SPIRITUALL
DIARY FOR 08-19-03
My
Worship Time Focus: Endurance
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: James 1:4
1. Message of the verse: “4 And let endurance have its perfect result,
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (NASB)
“So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be
strong in character and ready for anything.”
(NLT)
I want to
explain the word translated for “complete” in this verse from the Strong’s
Concordance: “complete in all its parts,
in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole.” This is speaking of maturity. This verse
seems to be part of a process that the Lord takes us through on the maturing
process. Yesterday I spoke about the
trials bring about endurance or patience, and that you get this through faith
in the Lord through His Word and His Holy Spirit. Now the believer is to allow this patience or
endurance to work in their life to bring about maturity. God wants the believer to trust Him through
these trials to bring about maturity in their lives. Paul spoke of this in his writings in
Ephesians 2:8-10. There are three works
that are involved in the Christian life that are explained in these
verses. 1. Salvation, which is the work that God has
done for us through Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross on our
behalf. 2. The is the work done in us through God which
is sanctification, which is where God builds character in our lives, and we
become more like Jesus Christ as Romans 8:29 speaks of: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to
become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among
many brethren.” 3. The next is service, which God does through
us. God has to build character in us
before he can work through us in service.
There are examples of this in the OT in the lives of Abraham, and
Joseph, and Moses, for God worked to build character in Moses’ life for 80
years before he served the Lord for the next 40 years leading the people of
God.
2. Spiritual meaning for my life today: God has been working in my life for 29 plus
years, and my prayer is that for the rest of the days He give me will be used
in service for the cause of Jesus Christ.
The Word of God was indeed a challenge to my heart as I
read it this morning.
My
Steps of Faith Today: To
allow God to use the trials in my life each day to bring about endurance and
for the endurance to bring about maturity that I may serve Him as He works
through me. I want my life to be a
vessel that the Lord will fill each day for His honor and glory.
Memory verse for the week:
Psalm 121:8
8.
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From
this time forth and forever.
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