1/9/2011 8:36:35 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Foreigners who came to pray
Bible Reading
& Meditation Reference: 1Ki. 8:41-42; 2Chron. 6:32-33
Message
of the verses: 41
"Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel,
when he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake 42 (for they will hear of Your great name and
Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward
this house, 43 hear in heaven Your
dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You,
in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as
do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have
built is called by Your name.”
“32 "Also concerning the foreigner who is
not from Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your great
name’s sake and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, when they come and
pray toward this house, 33 then hear
from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the
foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know
Your name, and fear You as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that
this house which I have built is called by Your name.”
I
suppose that this part of Solomon’s prayer is my favorite part because it has
to do with telling others about the God of Israel, and in my case telling
others of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
I don’t want to be too hard on those from Israel, but there are some
things that need to be said such as how the Pharisees looked at Gentiles, and
how they looked down at them as if they were second class people because they
were Jews. One of the themes of the book
of Ephesians is that the Church is made up of both Jews and Gentiles, and when
studying this Dr. MacArthur pointed out that the Jews would rather be around
Lepers than around a Gentile so one can see that Israel had missed the point
that Solomon is praying here and did not make an effort to speak to Gentiles
about their God, which was not only in this prayer but throughout the OT.
I
like this quote from Dr. Wiersbe: “God blesses us that we might be a blessing,
not that we might horde the blessing and boast.” And then from Psalm 67:1-2, “God be merciful
to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be
know on the earth, Your salvation among all nations.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I am not going to say that God does miracles
today like were done during the OT times along with when Christ walked the
earth and the early apostles were here, for the dispensation was different
then, but God does a miracle every time someone is saved for to me, that
constitutes a genuine miracle because it is something that that person cannot
do on their own.
I
cannot keep the miracle that the Lord has done for me a secret, and so as God
gives me opportunity to tell others about this great miracle done for me I must
not horde it but tell others so that the Lord can use my testimony to lead
others to Himself.
My Steps of
Faith for Today:
1.
Tell others about Christ as He gives me opportunity
to do so.
2.
Remember that I am in a Spiritual battle and in need
of putting the whole armor on in order to stand.
3.
Continue to learn contentment.
1/9/2011 9:17:18 AM
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