SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/23/2014 11:19 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The
Responsibility To Be Discerning
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 1
Thessalonians 5:21-22
Message of the
verses: “21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to
that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.”
As we look at these two short verses and think about what
they say we may come up with one of the great problems that faces the church in
today’s society. The problem is that of
intellectualism, for I would suppose that we perhaps are the most intellectual
society that has ever existed. Now let
me say more about that statement. When
God created Adam and then Eve they could use 100 % of their brain power, and we
today use only 10% of our brain power so why would I say that we are the most
intellectual society to ever exist? Let
me go back to another event that happened in the book of Genesis to help us
understand more about that statement.
There was only one language spoken by the people that were on the earth
until after the flood we find that people gathered together in a place called
Babel and begin to build towers that reached into the heavens, now these towers
were built not to reach heaven, but to chart the stars. Man was becoming too smart too fast and so
God mixed up the languages and this stopped their progress. It has taken mankind many thousands of years
to regain their intelligence, or at least gather things together as only man
has the ability to do. Mankind can reach
back to what man has done in earlier generations and add to it, but the problem
was that they could not communicate this information to others so that they
could add to it, but now in this highly advanced technological society we can
send messages around the earth very fast.
I can send an email to a friend in Aruba as fast as I can send one to my
children who only life a few miles away.
Now what does all of this advanced technology have to do
with problems in the church today? We
fall into things that man has come up with as a part of this technological
society we live in. For instance take
something that is near and dear to my heart as a problem in the church today
and that is evolution. I believe just as John MacArthur has stated that
evolution is impossible, it could never happen, and yet there are people in the
true church today that believe that the earth is very old and that there is a
gap between the first two verses in Genesis chapter one. This weakens the church and as a true
believer in Jesus Christ I should “examine” this and come up with the truth
that evolution is impossible and that the Word of God is entirely true with no
mistakes. Another problem is psychology
for we even have “Christian Psychologists” today in the world and they too go
to schools that teach things that are not true.
The biggest problem we have in the world today is sin, and it always has
been the biggest problem we have. People
do what they do because they are born sinners and sin because they are born
that way. Jesus Christ has solved the
sin problem for those who accept His free gift of salvation that He purchased
on the cross, but even when we become believers we still sin because we still
have that old sinful nature in us. I
believe that when a person has a problem that they should first of all go to
their Pastor who is suppose to be able to help them through that problem. I also believe that there are medical
problems that people have that they need medicine to help them through their
problems. I had a dear friend who
actually killed himself and it was because of a deep seated medical problem, a
problem that even medicine did not care for even though he was on medicine. We have to be very careful is what Paul is
telling us and we are to examine everything to make sure that we are following
the truth that is taught in Scripture.
John MacArthur writes “Spiritual discernment is the ability to
distinguish divine truth from error and half-truth and is essential to the
Christian life. That is why the apostle
Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to examine everything. Examine translates dokimazo, a common New Testament word that often refers to testing
something for authenticity. It entails
distinguishing between true and false, right and wrong, or good and bad (cf. 2
Sam. 14:17 "Then your maidservant said, ’Please let the word of my lord
the king be comforting, for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to
discern good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.’") Sometimes the word denotes the process of
distinguishing what is pleasing to the Lord (Eph. 5:10; cf. Rom. 12:2). Everything permits no exceptions; it includes
every issue and idea that might confront believers.” Now let us look at his the word “evil.” Evil refers to something that is actively
harmful or malignant. Such evil, which
includes lies and distortions of truth as well as moral perversions, appears in
many forms.” Because of this Paul says
that we are to shun every form of evil.
MacArthur ends by writing “Believers who yield to the
Holy Spirit’s complete control will appreciate Scripture’s character, allow its
power to sanctify their lives, and examine everything by its standards. Thus they will fulfill three more vital
responsibilities all believers have to Jesus Christ—to honor His Spirit, obey
His Word, and exercise spiritual discernment.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I think another
thing that may be added to this is that as a believer I must hate my sin as
much as the Lord hates, and see my sin as He sees it so that I then will feel
the same way about it and yield to the Spirit of God to keep me from sinning.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Remember it takes time to be holy.
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 you 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 members 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 will come upon the sons of
disobedience;
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Asia” (Revelations 1:4).
Today’s Bible
question: “Of which of his sons did
Jacob say ‘The scepter shall not depart…’?”
Answer in our next SD.
8/23/2014 12:11 PM
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