SPIRITUAL
DIARY
Date: 02-25-03
My
Worship Time Focus: Moving on to maturity
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Hebrews 6:1
1.Message
of the verse: “Therefore leaving the
elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying
again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,” (NASB)
“So let us stop going over the basics of Christianity again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our
understanding. Surely we don’t need to
start all over again with the importance of turning away from evil deeds and
placing our faith in God.” (NLT)
As said
before these Hebrew believers were not maturing in their new faith and thus
wanted to leave it and go back to Judaism.
There are six OT features listed in verses one and two and I will go
over the first two that are mentioned in this verse. The first feature is repentance and this was
taught in the OT and its form in the OT is turning away from evil deeds that
bring death and turn to God. The problem
that many Jews had with this is that is was done outwardly but not from the
heart. In the New Testament repentance
(and I must say that this too was practiced in the OT when someone truly turned
from their sins and trusted the Lord to take away their sins, knowing that it
was impossible for them to take care of their own sin problem,) one confesses
his sins to the Father and believes that Jesus Christ has already paid for his
sins on the cross and therefore can have a new relationship with God. The second feature is faith toward God and
the Jews in the OT did at times have faith in God the Father because they did
not believe in the Trinity. On must have
faith in Jesus Christ too as taught in the NT.
These features from the OT that he is speaking of were shadows while in
the NT they are substances.
2. Spiritual meaning for my life today: In speaking of repentance Dr. Wiersbe says
that it comes from or is brought about from God and sites Acts 5:31 & 11:18
as proof of this. I believe that the
Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is the One who brings about conviction in my
life by using the Scriptures to show me when I have done something that is
sinful. I am then to agree with Him that
this is sin and turn from it. I know
that there are times when anger takes control in my life and it did happen
yesterday when my lack of patience brought about anger in my life. I know that this is wrong and so I agree with
God that this is sinful and ask His forgiveness for this.
The Word of God was convicting to my soul as I read it this
morning.
My
Steps of Faith Today: To
say that I am sorry about my anger and lack of patience towards Sandy last
night.
Memory verses for the week:
Psalm 40:1,2
- I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard
my cry,
- He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry
clay; And set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
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