SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/29/2017 6:39 PM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-4 “The Reason”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts 6:1-2, 4
Message of the verses: “1 Now at this
time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the
part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows
were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned
the congregation of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable for us to
neglect the word of God in order to serve tables…4 “But we will devote
ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."”
We have
been talking about prayer and Bible study or Prayer and the Word of God. When unbelievers pick up a Bible and try to
understand what they are reading it is impossible for them to completely
understand what they read in it because it takes the Holy Spirit to be in a
life so that He can help us understand what He wrote, for the Word of God was
written by the Holy Spirit using men to communicate exactly what He wanted them
to write. As believers we need to pray
before we study the Word of God so that the Spirit of God will open our eyes so
we can understand what He wants us to understand. Sometimes when we pray and read the Word we
will see verses that seem to jump off the page to us even though we probably
have read them many times before. Verse
four was the verse that spoke to my heart in our study from yesterday’s Spiritual
Diary and I was convicted to make renewed effort to speak to the Lord in a more
intense way before I read His Word.
We want to
look at a section from Acts 20:18b-21 to see that Paul served as an appropriate
model of the commitment to the Word to which the ministry demands. “"You yourselves know, from the first
day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the
Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me
through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you
anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to
house, 21 solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God
and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This statement could have only been made because of Paul’s commitment to
prayer and the study of God’s Word.
Now as we
look at the following verses from 1 Corinthians 9:16-17, and 26-27 we will be
able to see how Paul expressed his personal philosophy of ministry: “16 For if I preach the gospel, I have
nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not
preach the gospel. 17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if
against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me….26 Therefore I run in such
a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but
I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
John
MacArthur concludes “From his dramatic conversation on the Damascus Road to the
day a Roman executioner ended his life, Paul gave himself totally to the
ministry. There is no other way. Every minister of Jesus Christ must give heed
to Paul’s exhortation to Timothy:
“11 Prescribe and teach these things. 12 Let no one look
down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and
purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 13 Until I come, give
attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 14 Do
not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through
prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. 15 Take
pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be
evident to all.”
“The devotion that Paul demanded to his young protégé is
the same devotion the Lord Jesus Christ demands of all who serve Him.”
Answer from yesterday’s Bible question: “God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Spirit” (1 John 5:7).
Today’s Bible question: “How many years did the children of Israel
sojourn in Egypt?”
Answer in our next SD.
10/29/2017 7:05 PM
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