PT-3 "The Characteristics" (Eph. 5:8-9)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/10/2019 1:23 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  PT-3 “The Characteristics”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Ephesians 5:8-9

 

            Message of the verses:  “8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),” (ESV).

 

            We want to begin with the third characteristic in today’s SD, and the third is the last one we will be looking at.  “The third fruit of the light is truth.  Truth has to do with honesty, reliability, trustworthiness, and integrity—in contrast to the hypocritical, deceptive, and false ways of the old life of darkness” writes John MacArthur.

 

            Let us take a little review of what we have been looking at with these three characteristics.  Goodness pertains primarily to our relationship with others, and then righteousness primarily to our relationship to God, and then truth primarily to personal integrity.  In those three things and in those three ways the “fruit of the light consists.” 

 

            Without this fruit or characteristics in a person there is no evidence of the life of God.  Let us look at what Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-16 as a part of His Sermon on the Mount:  “15 "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?”  In the same way people should be able to tell true believers by their fruit, fruits of goodness, righteousness, and truth.  I have mentioned many times that the last verse of the third chapter of John shows us that there are two kind of people on this earth, unbelievers, and believers, and in both cases we see fruit that comes from each.  In the case of believers we have new life and new life is seen by evidence of fruit, as there is no such thing as a fruitless Christian.  “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10).

 

            A Christian can fall into sin, and when he does the fruitfulness of his life suffers.  It is the internal things that go on when a believer sins that will cause that believer not to want to do the things of God, and when this happens he must go to the Lord in repentance like 1 John 1:9 tells us, and thus get our life back in step with the Lord, and when this happens you will feel really good that you took care of it.  MacArthur adds “Righteous fruit cannot flourish from sin.  But the complete absence of any ‘fruit of goodness and righteousness and truth’ proves the complete absence of salvation (Cf. 2:10) “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

 

            A couple more quotes from MacArthur’s commentary:  “As Christians ‘learn and grow in goodness and righteousness and truth,’ they will give verification or evidence that they are who they claim to be, children of God and of light.  The child of God will bear resemblance to the heavenly father, who is ‘light and …salvation’ (Ps. 27:1._

 

            “Assurance of salvation cannot be reliably determined by what has happened in the past, no matter how dramatic or meaningful at the time.  It can only be based with certainty on the evidence of present ‘fruit’ being produced by a spiritual life (see 2 Peter 1:5-11).”  “5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11  for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”

 

            As a believer we should have nothing to hide from our life as others see it.  It is kind of like taking your luggage to the airport and having it inspected, knowing that there is nothing in it that will cause any problems like have weapons or hand grenades or any other explosives in it.  You would not do that and therefore you have no fear in handing it over to be inspected. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Making sure that I keep a short list with the Lord confessing any sinful thing to Him as the Spirit convicts me in doing will help me to live a life pleasing to the Lord.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today: Being proud, is the opposite of humility, and pride is sinful, so I continue to look at humility in my walk with the Lord.

 

Bible verse that goes along with yesterday’s quote:  “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls” (Proverbs 25:28).”

 

6/10/2019 2:29 PM