SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/18/2014 8:55 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Being
Constantly Thankful
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 1
Thessalonians 5:18
Message of the
verses: “18 in everything give
thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
We are looking at the last command given by Paul that
John MacArthur writes about in the 16th chapter of his commentary on
1 & 2 Thessalonians in which he names this chapter “The Sheep’s
Responsibilities to the Great Shepherd Part One.” Yes there are more of these commands in
chapter 17th of his commentary that come from the fifth chapter of 1
Thessalonians.
I want to begin with a statement that is pretty oblivious
to me as I read these seemingly impossible commands that we have been looking
at in this section, that of always being joyful, always having an attitude of
prayer, and now always giving thanks and being thankful. Humanly speaking I know that I cannot do
these things. I have to remember that
when the Lord saved me that He gave me a new heart, and also gave me His Holy
Spirit to live within me to do His will.
Philippians 2:13 reads as follows “for it is God who is at work in you,
both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” God is the One working in my life so that I
can do the things that He commands me to do.
I believe that I must desire to have Him do these things in my life, to
be joyful, to have an attitude of prayer, and to give thanks for the things
that happen in my life knowing that as Romans 8:28 says “And we know that God
causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who
are called according to His purpose.”
When I think about this verse I think of God’s powerfulness as He can
use all things that come into my life to work together for good for me and to
bring glory to Him. That is the kind of
God I desire to worship.
Those who have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord are naturally unthankful as seen in Romans 1:21 “For even
though they knew God, [through conscience and general revelation] they did not
honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations,
and their foolish heart was darkened.”
(Bracket items given my John MacArthur.)
Now as believer we see we are always to be thankful, to in everything
give thanks, and MacArthur writes that this word “everything” (en panti) “refers to all that occurs in
life. No matter what struggles, trials,
testing’s, or vicissitudes occur in the lives of Christians (with the obvious
exception of personal sins), they are to give thanks (Acts 5:41; cf. James
1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6-9). Thankfulness
therefore should be part of the fabric of the regenerate life, a gracious fruit
of the Holy Spirit’s work within the believer’s heart (cf. Col. 2:7).” “Rooted and built up in him and established
in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving (Col. 2:7)”
(ESV).
Yes, trying to be joyful always, living always with an
attitude of prayer, and giving thanks for everything is impossible without the
power of God in my heart. As I have been
studying the book of Jeremiah, one of the chapters that have special meaning to
me is chapter 32, and now I want to quote verses 26-27 of Jeremiah 32 in order
to encourage my heart that I can do the commands that Paul is writing to the
Thessalonians in this fifth chapter of 1 Thessalonians: “26 Then the word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah, saying, 27 "Behold, I am
the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"” I am going to go out on a limb and say that nothing
is too difficult for the Lord, even working in my heart to be continually
joyful, that is knowing that God is in charge of all things, to give me an
attitude of continued prayer, and also to cause me to give thanks for
everything knowing that this is God’s will for me.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I am thankful to
be reminded that God is in control of everything, and that nothing is too
difficult for Him, and so I can rest assured that God will fulfill these three
commands in my life.
My Steps of Faith for Today: John MacArthur writes “It is God’s will that
all those who are in Christ Jesus should express constant joy, constant prayer,
and constant thanksgiving, and God not only mandates those expressions of
righteousness, but He makes it possible for believer to articulate them and is
pleased when they do,” “for it is God
who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil.
2:13).”
Memory verses for the
week: Colossians 3:1-6.
1 Therefore if you have
been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set
your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you died and you life is hidden with
Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our
life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 5 Therefore consider the member of your
earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed,
which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is
because of these things that the wrath of God has come upon the sons of
disobedience,
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “She was not ruled by kingly
power.”
Today’s Bible
question: “Who else beside Moses and
Aaron, had their rods become serpents before Pharaoh?”
Answer in our next SD.
8/18/2014 10:00 AM
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