The Accountability Factor

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.

Hebrews 10:24

I have found that the closer I am to the godly people around me, the easier it is for me to live a righteous life because they hold me accountable. If something isn’t right in my life, they point it out to me. God has given me a wife and four grown children who expect me to walk a righteous path. If I stray from it, one or sometimes all five of them will inform me that I am out of line.

It’s easy to begin thinking that if you try your best, you can live a spiritual life without being involved in a church or having close, godly friends. This may be possible, but you’ll have a difficult time growing in your faith. Accountability applies a helpful pressure toward godliness. May today’s verse guide you toward stronger spiritual patterns.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 71). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Applying the Principles

Grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.

Ephesians 4:15

Spiritual growth is simply a matter of applying scriptural principles, but there are many who believe only spiritual giants experience a great increase in faith.

I have read about mystics who knelt and prayed for eight to ten hours, wearing holes in the wood floors. I have read about Robert Murray McCheyne, who would soil the pages of his Bible and the wood of his pulpit with great floods of tears. And I have read Power Through Prayer by E. M. Bounds, who spent countless hours in prayer. As I learned about these people, all I could think of was that I could never reach that level. But God uses each of us in different ways.

Spiritual growth is not some mystical achievement for a select few on a higher spiritual plane. Rather, it is simply a matter of glorifying God by confessing sin, trusting Him, bearing fruit, praising Him, obeying and proclaiming His Word, praying, and leading others to Christ. Those are the qualities every Christian needs in order to mature. When you focus on them, the Spirit of God will change you into the image of Christ, from one level of glory to the next.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 70). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Handling God’s Word

These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Spiritual growth cannot occur without the regular intake of God’s Word, just as physical growth cannot occur without regular food intake—that’s why eating is a daily necessity! Going to church on Sunday to hear a message and then hoping that it is enough to last for the whole week is like eating dinner on Sunday and expecting it to sustain you until the following Sunday. You need to eat every day of the week. The same is true spiritually: there must be a daily feeding on the Word of God for optimum growth.

Mature Christians know that there is even greater glory in giving out the Word than in feeding on it. As you proclaim the Word, you cement it in your life. In this way, the saying “The more you give away, the more you keep” is true. I have found that I tend to remember the things I teach to others but forget the things I read and never pass on. So give a high priority to passing on to others what you’re learning from God’s Word each day.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 69). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Praise for Answers

Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

When God answers prayers about a particular situation, we have the privilege of being a part of His work and of praising Him for it. When we don’t participate through prayer, we miss the opportunity to give Him glory.

Suppose someone came to a prayer meeting and said, “I’ve had the most wonderful thing happen: the lady I’ve been witnessing to has opened her heart to Christ. She is now a believer and is here with us tonight. Thank you for praying for her these last few months.” The people present can praise the Lord, especially those who had been praying for this woman’s conversion.

But there would also be some who, while offering praise, would not have felt a sense of being involved because they had not prayed for the lady. You need to be in on what God is doing so you can offer heartfelt praise.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 68). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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A Prayer Prerequisite

If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

1 John 5:14

Praying in Jesus’ name is more than a formula. Some people think that they have to close every prayer with the phrase “In Jesus’ name, amen.” But the proper kind of prayer involves much more than a formula.

What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? In Scripture, the name of God embodies all that He is. When God told Moses His name, He said, “I am who I am” (Ex 3:14). Likewise, Jesus’ name embodies all that He is. When you pray in His name, what you ask should be consistent with who He is. Praying in Jesus’ name is praying in accord with God’s will.

When our requests are in line with God’s sovereign plan, He will answer them and our faith will increase. Instead of invoking a formula at the end of your prayers, perhaps you could say, “I pray this because I believe it to be the will of Christ.”

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 67). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Why God Answers Prayer

Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do,that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 14:13

Why does God answer prayer? The last part of today’s verse gives the answer: He answers prayer for His sake as well as ours. He does it to put Himself on display. Understanding this concept increases our confidence in prayer: we can know God will answer because it is an opportunity for Him to receive glory. We will grow spiritually as we interact with God through prayer and see His power on display.

The context of John 14:13 shows that the disciples were greatly distressed because Jesus told them He would be leaving. The disciples had relied on Jesus for so long that they feared being without Him. He had provided all their resources. He was their beloved friend and their spiritual, theological, and economic resource. He was their future as well as their present. They panicked at the thought of His leaving, but He left them and us the promise of John 14:13—whatever we need and ask for in His name, He will do.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 66). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Loving Obedience

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.

John 14:21

If I could simplify the Christian life to one thing, it would be obedience. I don’t mean just external obedience but a spirit of obedience. It’s not like the little girl who defiantly continued to stand up after her father had told her many times to sit down. Finally her father said, “Sit down, or I’ll spank you.” She sat down but looked up and said, “I’m sitting down, but I’m standing up in my heart!” That’s obeying outwardly but disobeying in the heart. A Christian should be willing to obey.

One evidence of spiritual maturity is loving God enough to obey Him even when it is difficult. God is glorified when we willingly obey Him no matter what the cost. Each time we obey, we grow spiritually, and each time we disobey, we retard our growth.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 65). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Aspects of Praise

Whoever offers praise glorifies Me.

Psalm 50:23

What does it mean to praise God? According to the Bible, praise involves three things:

1. Reciting God’s attributes. One great reason to study the Old Testament is that it so powerfully reveals the character of God, enabling us to praise Him better.

2. Reciting God’s works. The psalms are filled with lists of the great things God has done. He parted the Red Sea, brought His people out of Egypt, made water flow from a rock, fed Israel in the wilderness with manna from heaven, and did many other powerful works. When you praise God for all that He has done, your problems pale in comparison. Remembering God’s past performance glorifies Him and strengthens our faith.

3. Giving thanks for God’s attributes and works. At the heart of praise is thanksgiving. Praising God gives Him glory. No matter what happens in our lives, we are to express our thanks to Him for all His attributes and gracious works.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 64). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Types of Spiritual Fruit

Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work.

Colossians 1:10

What kind of fruit brings glory to God? Philippians 1:11 says, “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Righteousness, which is doing right, is the fruit God desires in our lives. When we do right, we glorify God; when we do wrong, we dishonor Him. Fruit is synonymous with righteousness.

There are two kinds of spiritual fruit: action fruit—which consists of giving, leading others to Christ, and expressing thanks to God—and attitude fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 describes attitude fruit: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self–control.”

How do you get the right attitudes? Verse 25 says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” As you yield control of your life to the Holy Spirit, He will permeate your life and produce the proper fruit.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 63). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Bearing Fruit

He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit.

John 15:5

We had a peach tree in our backyard, and one year it went wild with fruit. We had enough peaches to feed the whole neighborhood! Another year, we could find only one tiny, shriveled peach. Some Christians can be like that, exhibiting little evidence of belonging to God—but God wants us to grow and produce much fruit for His glory.

The fruit you bear is the manifestation of your character, and the only way people will know that you are a child of God. He wants to present Himself to the world through what He produces in you, so His character is at stake in your fruit. He wants you to be fruitful far above what the world or the flesh can produce.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 62). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Growing by Faith

We walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7

Today’s verse refers to the walk of becoming more like Christ. It takes place when we live by faith. When we judge everything by what we see, however, we will have difficulty growing.

Remember the twelve spies Israel sent into Canaan (Num 13)? Ten came back and said they felt like grasshoppers in a land of giants. Those ten walked by sight. But Joshua and Caleb had faith, knowing that God was on their side. Ten didn’t think God could handle the circumstances, but two knew He is bigger than any situation.

Do you live by faith? If you want to grow spiritually, believe God’s Word and trust Him in every situation.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 61). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Do You Really Believe God?

[Abraham] did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.

Romans 4:20

Professing to believe what God has said is much easier than really trusting Him. For instance, many people who affirm that “God shall supply all your need according to His riches” (Phil 4:19) become filled with anxiety when financial troubles come their way.

The Bible also says that if we give sacrificially with the proper motives, God will reward us (Mat 6:3-4). Many say they believe that principle as well, but they find it difficult to put into practice. Many Christians also fear death, even though God has said He will provide us with the grace we need to face it and will take us to heaven afterward.

Believing God means we acknowledge His glory, which is the sum of all His attributes and the fullness of all His majesty. If He is who He says He is, then He is to be believed. You will grow spiritually when you say to God, “If Your Word says it, I will believe it; if Your Word promises it, I will claim it; and if Your Word commands it, I will obey it.”

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 60). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Our Defense Mechanism

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.

Psalm 66:18

According to today’s verse, you cannot even commune with God, let alone grow spiritually, if you are harboring sin. That’s why confession is so vital.

You must first be willing to accept God’s chastening for your sin. If you think He is being too rough, you should examine your life to see if you deserve it. For the same reason parents must provide consequences for a child’s misbehavior, God chastens you so that you don’t repeat your mistakes.

God also has placed a system of guilt in you for your own good. Spiritual life without guilt would be like physical life without pain. Guilt is a defense mechanism; it’s like an alarm that goes off to lead you to confession when you sin. That’s when you need to confront your sin and acknowledge to God that it is an affront to Him. That admission must be a part of your life before you can ever grow spiritually, because it eliminates the sin that holds you back.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 59). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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The Necessity of Repentance

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

True confession cannot happen without repentance. Many times we don’t confess our sin because we’re not ready to let go of it. When I was a young Christian, I remember telling the Lord that I was sorry about particular sins I had committed and then thanked Him for already forgiving them. But that was all I did.

I reached a milestone in my spiritual life when I began to say, “Lord, thank You for forgiving those sins. I know they did not please You, and I never want to do them again.” That can be hard to say because sometimes we want to commit certain sins again. But we betray a lack of spiritual maturity when we want to eliminate the penalty of sin but retain the pleasure. For your confession to be genuine, you must turn from your sins.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 58). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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A Mark of the Christian

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.

1 John 1:9

The apostle John wrote his first epistle to define the difference between a Christian and an unbeliever. Our verse for today indicates that confession characterizes the former. The next verse says, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar” (1 John 1:10). Unregenerate men deny their sin, but Christians take responsibility for it and confess it.

Confession of sin doesn’t take place only at salvation. It continues, as faith does, throughout the life of a believer. A willingness to confess sin is part of the pattern of life that characterizes every believer. That pattern also includes love (1 John 3:14), separation from the world (1 John 2:15), and instruction by the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:27). Of course there are varying degrees of confession—sometimes we don’t make as full a confession as we should—but a true believer eventually acknowledges his sin.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 57). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Take Responsibility

Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight.

Psalm 51:4

If you want to have a decreasing frequency of sin in your life and an increasing amount of spiritual growth, you must acknowledge your responsibility. Don’t blame your circumstances, your husband, your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your boss, your employees, or your pastor. Don’t even blame the devil. Your sin is your fault. Certainly the world’s system can contribute to the problem, but sin ultimately occurs as an act of the will—and you are responsible for it.

Perhaps one of the best examples of someone who learned how to take responsibility was the prodigal son. When he returned home to his loving father, he said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21). He was even willing to be treated as a humble laborer because he knew he didn’t deserve anything (Luke 15:19). That is the right attitude of one who confesses sin.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 56). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Dropping the Dead Weight

Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Hebrews 12:1

Whenever we excuse our sin, we are blaming God. Adam did that when God questioned Him about eating the forbidden fruit. He answered, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Gen 3:12). Adam did not accept responsibility for his sin but blamed God, who had given Eve to him.

Sin is never God’s fault, nor is it the fault of a person or circumstance that God brings into our lives. Excusing sin impugns God for something that is our fault alone. If He chooses to chasten us, we deserve it.

That’s why confession of sin is essential to spiritual growth. When you openly face the reality of your sin and confess it, you have less dead weight to drag you down in the process of growth. As today’s verse indicates, your growth will increase as the weight of sin drops off through confession.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 55). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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The Success Syndrome

If I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

Philippians 2:17

American society is breeding a generation of Christians who primarily want to be successful. Seldom do they have a humble attitude of service. They are unwilling to make sacrifices for the cause of Christ because they have been taught, whether verbally or not, that Christians should be rich, famous, successful, and popular.

Such an orientation toward personal success rather than humble service is the opposite of what glorifies God. Living for the glory of God means knowing you are expendable and being ready to die, if necessary, to accomplish God’s ends. Such a humble attitude glorifies God.

To grow spiritually, we must lose ourselves in the lordship of Christ at the moment of salvation and allow Him to dominate our lives from then on. In doing so, we must seek only His glory—not our own comfort and success. We will not grow when we choose our own way or serve God with the wrong motive.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 54). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Confronting an Evil World

If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 Peter 4:14

No one can live for God’s glory and be entirely comfortable in this world. You shouldn’t be obnoxious or try to be a misfit, but if your life is Christ–like, then you will bear some of the reproach He bore.

We live in a day when many want to make Christianity easy, but the Bible says it is hard. Many want to make Christians lovable, but God says they’ll be reproachable. Christianity must confront the system by being distinct from it. It must expose sin before it can disclose the remedy.

Be sure your life reflects your commitment to Christ. That’s what will make you distinct from the world.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 53). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Feeling What God Feels

Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

Romans 14:8

I remember one young woman who learned to feel pain when God was dishonored. She left a little town in West Virginia to live with a guy who was a student at UCLA. After a while, he kicked her out. She wandered around and tried to take her life several times, but each time she survived. My sister and I met her and had the opportunity to lead her to Christ. Soon after that she decided to go back to her hometown so she could tell her mother and friends about Christ.

Several months later, she wrote me a letter. This is some of what she wrote:
“I can almost feel the unbearable sadness that God feels when someone rejects and doesn’t glorify Him. He’s God! He made us. He gave us everything. We continue to doubt and reject Him. It’s awful! When I think of how I hurt Him, I hope I can someday make it up.

“It’s all so clear to me that God must be glorified. He deserves it, and it’s long overdue. I can’t wait to just tell Jesus, and thus God indirectly, that I love Him. I want God to be God and to take His rightful place. I’m tired of the way people put Him down.”

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 52). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Consumed with God’s Glory

You cannot bear those who are evil.

Revelation 2:2

We should be so consumed with God’s glory that we hurt when He is dishonored. That was certainly the attitude of David when he said, “Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me” (Ps 69:9). David was deeply hurt when God was dishonored.

As a father, I understand what David was saying. If you hurt someone in my family, you hurt me. Often I have cried for someone I love whose heart was broken. When you identify with God in that way, you will care about His honor much more than about what happens to you.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 51). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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The Aim of Your Life

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

When you confessed Jesus as Lord, you did so to the glory of God. Now whatever else you do—even the most mundane functions of life such as eating and drinking—should be focused on the glory of God. That should be the underlying attitude of your life.

Jesus observed His focus in this way: “I honor My Father…. I do not seek My own glory” (John 8:49, 50). You will grow spiritually when you follow Christ’s example of ssubmit your life to Christ’s lordship, you will be characterized by His humble desire to glorify the Father.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 50). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Confessing Jesus as Lord

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

To give glory to Christ, we must confess Him as Lord. That’s a part of salvation, not a subsequent act. Salvation is a matter of confessing that Christ is God and, therefore, that He is sovereign in your life.

If you have never confessed Jesus Christ as Lord, you have no capacity to live for His glory. You cannot say, “I deny Christ. He is not my Savior or Lord,” and then expect to glorify God. If you dishonor the Son, you dishonor the Father (John 5:23). So salvation is the necessary beginning for glorifying God and, therefore, for spiritual growth. You cannot grow until you are born.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 49). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Why We Witness

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

John 15:8

Most people probably think we should be saved for reasons other than to glorify God. Many Christians will usually give the following as the reasons they witness:

• To keep people out of hell. They want them to avoid eternal punishment.
• To manifest God’s love.
• To obey Christ’s command. In Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8, Jesus tells us to evangelize.

Those are all valid, biblical reasons for evangelism, but the main reason we should preach the gospel is for the glory of God.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 48). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Spiritual Progression

I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father.

1 John 2:13

My own experience has taught me much about the different levels of spiritual growth described by the apostle John in today’s verse. When I was a spiritual babe, I was lost in the euphoria of loving the Lord and didn’t know much theology. At that time I was easily influenced by anyone’s teaching. Later, as I learned the Word of God, false doctrine no longer deceived me; it made me angry. And now, as I have grown in my knowledge of the Word, it’s my desire to know God more intimately, which is the final level of growth. Spiritual fathers not only know the Bible, but also know deeply the God who wrote it.

Spiritual growth progresses from knowing you are a Christian to knowing the Word of God to knowing God Himself. The way to know God is to spend your life focusing on His glory, thus learning to understand the fullness of His person. That focus becomes a magnet drawing you upward through the levels of maturity.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 47). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Responding to God’s Glory

We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the sameimage from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:18

As we glorify God, we begin to grow. Because of the great truths revealed in the New Testament, believers can now view God’s glory more clearly than those under the law could. As we do, we grow spiritually, moving from one level of glory to the next.

At the end of today’s verse, notice that Paul says the Holy Spirit is the one who energizes our growth. The Holy Spirit infuses our lives with His power, taking us through levels of glory toward the image of Christ.

Don’t become preoccupied with the intricacies of the Holy Spirit’s work or with the details of your own activity. Make sure you focus primarily on the glory of the Lord.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 46). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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Focusing on God’s Glory

I have set the Lord always before me.

Psalm 16:8

Everything exists for the purpose of glorifying God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism of the seventeenth century begins by stating that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” The vastness of space and all therein glorifies God.

In Isaiah 43:20, God says, “The beast of the field will honor Me.”

The angels who appeared at the birth of Christ said, “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14).

Scripture explains that you exist to give God glory. May you follow the lead of David and set the Lord always before you.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 45). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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The Key to Spiritual Growth

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

2 Peter 3:18

Spiritual growth is not mystical, sentimental, devotional, or psychological. It’s not the result of some clever secret or formula. It is simply matching your practice with your position.

As believers, our position in Christ is perfect: we are complete in Him (Col 2:10); we have all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3); and we have received all spiritual blessings (Eph 1:3). But now we need to progress in our daily lives in a way that is commensurate with our exalted position.

Today’s verse provides the most important concept in understanding and experiencing spiritual growth. Giving glory to God is directly related to spiritual growth. Therefore, it is vital that we understand what it means to glorify Him.

MacArthur, J. (2001). Truth for today : A daily touch of God's grace (Page 44). Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman.

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