SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12-11-03
My Worship Time Focus: Fearing the Lord
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: 1Peter 1:17
Message of the verse: “17
And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to
each man’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon
earth;” (NASB) “17
And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites
when he judges. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you
must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners here on
earth.” (NLT)
Peter is writing to believers and
all believers should call God their Father, so if a person addresses God the
Father as Father then that person must be one of His. Now the judgment that he is writing about is
the “Judgment Seat of Christ,” which is only a family judgment. This judgment will take place in heaven, and
probably after the rapture of the Church while the Tribulation period is happening
on planet earth. In explaining the
meaning of the Greek word that is translated “judgment” Dr. Wiersbe writes, “to
judge in order to find something good,” so this is not a judgment for sins
because that judgment for the believer took place at Calvary. Peter says that God judges impartially, for
He is not a respecter of persons, as Peter says God is looking for us to be
holy just as He is Holy. Peter goes on
to say that believers should conduct themselves in fear while they are
sojourning on this earth. This is a
reverent fear that believers have of the Lord knowing that because our judgment
of sin, which cost God’s only Son His life, then we should realize the
seriousness that God looks at sin.
Believers now serve God because they love God, not out of some fear that
if they make a mistake and sin that they will be banished to hell, for if we
confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.
Spiritual meaning for my life
today: As a born-again believer I
cannot rest upon the accomplishments that God has done through me, but I must
continue to seek His perfect will for my life, keep my life clean from sin, so
that I can worship and serve the Lord in the way that pleases Him. I think of the last recorded words of Peter
in the Bible where he wrote “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever.
Amen.” I have read that there are some
animals that continue to grow all of their lives, and this is my desire spiritually,
to grow in the knowledge of the Lord so that I can continue to worship and
serve Him all of my time that I sojourn on this earth.
The Word
of God was refreshing to my heart and it has also challenged my heart to serve
and worship the Lord.
My Steps of Faith Today: To trust the Lord to give me wisdom regarding how to handle
what is going on at our church. To trust
the Lord to give me wisdom to worship Him in the ways that will please
Him. To trust the Lord with the outcome
of Sandy’s test she had yesterday, to trust the Lord regarding our investment
with Andrew Lech, to trust the Lord to give wisdom to both myself in praying
for the salvation of Valerie Martin, and wisdom for Pat McMurtry as she gives
the devotion at Friday’s tea with the ladies, so that the Spirit of the Lord
will use it to bring about salvation to the unsaved ladies that attend.
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