SPIRITUAL DIARY
Date: 12-17-03
My Worship Time Focus: Spiritual Growth
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: 1Peter 2:1-3
Message of the verse:
“1 ¶ Therefore, putting aside all
malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of
the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” (NASB)
“1 ¶ Therefore, rid yourselves of
all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like
newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in
your salvation, 3 now that you have
tasted that the Lord is good.” (NIV)
Peter is letting his readers know
what the need to do in order to grow in the Lord. He writes that the first thing they must do
is to get rid of some things. Malice is
used 11 times in the NT, and it indicates that wickedness comes from inside of
a person. Paul uses this word in Romans
1:29; Ephesians 4:31; and Titus 3:3.
Peter says that believers are to lay aside these sinful things in order
for the believer to begin to grow.
Believers must keep a short account with the Lord in order to grow. After doing this the believer is to get into
the Word of God, they are to be like a baby who craves milk, but there is more
than just milk in the Word of God, for there is strong meat, bread, and
honey. As the believer grows he will
want more that just the milk of the Word of God. Peter says that the Word of God will cause us
to grow in “respect to salvation.”
Salvation is more than what happens to the believer when he is first
born-again, it is becoming in practice what we are in position. We are righteous, we are becoming more
righteous, we are holy, and we are becoming more holy. Verse three goes on to say that since
believers have tasted that the Lord is good we want to continue in that process
of spiritual growth.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I have heard it said that a
believer is either going forward in his walk with the Lord, or he is going
backwards, and I really think that this is a true statement. By the grace of God I choose to continue to
grow in grace in the knowledge or my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him be glory
both now and forever. Amen.
The Word
of God was refreshing and challenging to my heart as I studied it this morning.
My Steps of Faith Today: There are a number of thing that I need to get done today,
and I surely need the wisdom of the Lord in order to get them done. The Christmas letter needs to be sent out,
for in it tells of the goodness and faithfulness of God, the Christmas cards
need to be made out, and I need to get Dave & Callie’s present bought. I also need to work on my lesson for Fridays
Bible Study. I realize that I need the
presence, wisdom and power of my Lord to accomplish these tasks.
Memory verse for the week: 1Corthians 10:13
13. No temptation has overtake you but such as is
common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond
what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also,
that you may be able to endure it.
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