Jesus Christ: The Real Thing! - 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 3:2-10,

“Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful… Peter said, 'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.' Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God… they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”
 
In the name of Jesus Christ, the natural order of events of the physical laws of creation were set aside. This crippled man was miraculously healed.

Surely all of the claims by Jesus Christ and the apostles he sent are vetted, verified and authenticated by these miracles!

Jesus Christ is the one for whom many over the years have been willing to die for, as they have discovered that he is the “real thing”.

Today I thank my God for providing us with these anecdotes of authentication!

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!

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God Uses Us In The Midst Of Our Shortcomings - 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 3:1-13a,

"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer… Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day… When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money… Then Peter said, 'Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.' Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk… While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: 'Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.'"
 
This miracle demonstrates something fascinating about God to me. Peter heals a cripple and then tells the mob that gathers that it was not due to his “own power or godliness”.

I think we know all to many today in Christendom who flex their spiritual muscles in front of us by a "show" of spirituality through the exercise of their "spiritual gifts" to demonstrate they have that special connection with God, they have their pursuit of God that you and I don't, they are the ones with the inside scoop on how to understand the Scriptures and all things Christian.

How unfortunate they never had the opportunity to meet Peter and John! God used those two (and, of course, many others) in ways that no one today can lay claim to, and did it not by their "own power or godliness" (God did it)!

God often uses folks for his purposes to accomplish his will and desires apart from them having arrived at a special level of “power or godliness”.

God uses us in our foolishness, weaknesses and inabilities. That God involves us at all in his purposes is just amazing to me, and that he doesn’t require a level of accomplishment in our life to be used by him is even more amazing.

As I think about how God works this way I realize he gets the glory instead of some knucklehead like me.

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.

Jesus Christ Sends The Holy Spirit To Dwell Within Us! - 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 2:33,

“Exalted to the right hand of God, he [Jesus Christ] has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”

Here is something I find just fascinating! Peter tells the crowd that gathered when the Pentecost event took place, that what they were witnessing was something Jesus Christ was doing in heaven at that exact time. What Jesus was doing in heaven was manifesting itself on earth!

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to come and dwell within the hearts and lives of each of the disciples. Since that time, as we learn in other passages such as Ephesians 1 and 1 Corinthians 12, each one of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have had Jesus send the Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives as well.

Our experience may not be the same as what these disciples had on the day of Pentecost, but just as with them, our Lord in heaven did something very personal for each one of us that impacts us here on earth: at the time we embraced Jesus in faith, he sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within each of us!!

Simply astonishing!

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.

Jesus Ascention And Return For Us - 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 1:9-11,

“After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’”

Prior to his death and resurrection Jesus told his disciples he would be leaving them to go back to his Father. He said, “You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.” John 14:28-29.

Also in John 16:5-7 we read, “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

Defying the laws of nature (gravity), Jesus Christ ascended up from planet earth, into the clouds, to return to his Father in heaven. From heaven he sent the Holy Spirit he promised to his own he left behind here on earth, something we will read of in Acts, chapter 2.

So what is it Jesus Christ is doing in heaven? The writer of Hebrews tells us he sustains all things by his powerful word, Hebrews 1:3. Something very exciting to me is what Paul speaks of in Romans 8:34, “[Jesus Christ] is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” The “also” refers back to his earlier comment in verse 26, “…the Spirit himself intercedes for us”. To think that my name, that your name, crosses the lips of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit as they speak on our behalf to God the Father is just astonishing!

The exciting part of this passage in Acts is what the two men dressed in white had to say about what lies ahead, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Our Lord is coming back for 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.