The Responsibility to Respond to God's Word (1 Thess. 5:20)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/22/2014 11:22 AM

My Worship Time                                      Focus:  The Responsibility to Respond to God’s Word

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1 Thessalonians 5:20

            Message of the verse:  “20 do not despise prophetic utterances.”

            We surely can be happy and blessed that God has given to us His Word, and His Word is much more important than any word that man speaks, for His Word is perfect.  When we look at Psalm 19 and 119 we much about the Word of God, for the Psalmist in Psalm 119 uses all 176 verses to speak about the Word of God, now perhaps there are three of these 176 verses that do not reference God’s Word, but I think you get the point.  God’s Word is the most important thing that we have, for in it we learn about who God is and what God has done in the past and what He will do in the future.  In the time that Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians there was only the Old Testament that was God’s Word, however there were certain gifts that God gave to certain men that would illuminate what the Spirit of God wanted to convey to the early local churches.  Eventually the letters that Paul wrote, that Peter, and John and James wrote along with Luke became a part of the New Testament and of course the four gospels also became a part of our Bible.  When Paul left Thessalonica he went to Berea and it is said in the book of Acts that the Bereans searched the Scriptures to see if what Paul was telling them was true.  Now the Scriptures that they searched were the OT Scriptures, for that is all they had, however I want to point out that they did want to find out if Paul was telling them was true, and the only way this could be done was to find out what was in the Bible and compare it to what Paul was teaching.  Today we must do the same thing when we hear the Word of God preached to us, as they did in Paul’s day.  Perhaps some of the prophetic utterances that some of the so called preachers of that day did not line up with the Word of God and so there had to be people that would call these men on the carpet and tell them that they were not preaching the truth.  I have heard preachers preach things that did not line up with the truth of the Bible and told them in a gentle way about this because I think that is what I was to do. 

            As a NT believer in Jesus Christ it is my duty and privilege to read and study the Word of God each day so that I know what God has to say to me, and as we learned yesterday studying the Word of God is seeing Jesus more clearly and not to just have a knowledge of what the Word of God says to be proud of knowing what it says.  We also learned that it is the Spirit of God who teaches us what the Word of God means.  One more thing to say about the Word of God and that is that Paul knew along with the rest of the writers knew that they were writing God’s Word.  “2Pe 3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;”  Peter wrote to his readers that Paul also wrote to them the Word of God.

            Now let us make sure that we know that the word “prophecy” was used to refer to God’s written Word “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (2 Peter 1:21).”

            The point that I see in this short verse is that I am to study the Word of God and I am not to despise it as some people in our day do.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I want to have the right attitude when I read and study the Word of God, to see Jesus in it for He is the Theme of the Word of God.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to study the Word of God.

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, 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:  “Philippian jailer” (Acts 16:30).

Today’s Bible question:  “John wrote to seven churches in what country?”

Answer in our next SD.

8/22/2014 11:53 AM