SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 03/25/2004
My
Worship Time Focus: Sensuality and greed also describe the false
teachers
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: 2Peter 2:2,3
Message
of the verse: “Many will follow
their flagrant immorality and thereby bring discredit on the way of truth. In their lust to make converts these men will
try to exploit you too with their bogus arguments. But judgment has been for
some time hard on their heels and their downfall is inevitable.” (PHIIPS)
“Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And
because of them, Christ and his true way will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies
to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their
destruction is on the way.” (NLT)
Many
people are willing to listen to lies because they cannot handle the truth. False teachers give just enough truth to ease
the conscience of their prey, and then they can exploit them because they
believe their lies. Having sexual
relations outside the will of God has been one of the tricks of false prophets
and teachers for a long time. There were
many times in OT Israel that they had shrine prostitutes of both male and
female as part of their worship that they got for the pagan nations that surrounded
them. People want just enough “religion”
to scratch their itching ears.
The sad
part about this is that many of these people are part of the church, at least
that is where they attend, and because of this they bring down the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus told a parable
about a farmer who went out to sow good seed, and then in the night an enemy
went out and sowed weeds in the same ground that the farmer had sown good seed. The farmers servant ask if he should go out
and dig up the weeds, but the farmer told him not to do so because he might dig
up some of the good seed along with the weeds.
His orders to the servant was to let them both grow up together and when
both were fully grown they would be able to tell the difference between the two
and then burn up the weeds. The weeds
that the enemy had sown was called darnel and as it grows it looks just like
the good seed, but it will not produce any fruit when fully grown like the good
seed does. It is obvious that the weeds
are the false teachers, and they grow up in the setting of the church, and
sometimes it is difficult to tell the darnel from the good seed.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: I do not
want to fall into the traps that these false teachers have fallen into. I also want to know the truth so well that
they will not fool me.
The Word of God was again challenging to me as I read and
studied it this morning.
My
Steps of Faith Today: To put
into the Lord’s hands the decision about buying Beth’s car and then trust Him
for the answer.
Memory verses for the week:
Proverbs 3:5-9
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not upon
your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your
path.
Do not be wise in your own eyes, Fear the Lord and depart
from evil
It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your
bones.
Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the
firstfruits of all your increase.
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