Bible Study: Acts 20, 28 to 38 and John
17, 11 to 19.
In his prayer for us, Jesus
today mentions the fact that the world hates us because we are not of the
world. Yet, he prays that God should not take us away from the world, instead
that he should sanctify us in the TRUTH which is another way of saying that God
should make us wise. Once again, this touches on another gift of the Holy
Spirit.
It takes wisdom to live in
the world and at the same time know that one does not belong to the world. It takes
wisdom to interact with the world without getting entangled by it by loving it
above God himself. It takes wisdom to live in the world and not become frustrated
by it when it fails to meet up with our expectations.
Just as it takes wisdom to
relate with a person who is pretending to be your friend even when you know
that this so called friend of yours actually hates you, so also it requires a
great deal of wisdom to live in a world that practically hates you.
Jesus not only prays for us
to be consecrated in the truth, he explains the type of truth he is talking
about and that truth is the word of God. In other words, to be consecrated in
the truth is to soak oneself in the word of God and this is wisdom in itself.
The moment you grasp the word of God, you immediately begin to see how the
world around you contradicts what the word of God says.
For instance, while the world
ranks as best those fashion which lures the eyes to lust, the word of God says,
anyone who looks lustfully commits sin. While the world practically worships
money and respects people based on their financial status, the word of God says
we cannot serve God and money and that people deserve respect not because of
how much they have but because they are made in God’s image and likeness.
As St. Paul departs Ephesus,
he admonishes them to be alert because fierce wolves will arise even from
within the flock who will try to distort and destroy the faith. These wolves
represent the world and by their actions, they display their hatred for the
flock.
What makes one a wolf? WORLDLINESS.
So when a minister becomes carried away by worldliness, he or she is no longer
a shepherd but has become a wolf devouring the flock of God that is kept under
his charge. And Jesus says, by their fruit, we shall know them. When a minister
for instance begins to use the church to milk the flock for his own personal
financial benefits, he is now a wolf. Hence St. Paul gave an example of how he
worked with his own hands to provide his needs proving that it is more blessed
to give than to receive.
Note that when St. Paul says
it is more blessed to give than to receive, he was referring to himself as a
minister giving to the weak among the flock instead of him receiving from them.
Today, this very line of scripture is turned upside down to mean the flock must
donate to the minister.
The only way we can survive
in the world without become worldly is to constantly feed ourselves with the
truth which is God’s word. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit will infuse our
minds and hearts with wisdom that in our attempt to survive the hostile world,
we may constantly put God first.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus,
fill me with your Holy Spirit and that I may be wise and not become carried
away by the world.
God bless you. Good morning. Be
Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.
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