The Truth - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 2 John 1-2,

"The elder,
To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever..."

Here in John's salutation, truth is on his mind. He says he loves his readers in "the truth" along with all who know the truth. He explains that truth lives in him and his readers and that it will be that way forever.

He also says that the Father and Jesus Christ will be with them "in truth and love." He notes  that some of his readers walk in "the truth" as God commands.

In verse 7 he expresses his concern about deceivers that had gone out into the world. He warns his readers not to lose what they had worked for, presumably by abandoning the truth to follow these deceivers. He explains that those not continuing in "the teaching of Christ" do not have the Father - are not saved and are not going to receive any reward from God.

Merriam-Webster defines truth as the "body of real things, events, and facts: actuality." It goes on to explain, "the property of being in accord with fact or reality."

The fight against truth has been the essence of the devil's work, his trade, from the dawn of mankind. We see it in his effort to get Adam and Eve to question what God had told them in the garden.

Paul talks about the "lawless one" that will come before Jesus Christ's return. Notice how truth and the opposite of truth play out in this future setting: "The coming of the lawless one will be in
accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12.

It certainly feels like there is a whole lot of the opposite of truth that surrounds us today. John's admonition in this short letter could not be more appropriate for our day!

The answer to the question Pilate asked of Jesus, "What is truth?" is very simple. He answered that question in his prayer to the Father, "Sanctify them [his disciples] by the truth; your word is truth." John 17:17.

The word of God: Learn it, know it, live it, love it, be loyal, strong and courageous in it!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

The Presence of The Truth - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 2 John 1-3,

"The elder, To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth— because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love."

I count 4 times in John's (the "elder" as he introduces himself) salutation to "the lady chosen by God and to her children", where he mentions "truth."

There is some discussion as to whether the "lady chosen by God" was a reference of John to a fellowship, or, on the other hand, to a specific believing mother with her children. Nevertheless, that has little bearing on what John has to say in this short letter. The lady is chosen, whether referring to a fellowship or a specific sister in the Lord, because of her embrace of the Lord.

John says he loves the lady and her children in truth, or "the truth". He also points out that all who know the truth love her and her children as well. This love, he says, springs from "the truth", that is, because of the truth.

John says the truth lives in us and will be with us forever. He goes on to say, in his benediction for her at the end of his salutation, that the grace, mercy and peace he invokes for her and her children from the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ, "will be with us in truth and love."

We can see clearly that the apostle John was mindful of, and had a great appreciation for, truth or "the truth." We live in a day where a vicious and violent pretense against the very existence of truth is promoted. "There is no truth" we hear, or "That is your truth, not mine", or "truth is whatever you make it to be", etc. I'm sure you have heard much the same. In a bit of humor, I always like to ask a denier of the existence of truth whether what he says is truthful or not.

As a believer for many years now, it is hard for me to envision what it was like before I came to know Jesus Christ from the standpoint of not knowing truth. In embracing Jesus Christ through the gospel message, I, as all believers do, became immersed in truth. The gospel message itself is a truthful invitation founded in truth. It introduced me to One who claimed to be truth itself. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." John 14:6a.

In becoming a child of God, I now had at my disposal a revelation of God himself in the prophetic writings of Scripture, my Bible, 2 Peter 1:20-21. Sixty-six books of unadulterated truth!

In John's first letter he points out that the unsaved are lost in a darkness, they stumble about and have no clue as to where they are going because the darkness has blinded them - they do not have the truth! 1 John 2:9-11.

Today I worship my God who has brought truth that shines brightly in the darkness! "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2.

Truth has come and exists amongst us!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

God Keeps Us Safe Into The Resurrection - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 John 5:18  ,

“We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.”

Here is, yet again, a wonderful reassuring comment from John. It is God himself who keeps us safe within his family! In verse 13 he says he writes what he does so that those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith may know we have eternal life. Now he says that God himself (Jesus Christ) keeps us safe!

If left to myself I would have no assurance I could make it as a child of God. If it were up to me to perform at a certain level of spirituality, I might not make it in. No doubt there are many who have a misguided notion that one day they will demand their entrance into the resurrection of life because, as believers, they performed certain spiritual disciplines, led an exemplary life, exercised their wills by “hanging in there” till the end, demonstrating their fitness for life in the Kingdom.

Not me. I freely confess I do not have it within myself to “keep myself” in the family of God through spiritual acumen. Thank God he has given me the Holy Spirit who transforms me. Thank God he has provided the Scriptures and wonderful brothers and sisters who encourage me in the faith. Thank God he superintends my relationship with him, keeping me in him, keeping me from being harmed, misguided, enticed or drawn away by “the evil one.” Thank God for his grace toward me!

This reminds me of so many passages of Scripture where we are told it is God himself who keeps us safe, who keeps us in him till that day. As Jude puts it, “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his presence without fault and with great joy…” Jude 24. Paul points to the assurance we have that God himself will keep us to the end in 1 Corinthians 1:8,9. There he claims it is due to the very faithfulness of God! “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”

How wonderful is the grace of God! It is by this grace I have been saved through faith, not by anything I have done. And it is by this grace that one day I will stand in the resurrection of life!

From the first day of my salvation to resurrection day, it is his grace that gets me there!

I’m looking forward to seeing you all there as well on that day!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

Free From Control Of Sin And Satan! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 John 5:18-19,

“We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”

John points out something that almost everyone senses or feels: there is something wrong with the world. He tells us it is under the control of the evil one! It is not only that people in general are rebellious, sinful, separated and estranged from God, they are under the control of God’s enemy, Satan.

Years ago Bob Dylan wrote a Christian song called “Gotta Serve Somebody”. In the chorus is the refrain, “you’re gonna have to serve somebody”. The truth of this is born out by John here in this passage. We are either a child of God or under the control of Satan, “the evil one”.

John tells us that, as children of God, we are released from the control of Satan. We do not “continue to sin”. Paul puts it this way in Romans 6:17-18, “thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”

“You’re gonna have to serve somebody.” How wonderful that we have been released from the realm and the power of control of Satan. John says God keeps us safe! In the remaining verses of Romans 6 Paul goes on to say, “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:20-23.

“You’re gonna have to serve somebody.” How wonderful God provides us an opportunity through the gospel to be freed from the tyranny of Satan and sin to enjoy the freedom to serve our wonderful loving, kind and compassionate God!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.