SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/22/2018 9:36 PM
My Worship Time Focus: Be Free From
Self-Interest
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
20:33-38
Message of the verses: “33 “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34 “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. 35 "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ’It is more blessed to give than to receive.’" 36 When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38 grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.”
One only has to look around at the different ministries
that are on the cable TV to see that most of them are only interested in money
and not the spreading of the Word of God to the lost, and also to help
believers to grow in Christ. “"No
one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
wealth (Matthew 6:24).” “Make sure that
your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you
have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER
FORSAKE YOU,’ (Hebrews 13:5).” “1 It is
a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a
fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the
husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to
teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money
(1 Timothy 3:1-3).” Titus 1:7 has some
very similar things to say.
I just want to relate to a story from the gospels that
has to do with what we are talking about here.
The parable of the rich man caused the disciples of Jesus Christ to
wonder who could get into heaven and the reason why they were wondering this
was because that is what they were taught from the Pharisees of their day. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day looked down on anyone
who was poor and by this one can see that love of money has always
characterized false teachers of which the Pharisees were.
Paul made sure to tell the leaders of the Ephesian church
that he had coveted no one’s silver or gold or even their clothes. Paul was what was known as a ten maker
missionary, and by that he genially made his own living so that he did not have
to have support even though he deserved to be supported.
After Paul told them that he did not covet anyone’s
possessions he then appealed to them to follow his example: “In everything I showed you that by working
hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord
Jesus, that He Himself said, ’It is more blessed to give than to receive.” While in his tent making ministry he not
only helped himself so that he would not have to have been supported, but also
helped the poor which is what Paul encourages them to do. John MacArthur writes about the quotation
Paul makes of Jesus: “This quotation of
Jesus is not recorded in the gospels but was nonetheless known among the early
Christians. It is of great consequence
that this is the only quotation recorded outside the gospels of a statement
spoken by Jesus while He was on earth.
That gives significant weight to the truth it reveals. The gospels no more contain every word our
Lord spoke during His earthly ministry that they do all His deeds (John
21:25). Only the divinely inspired
Bible, however, contains those words and deeds that He wished us to
remember. The fanciful deeds and sayings
recorded in extrabiblical writings are to be rejected.”
As we look at the last three verses they can be
understood by just reading them. We do
know that it must have been hard on Paul as well as the elders of the Ephesian
church to have Paul leave as they would not see him again.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Forty” (Acts 1:3).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who said ‘Be on good cheer;
it is I, be not afraid’?”
Answer in our next SD.
7/22/2018 9:58 PM
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