Daily Scripture Threshing for Friday, September 16, 2022
Today’s Text: John 21:18-23
Key Verse: John 21:18 (ESV): “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”
To illustrate the spiritual import of blessedness of those servants whom their master finds on watch when he returns, whom Dr. Luke described as those dressed to serve, whom the Master will have recline at His table, and the Master himself will come and wait upon, John presented Jesus’s direct and specific speech to Peter. He wanted his readers to understand what was in the mind of Jesus when He used such parallelism—a linguistic device common in Hebrew poetry, prophets and writings. Jesus made use of antithetical parallelism to contrast the apostle’s condition at the time of his speech with what laid in wait for him at old age. The comparison is to teach us to make hay while the sun shines. Spirituality does not remove physical limitations. Each of us must take advantage of the time that is favorable to us while we have the chance to. The Yorubas forbid all true born sons and daughters of the tribe from treating their nails in the day of battles. By this, nobody is permitted to act in any way that is diametrically opposed to times and seasons.
Making hay while the sun shines is therefore a spiritual call to do the work of He who sent us while it is day. The night comes sooner or later—but certainly coming—when no one can work. Jesus uses all these metaphors to relate the urgency or timely nature of His Kingdom assignment. Whether in the days of Jesus, when there was no electricity, or today when lonely streets could almost feel no darkness, day time still remains man’s most effective time to work. The perfect import of Christ’s message is that man have a limited time to work and live. Everyone had a given time to serve God's purpose on earth; and day-by-day, we are rapidly-passing into that time when such opportunity is limited, or ended. Peter is not alone in this caution: every man gets to that point in life when, instead of getting himself dressed and going wherever he desires as in the days of his youth, he will be dressed by others and led to wherever they want him to go.
Quote for the Day: “Everyone had a given time to serve God's purpose on earth; and day-by-day, we are rapidly-passing into that time when such opportunity is limited, or ended.” (Simon Olatunji)
Prayer: Dear Lord, deliver me from any activity that Satan may be using as his great strategy to daft me out of my divine assignment. Realign me with your plan O Lord — in Jesus’ name. Amen.
With all my Love and Prayers,
Rev Simon Wale Olatunji, Ph.D.
Your Darling Bishop (DaBishop)
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[Daily Scripture Threshing is a devotional guide of The House of Prayer Evangel Church USA distributed for free use by individuals, small groups, families and Christian churches]
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