emphasis on judgment.  Such usage stressed for Paul’s readers the urgency and directness of his preaching.  He did not stra from the truth or operate apart from the standard of divine revelation.  Paul assured them there was no false teaching or living –in other words, error—in his ministry.”

            I have mentioned that Paul’s critics probably were accusing him of error, but Paul states that he was preaching the truth.  Paul mentions the importance of teaching and preaching the truth to his son in the faith, Timothy.  One of the places we see this is the verse that I have chosen to be the name of my blog 2 Timothy 2:15 which states “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”  It is my desire to write nothing but the truth as I do my Spiritual Diaries and then put them on my blog.

            John MacArthur writes about the word “impurity” in his commentary on 1 Thessalonians and he states that this word is usually used in a sexual way, a sexual way that did not go along with the Word of God.  Sexual acts were very common in false religious ceremony during the days of Paul, and Paul was accused of doing this same kind of thing, but of course, this was not true. 

            One more word to look at and that is the word “deceit” which is translated from the Greek word dolos  and this word means a fishhook or a trap or trick which are forms of deception.  Paul did not use these kinds of tricks, but only taught the truth that is found in God’s Word. 

Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “Paul did not trap people into being saved, the way a clever salesman traps people into buying his product.  Spiritual witnessing and ‘Christian salesmanship are different.  Salvation does not lie at the end of a clever argument or a subtle presentation.  It is the result of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:5).”

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I surely take it to heart in doing my Spiritual Diaries and listen and read from people I trust to have a good knowledge of the Word of God, and then pass on this truth to those who read it on my blogs.  I never want to write something that is not true and I never want to water down the Word of God like some people I have known to have done.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I want to remember that the successful Christian life is a series of new beginnings.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-10

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “"Beware of the false prophets, - "You will know them by their fruits.

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Answer in our next SD.

4/3/2014 10:14 PM

Paul's Confidence in the Power of God (1 Thessalonians 2:3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/2/2014 8:32 AM

My Worship Time                                                         Focus:  Paul’s Confidence in God’s Power

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1 Thessalonians 2:3

            Message of the verses:  I want to begin with a preview of what we will be looking at in the first six verses in 1 Thessalonians chapter one, and even though we have already looked briefly at verse we will be looking at the following items in verses three through six.  John MacArthur writes the following as a preview of what we will be looking at:  “As he (Paul) continued the defends of ministry in this section of the letter, Paul expressed five ingredients that opened his ministry to divine power: his confidence in God’s power, is commitment to God’s truth, his commissioning by God’s will, his motivation by God’s knowledge, and his dedication to God’s glory.”  We look at the first one in today’s SD.

            “2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition.” (1 Thessalonians 2:3)

            As we look at this verse we can see that one of the things that Paul was in his life was being fearless.  Paul and Silas had just been beaten and humiliated while in Philippi, they were thrown into the lowest part of the prison where they were chained so that they would not escape, and what did they do?  They began a praise session to the Lord by singing songs to the Lord, and those songs must truly have been meaningful for after God sent and earthquake to the prison which lessened all chains that were holding all of the prisoners none of them tried to escape.  I think that they wanted to hear more of what Paul and Silas were talking and singing about.  The jailor decided to try and kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped, but Paul stopped him and eventually lead him and his whole family to the Lord.  I guess he was listening to Paul and Silas too. This was the birth of the Philippian Church.

            I mention Paul being fearless, and fear has been a problem since the fall of man.  Let us look at what soon took place after Adam and Eve fell.  “9 Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.’”  (Genesis 3:9-10)  We surely did not hear anything about fear before they sinned, and we didn’t hear about them having any problems with being naked before the fall either.  When sin entered the universe, fear also entered too.

            Yesterday I went to pick up my wife at the airport and got there a little bit early and then I get a phone call from her saying her flight would be late, about two hours late which turned out to be three hours late.  I walked around the airport looking for something to occupy myself for I had forgot to bring a book which would have been a big help to pass the time.  I finally went into a book store where I could not find anything.  Then later on I returned to the bookstore and found a book on fear.  I wanted to read this book so I paid the “full” price for it and began to read it.  I was disappointed that the book was written by a Pastor from a part of Christendom that I have problems with, but decided to read it anyway since I had nothing better to do.  When I was a very young believer my pastor said something that I never forgot.  He said that he liked to read and when he was reading a book that he did not agree with, he equated it to eating fish.  He said that when you eat fish and come to a bone you through it out.  I thought that I would be throwing out a lot of bones from this book on fear, but surprisingly I found few bones so far in this book.  Fear is in the hearts of everyone in some way or another as we all fear something.  I suppose public speaking is number one on a lot of people’s lists, and dying is close to the top too.  When we look at movies about soldiers who plunge headlong into battle we think that there is no fear in them, but there is.  The author writes “Always remember that fearlessness is not the absence of fear; it’s the mastery of fear.”  I think of a couple of verses that speak of fear and how God can care for our fears:  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).”  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love (1 John 4:18).”  There was no fear before the fall, and so we must believe that God can handle our fears if we allow him too and a good example of God handling one’s fears can be seen in the Apostle Paul, for he had much to fear, but he trusted the Lord.  If you or I would have gone through what he went through while in Philippi we probably would not have left there and walked the 100 miles to Thessalonica.

            Our verse states that Paul and Silas suffered and were mistreated in Philippi.  MacArthur states that the word suffer refers primarily to the physical abuse, however mistreated refers to the public disgrace that they went through.  After all Paul and Silas were both Roman citizens and none of this should have happened to them, but if it didn’t then the jailor would not have heart the good news of the Gospel. 

            After the walked the 100 miles to Thessalonica they were also mistreated there as seen in Acts 17:5-6.  They were accused of treason and unfairly assaulted by a mob:  “5  But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. 6 When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have upset the world have come here also (Acts 17:5-6).” 

            We mentioned that even though Paul and Silas were treated badly at Philippi they came to Thessalonica and preached the Gospel there, and Paul says that it was the Gospel of God.  We have also heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and also Paul states that it was his gospel so what exactly does the Gospel of God mean?  “The term gospel of God appears two more times in chapter 2 (vv. 8, 9) as well as in Mark 1:14; Romans 1:1; 15:16; 2 Corinthians 11:7; and 1 Peter 4:17.  It describes the gospel from the perspective of God as the source.  It is the good news designed by and revealed from God about what He has done to redeem sinners through His grace and by His Son Jesus Christ.”  (John MacArthur) 

            In closing I want to quote both John MacArthur on how they look at the word opposition and how it fits into this verse.  MacArthur states that the word opposition gives us our English word “agonize.”  “It referred to an agonizing life and death struggle.  In the ministry, there is always pressure to mitigate the message, to be inoffensive to sinners, to make the gospel acceptable to them.  But such compromise had no place in Pauls’s strategy.  Instead, he had full confidence in God’s power to overcome all opposition and achieve His redemptive purpose.  The servant of God preaches the true, unmitigated message God has laid out in His Word, not some other message.”  Why does he do this?  It is for sure that he wants to please the Lord, and Paul stated in Philippians “for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” 

            Warren Wiersbe states the following on the word “contention.”  “This is an athletic term that means ‘a contest, a struggle.’  Te Greed world was familiar with athletic contests, and Paul often used this idea to illustrate spiritual truths (1 Cor. 9:24-27; Phil 3:13-14; 2 Tim. 4:7).  He used this same word in Philippians 1:30 where he pictured the Christian life as an athletic contest that demanded dedication and energy.  It had not been easy to start a church in Philippi, and it was not easy to start one in Thessalonica.” No with was not easy, but Paul had complete confidence in God to accomplish what God had planned form him to accomplish.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Continue to learn about being fearless, trusting in the Lord to accomplish the things He desires to accomplish in my life.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Remember 1 John 4:18.

Memory verses for this week:  Philippians 2:5-10

5 Have this attitude in yourself which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not count regard with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of man.  8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Judaea” (Galatians 1:22).

Today’s Bible question:  “What did Jesus teach regarding false prophets?”

Answer in our next SD.

4/2/2014 9:54 AM

 

                  

Paul's Opening Reminder (1 Thessalonians 2:1)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/1/2014 5:06 PM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Paul’s Opening Reminder

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1 Thessalonians 2:1

            Message of the verse:  “1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain.”  (NASB)  “1 My brothers, you know from your own experience that our visit to you was no failure.”  (Philips)

            As we look at this verse we must remind ourselves of what we learned in the first chapter of this letter, for we learned that there were ten characteristics of the elect that these believers demonstrated, so this surely means that Paul’s coming to them was not in vain.  Let us look at the word vain to help us better understand this verse:  John MacArthur writes the following about this word.  “Vain translates kenos, which means ‘empty.’  The term also could denote something that was without purpose, effect, or importance and was thus inconsequential.”  We know from our study of the first chapter that this was not true of Paul’s coming to them.

            Paul was a steward of the Gospel message and it was not taught to him by humans.  Galatians 1:11-12 says:  “11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”  Latter on in the letter to the Galatians Paul gives a brief history of what happened to him after Christ spoke to him on the road, which is seen in the ninth chapter of the book of Acts.  Paul spent much time with the Lord who taught him the things that he taught to others.  Yes Paul was a steward of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but we must remember that we too are stewards of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are accountable to our Lord as stewards, just as Joseph was accountable to Potiphar as seen in Genesis 39:1-6.  Jesus tells us that all of His stewards will given an account to Him one day:  “1 Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.”  This was a parable of an unjust steward who had to give an account to his master.  We can be assured that we will also have to give an account to our Lord, and this will be done at the Judgment Seat of Christ which is spoke of in both Romans and the letters to the Corinthians.  Warren Wiersbe writes “The message of the Gospel is a treasure God has entrusted to us.  We must not bury it; we must invest it so it will multiply and produce ‘spiritual dividends’ to God’s glory.  Some Christians think that the church’s only responsibility is to protect the Gospel from those who would change it (Sal. 1:6-9).  But we also must share the Gospel; otherwise, we are protecting it in vain.” 

            Let us look at two verses on the word faithfulness, which is what we as stewards are to be:  “1 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”  In the KJV the word that is translated “trustworthy” in the NASB is translated “faithful” 53 times. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Just as Paul, Silas, and Timothy were faithful in preaching the gospel to those who were in Thessalonica so I want to be found faithful as a good steward of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Giving the pure truth of the Gospel is probably one of the most important things that I can do, for in doing this the Holy Spirit can change a life and also can change where a person will spend eternity.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  As a steward I want to be faithful.

Memory verses for the week:  Philippians 2:5-10

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Answer to our last Bible Question:  “And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.”  (Numbers 21:8)

Today’s Bible Question:  To the churches of what place was Paul unknown by face?”

Answer in our next SD. 

4/1/2014 5:50 PM

 

Joab Gives Thanks to King David (2 Samuel 14:21-27)

10/2/2010 9:42:28 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Joab gives thanks to the king

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  2Sam. 14:21-27

 

            Message of the verses:  “21 ¶  Then the king said to Joab, "Behold now, I will surely do this thing; go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom." 22  Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king; then Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, O my lord, the king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant." 23  So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24  However the king said, "Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face." So Absalom turned to his own house and did not see the king’s face. 25  Now in all Israel was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no defect in him. 26  When he cut the hair of his head (and it was at the end of every year that he cut it, for it was heavy on him so he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at 200 shekels by the king’s weight. 27  To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of beautiful appearance.”

 

            Joab had many fault that are recorded in the Scriptures but in this case, and one other I can see a side of Joab that is good, for he truly wanted to see the king and his son reunited and after what was probably a long time talking to David Joab finally convinced his to bring his son back to Jerusalem.

            What was the reason that the king would not see his son after Joab made the 160 mile round trip to bring Absalom back home?  He may have trying to see if Absalom was truly sorry for what he did so there was a time before David would see him.  David may have wanted to show others that he would not pamper Absalom.  One thing that just came to my mind is that there was a punishment for rape which Amnon had never received, which the king should have made sure that this happened.  I believe that the person who raped a woman had to pay the father a sum of money and then after that he had to marry her and never divorce her, but in the case of Amnon this would have also been against the law for she was his half sister.  In the case of David’s sin death was the only punishment according to the Law of God, but God showed mercy to David and so perhaps he should have done the same to Absalom. 

            The next part of this section speaks of the popularity of Absalom and how handsome he was and how the people of Jerusalem kind of made an idol out of him because of his appearance and his long hair which weighed five pounds at the end of a year.  I am wondering if he had got some instructions from his grandfather who was king of Geshur on what to do in order to steal the kingdom from his father, for after all he was the crown prince.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Appearance can easily affect how a person responds to another and this makes me think of two important people in the Scriptures who it is said of them that their appearance was nothing to take notice of.  Jesus is one of them for Isaiah speaks of this in his prophecy of the Messiah and it told of Paul that he was not a good looking man, for he was very short, perhaps less than five feet tall, and he had an eye problem.  Listening to a sermon by John MacArthur, he spoke of reading from a book written by a person in the second century who told this of Paul.

            Idols are something to stay away from and the appearance of a person should have no affect on how I react to them of think of them at all.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.      I must trust the Lord to continue to work out all of the details of Sandy and I going over to Hawaii, or trust the He will close the door if He sees fit to do so.  Her illness is something to be concerned about, for this could keep us from leaving on Wednesday and I must pray like the Lord Jesus Christ did in the garden that the will of the Father be done, and also that we will have the grace to live with that will.

 

10/2/2010 10:23:43 AM