SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/22/2018 11:18 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “The Human Perspective”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
1:12a, 13a
Message of the
verses: “to the end that we who were
first to hope in Christ…In Him, you also, after listening to the message of
truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed.”
In the United States of America today we celebrate
“Thanksgiving Day,” a day that was designed to give thanks to the Lord that
actually dates back to when the pilgrims landed on our shore and found
themselves in trouble until some friendly American Indians helped them survive
by instructing them to grow food. As the
harvest came the new settlers along with the Indians were thankful, and they
gave thanks to the Lord.
As we have been looking at both the Divine and Human
perspectives on our salvation I can think of nothing better to do on this
Thanksgiving Day than to praise the Lord for the wonderful gift of salvation
that He has offered to us. We will now
continue to look at the human perspective in today’s SD.
In the first part of our verses today, that is verse 12a
we see the word hope, and that word actually comes after the word faith in the
chronological and the theological way we are saved, but Paul is actually using
this word hope as a synonym of faith in this passage. The first to hope in Christ were the first to
believe in Him.
Now
we move on to verse 13a where Paul continues “In Him, you also, after listening
to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also
believed.” The Apostle Paul explains in
his letter to the Romans “faith comes from
hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” MacArthur writes “Faith comes from a positive
response to the message of truth, the gospel, the good news that God has
provided a way of salvation through the atoning work of His Son. To ‘as many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to
those who believe in His name’ (John 1:12).
Man-made systems of religion, which rely on ritual or works or both, not
only do not lead to God but can become great barriers to finding Him. The only way to come is through His Son, ‘10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in
righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For
the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’
‘Having also believed not only stresses the means by which salvation is
appropriated but also the uniformity of such means by the use of ‘also.’”
In
conclusion to this section we can say that faith is man’s response to God’s
elective purpose. God chooses men
through election, and then man’s choice of God is faith. In election God gives His promises, and by
faith men receive those promises.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I want to wish all a very happy Thanksgiving
Day in the truest sense of the meaning of this wonderful holiday. I am so very thankful for the salvation that
God has given to me and my prayer is that all who read this SD will also have
that wonderful hope that all true believers have.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I trust that the Lord will continue to unlock
the great truths that are found in this great book of Ephesians.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Christ.”
Today’s Bible question: “What did Elisha do for the Shunammite
woman’s son?”
Answer in our next SD.
11/22/2018 11:45 AM
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