God Gives Us His Word - 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 Acts 20:32, "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” When Paul met with the elders from Ephesus in Miletus, he encouraged them and made this statement in his closing remarks to them. He committed them to God and his word. Paul comments that God’s word, “the word of his grace”, had the capability to build them up and bring them into an inheritance as heirs of God, Romans 8:17. Elsewhere in Romans Paul says he wasn’t ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe, Romans 1:16 He also told Timothy that Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that we might be fully equipped for every good work. God’s word is an amazing thing! In Isaiah 55:10-11 God says that his word will not return to him empty but accomplish what he desires and achieve the purpose for which he sent it. That God has given us his word, his powerful, effective, life-changing word is such a wonderful thing! 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 Reveals Himself - 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 Acts 20:25-27, “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.” As Paul met with the Ephesian elders for the last time, he reminded them he had proclaimed to them “the whole will of God.” Paul wanted to ensure that the church in Ephesus would have its very best prospect of success as he would no longer be available to them when he left. I suspect I shouldn’t make too much out of Paul’s phrase, “the whole will of God”, but I can’t help seeing in his choice of words that Paul did not hold back when he taught the church at Ephesus. Just as we do today, the early church in Ephesus needed the whole counsel of God. Enough can not be said about the need we have to be aware of who God is, what he is like, what his intentions are and what he is doing in the world. Amazing to me is that God has provided all of this for us. Every one of the sixty-six books in our Bibles are God-breathed, inspired by him, and contain within them all he intends for us to know about who he is, what he is like, his intentions toward us and what he is doing in the world. He has seen fit to inform us about himself. We find there, in pages of our Bibles, who God is (the Eternal One, Creator of heaven and earth) and what he is like (loving and just: both the Savior and the Judge of all humanity). He tells us what his disposition is (love and grace) for us today and what his intentions are (to save sinners and condemn those who reject him.) He tells us what he is doing (carrying out his program of redemption in a lost world through the church). What an opportunity we have to get to know God! As Paul taught the Ephesians “the whole will of God”, we receive that same education as we spend time in the pages of the Bible! What a wonderful God we have who has revealed himself in its pages! 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's Choice: It Is By Faith - 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 Acts 20:20-21, “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” Paul recounts for the Ephesian elders his ministry among them. This will be his last meeting with them in this life and as he knows he is facing death he reminds them of his message to both Jews and Gentiles, to all men. All men must repent (have a change of heart, mind) from the current direction of their lives and “have faith in our Lord Jesus.” The issue of faith is strikingly clear in the pages of Scripture. God has made the effort in his revelation to us to tell us that it is faith he has decided will be the determining factor for anyone to come to him. God chose before the ages began that it will be those who embrace him in faith who will have an inheritance in him. When Adam and Eve capitulated to the temptation of the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, it was a clear lack of faith in what God had told them that resulted in their fall. Conversely, God introduces us to a man named Abraham who exhibited the kind of faith that will bring salvation. Abraham’s faith, which earned him a covenant with God, is that faith which, if we follow in his footsteps of faith, will bring us into a covenant relationship with God. “He [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Romans 4:20-24. Jesus Christ took our punishment for sin on himself but it is only “credited” to us when we embrace him in faith. It will not be by works, it will not be by comporting oneself in accord with an established set of moral standards and it will not be by the exercise of religious acts of piety that bring salvation. It is faith and faith alone. “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. How wonderful God has decided our salvation will be based on faith and not performance. If it depended on my behavior, I wouldn’t make it. If it depended on my observance of religious disciplines and piety I wouldn’t make it. What he has asked of me is that I simply embrace him in faith! How wonderful is that? It is truly a gift from him, a gift that came by the heavy lifting Jesus Christ did for me when he died that horrible death on that cross! 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 Has Invited Us Out Of This World Into His Kingdom! - 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 Acts 20:2-3, “He [Paul] traveled through that area [Macedonia], speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, where he stayed three months. Because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.” The world is a hostile place toward God and those who are his. Here we read of Jews plotting against Paul in Greece. Later in the chapter, Paul reminds the Ephesian elders of the plots of the Jews against him in that city. He also tells them that the Holy Spirit had warned him that prison and hardships faced him in Jerusalem where he was headed. Paul faced hostility where he had been, where he was and where he was going. Throughout the book of Acts we see hostility toward God’s people from Jews and Gentiles alike. In Paul’s previous life he participated in this hostility himself prior to his conversion to “the Way”. In Stephen’s words, just before he was stoned, “Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him”. Acts 7:52. Jesus taught, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” John 15:18-19. Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ belong to God and as such we are hated by those who do not belong to him. They have made their choice and resent those of us who have embraced God. Many of us today may never face hostility as Paul did, but nonetheless we are despised because of our choice to join God’s kingdom, leaving them and the world behind. The reality is that those of us who have embraced God wish the others - who are hostile toward us - would embrace God as well. Of people of faith, the writer of Hebrews says, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:13-16. How wonderful the future we have in our Lord Jesus Christ! How wonderful he invited us to join him and leave the world behind! 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 Authenticates The Gospel - 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 Acts 19:11-12, “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” How wonderful that God provided authenticity and authority to the message that Paul took to Ephesus (and the many other places as well). The veracity of Paul’s message was confirmed in so many ways by God. Did God have to provide this additional stamp of authenticity to Paul’s message through various miracles as Paul helped to lay a foundation for the expansion of the church? For those folks with thick-headed skulls like mine over the ages, God demonstrates an undeserved compassion for those of us who are a little “slow”. And look at the stamp of authenticity he provides… compassion itself! Folks cured of illnesses and relieved of evil spirits! What a wonderful 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.

God's Offer To Sinners - 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 Acts 19:8-9a, “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them.” As we read in Acts 18:4 and Acts 26:28, Paul approached folks with the gospel message in an attempt to persuade them. Here we see Paul “arguing persuasively” about the kingdom of God. As all have a choice to make regarding the gospel when confronted with it, we are told that some in Ephesus “became obstinate” and that they “refused to believe”. A horrific choice they made given the consequences! Jesus confided in Nicodemus as to why folks would refuse the love of their Creator and opt for his judgment. He told him, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19. This tells me a person’s theology is dictated by their morality. Men love darkness instead of light because of their own evil hearts so, they refuse to have a change of heart, a change of mind when confronted with the gospel! Nevertheless, Jesus Christ came to save these very sinners! If only all could be persuaded, but their lifestyles and heart condition holds them fast. Later John quotes Jesus as saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. How wonderful our Savior came for us! How wonderful he gave his life to ransom us from God’s judgment! What an expression of love, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us! This morning I thank God for his grace toward us that has made it possible for any of us to embrace him! 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 Gives Us The Holy Spirit! - 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 Acts 18:1-7, “While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’ ‘John's baptism,’ they replied.” Paul said, ‘John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.” This is a fascinating account of something Paul encountered in Ephesus. These “disciples”, it turns out, were not acquainted with the Holy Spirit and had to be told about the need to put their faith in Jesus Christ. They had experienced John the Baptist’s ministry and had even been baptized into his “baptism of repentance” but they didn’t know the Lord yet, as evidenced by Paul having to introduce them to Jesus. This resulted in them experiencing their own “mini-Pentecost”. The account reveals that Paul ascertained who needed to hear the gospel message by whether a person had received the Holy Spirit, even if they appeared religious, e.g. to be a disciple. The foundation for this approach is given throughout the New Testament. In Romans 8:9 we read, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” In Ephesians 1:13-14 Paul says, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.” It is the presence of the Holy Spirit that evidences whether we in Jesus Christ, whether belong to God. He sends his Holy Spirit to dwell within us when we become his. We become a “new creation”, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and the Holy Spirit begins to change us from the inside out, Galatians 5:16-26. Being changed by the Holy Spirit is how we discern who a child of God is and who is not, 1 John 3:10: has a person’s life been impacted by the Holy Spirit? To me this is one of the mystical and wonderful things about our new life in Jesus Christ! God gives us his Holy Spirit and he begins his wondefful work within 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.