Lord’s Day, Vol. 10 No. 30
Reading the Bible
It takes time and effort to draw close to God through the consistent reading and meditation of God’s Word. Setting aside time and space for our spiritual nourishment and advancement is time well spent. We have passed the tipping point of the half-year and moving quickly, racing toward the close of the year. Are God’s people muddling through the first half of the year through inconsistent time with Him and thus stumbling along the way? It is easy to just move along as we always knew how, in the wisdom of our own strength, and thus making no spiritual progress. Or is there earnest seeking and rejoicing of heart that this year has been different from previous years? This was in the heart of the Apostle Paul when he prayed for the church in Colossae setting us an example:
Colossians 1:9-11 (KJV) For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.
Working knowledge of God’s will and wisdom requires a daily strong input of His Word for our soul’s sake. This is the secret to spiritual fruitfulness. There is a direct proportionate in a worthy walk and an increasing knowledge of God so that when God allows trials and temptations to come, the believer triumphs because he is strengthened with all might to handle the challenges with all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness to the glory of God.
Patience “hupomonḗ” means “to persevere, remain under, a bearing up under, patience, endurance as to things, circumstances, and has reference to one’s environment. And longsuffering “makrothumía” is with reference to people, to be long-suffering, forbearance, long-suffering, self-restraint before proceeding to action. The quality of a person who is able to avenge himself yet refrains from doing so.
The Apostle Paul cited the adverb “all” attached to patience and longsuffering to signify this spiritual virtue in its fullness. God’s glorious power in the believer’s life enables him to exercise faith to trust God under severe trials and temptations. This spiritual power is the Holy Spirit’s work in the believer’s heart that enables him to live triumphantly.
The Apostle Paul explained well the power of the Holy Spirit’s work in guiding the saints to the will of God – Romans 8:26-27 (KJV) Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Truly, patience and longsuffering in suffering bring glory to God. Unbelievers will not understand how Christians can suffer and not complain and rebel. While he was imprisoned after suffering stoning, the Apostle Paul and Silas glorified God by singing and praising the Lord in the prison at Philippi. His captor was gloriously saved together with his family when he witnessed the power of God shaking the prison with an earthquake releasing their chains, opening the prison doors and the prisoners not fleeing! When the epistle to the Philippian Church was written, the Apostle Paul was imprisoned in Rome and yet throughout the letter, he was rejoicing in the Lord and encouraging the church in Philippi to rejoice in the Lord. What a testimony of the wonder-working power of God in the Apostle Paul’s life.
In the life of Job, we notice his consistent devotional life – Job 1:5 (KJV) And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
Satan targeted Job. His mind and his will were fixed upon the Lord. Satan attacked Job’s body and everything related to it. He attacked the fruit of his body – his children, the means to sustain his body – his flock, cattle and his wealth. And Job lost the health of his body when a loathsome disease came upon him. Our body is God’s temple and if Satan can put it out of use, he would have hindered God’s work [Wiersbe] – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. Also, Philippians 1:20 (KJV) According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
When Satan attacks our body, he attacks the means by which God uses to glorify His Name and witness a dying world. God uses our body as His instrument of righteousness for His glory – Romans 6:12-13 (KJV) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
When the believer is slack in the reading of God’s Word, he is vulnerable and prone to fall. He is weak in his mind when his heart and mind and will is not fortified, he falls when tempted – Psalm 119:11 (KJV) Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
May the Lord strengthen His people to persevere in the reading and meditation of God’s Word for His glory. Amen.
Yours lovingly
Pastor Lek Aik Wee