More from Paul's Greeting to Titus (Titus 1:2-3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10-02-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Paul’s Greeting Continued

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Titus 1:2-3

 

            Message of the verse:  “2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, 3 but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior,”

            Paul continues with his greeting speaking about hope, which is a noun and not a verb.  The hope of the believer is eternal life, and as stated before it is not a hope that I will have eternal life, but something that one can know for sure.  As the verse goes on it says that this hope if from God who cannot lie promised before time began.  The way that God gives this truth out to people is by the preaching of His Word, and Paul goes on to say that God has entrusted him to be one of the ones to preach about eternal life thought God our Savior.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I go through different things in my life each day I can learn to put them more into prospective by remembering of the hope of eternal life that God, my Savior has given to me by His matchless grace.

 

The Word of God reminded me of the hope that I have of eternal life.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To remember the truth that I was reminded today when things don’t go as I would like them to go.

 

Memory verse of the week:  2Timothy 4:18

 

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.  To Him be glory forever, and ever.  Amen!

 

Paul the Apostle (Titus 1:1)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9-30-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Paul the Apostle

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Titus 1:1

 

            Message of the verse:  “1 Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,”  (NAS95)  “This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ.  I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives.”

            This is the greeting from Paul to Titus, which goes on for the first three verses.  An interesting idea from the Matthew Henry Commentary on this verse about Paul helps me to understand why he was using his Roman name instead of his Jewish name Saul.  Henry says that when the Jews turned down the gospel message (see Acts 13:9,46-47) Saul then started to use Paul so he could better minister to the Gentiles. 

            Paul says that he is a bondservant of God, which is the only time that he uses this phrase in his letters.  A bondservant is a low title used of slaves in the Roman Empire.  It is not a low title being a bondservant of God however.  He then goes on to say he is an apostle of Jesus Christ for he had all of the qualifications of being an apostle because he to had seen the risen Lord.  He was an apostle to give out the good news to those chosen of God, and also to teach them the truth of the gospel, which he was doing.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It surely makes sense that Paul had changed his name in order to be able to preach the gospel to the Gentiles in a more efficient way, for he had said in other letters that he would do all things in order to be able to preach the Word to them.  I need to do these kinds of things in order to tell others about Jesus Christ.  I need to remember that He is my first love, and that I am to obey Him in all that I do.  It is easy to get caught up in the things of the world and forget about the things of God.

 

The Word of God was full of wonderful teaching for me today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I do not want to be fearful so that I can be available to do the things that the Lord calls me to do.

 

Memory verse for the week:  2Timothy 4:18

 

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.  To Him be glory forever and ever.  Amen!

 

 

Persecutions (2 Tim. 3:12)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9-01-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Persecutions

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  2Timothy 3:12

 

            Message of the verse:  “12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 

            As I look at this verse my thinking as to why believers are persecuted is because when they live a godly life they are living the opposite way that those of the world live and this makes those of the world uneasy.  Believers are to live in the world but not be a part of the world and when they do this they will be persecuted, even in this country that we live in.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Persecution is a good barometer for how I am doing for the cause of Christ.  Persecution in the way Paul suffered it is not going on in this country at this time, however many believe it is not that far off.  I believe if persecutions of that type happen here that God will give His matchless grace to get me through it.

 

The Word of God has brought conviction to my life today, and also instruction too.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I need the Lord’s grace to allow me to go through this days activity without having many problems with IBS.

Be Sober in all Things (2 Tim. 4:5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9-12-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Be Sober in All things

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  2Timothy 4:5

 

            Message of the verse:  “5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

            The word “but” in this verse contrasts the way that Timothy should act as opposed to how those in the two preceding verse act.  Paul tells Timothy to be sober or to be watchful in all things.  To be sober in all things means that he should watch what he does for the cause of Christ and not do as those talked about in preceding verses.  Paul says he is to endure hardship and this goes along with being a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  He next says that he is to do the work of an evangelist and to fulfill his ministry.  There is a gift of being an evangelists but it is not likely that Timothy had this gift, however he was to be ready to tell others about Jesus Christ and His saving grace when he did his preaching.  The message of the gospel should not be the main theme of every message preached, but it should be tied in with each message so that the lost who hear it will get to hear how to be saved.  Paul says that he should fulfill his ministry.  Each believer has a ministry to fulfill, however it is probably more evident in the lives of the ones that are called into the ministry.  Paul is saying that Timothy should take care of the ministry that the Lord has given him to do and not worry of fret about what someone else is doing in their ministry.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I like the part in this verse where it speaks of being sober, for I know there are far too many times when I get too excited and loose my cool.  Also to fulfill the ministry that the Lord has given me to fulfill is an important thing to remember.

 

The Word of God has stepped on my spiritual toes today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To work on fulfilling the ministry that the Lord has given me to do today.

 

Memory verses for the week:  2Timothy 3:16,17

 

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, throughly equipped for every good work.

 

Come Before Winter (2 Tim. 4:19-20)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9-27-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Come Before Winter

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  2Timothy 4:19-20

 

            Message of the verse:  “19 Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus.  20 Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus. 21 Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.”

            In this section Paul mentions a number of his friends as he has been doing since verse nine of this chapter.  As said before this is the last recorded message of the Apostle Paul, and in some ways it is not much different than his other letters even though he knows that his time on earth is about over.  Paul mentions Prisca and Aquila, who were tent makers and ministered for the cause of Christ with Paul for a long time.  Onesiphorus is mentioned in verse 16 of chapter one of this letter.

            Paul again urges Timothy to come before winter and I believe that he feels that if Timothy did not make it by then that he would not see Paul alive again.  Paul then mentions some more friends of his in the latter part of verse twenty-one.

           

            The Word of God brought comfort and courage to me this day.  It also was kind of sad in a way knowing that Paul’s life was about over.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I need faith to get me through the dinner engagement this evening with Sandy’s family, along with Kim and Tim.

 

Memory verse for the week:  2Timothy 4:18

 

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.  To Him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.

 

           

 

Paul's Farewell to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:22)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9-28-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Paul’s Farewell to Timothy

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  2Timothy 4:22

 

            Message of the verse:  “22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.”

            Paul seems to be saying that he requests that the Lord be with Timothy to give him the guidance that he needs, and the grace to do all things that the Lord would want him to do.  “Grace be with you,” is the same way that he ended the first letter.  The “you” is in the plural from which suggests that Paul intended this letter to be read to all those in the Church at Ephesus. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This verse brings new meaning to me as far as something that I have heard as a believer for a long time.  I have heard that as a believer I am not suppose to pray for the Lord to be with another believer because He said things like, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”  Paul says or prays that the Lord be with Timothy’s spirit in this verse so I would think that it would be okay to pray that way for someone else who is a believer. 

 

The Word of God was very enlighting to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I would pray that fear would not bother me today.  I would pray that the Lord would be with my spirit today.

 

Memory verse for the week:  2Timothy 4:18

 

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and reserve me for His heavenly kingdom.  To Him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.

 

God's Plan and Timing (2 Tim. 4:18)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9-26-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  God’s plan and Timing

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  2Timothy 4:18

 

            Message of the verse:  “18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

            Paul knew that even though he could be harmed while here on earth that God would bring him safely into His heaven when his life on earth was done.  When he thought of this he just had to praise the Lord by saying, “to Him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.”  The verse shows the great faith that Paul had in the Lord.

           

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I can learn not to love my life on this earth as if it is the finial place where I will live.  This verse shows me that no matter what men do to me that my home is in heaven when the Lord calls me home and that is truly something to praise the Lord for.  Amen.

 

The Word of God has brought me great hope, and confidence in the wonderful hope to me as a believer.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord to give me the ticket when it is time to get on the train.  I need not worry about things of tomorrow for today will have enough worries to contend with.  The Lord will get me through life one day at a time.

 

Memory verse for the week:  2Timothy 4:18

 

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever.  Amen.