No Darkness In God! - 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 1:5,

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

What if God had a shadowy side? What if God had faults, inconsistencies, imperfections in his nature? What if God were moody or gloomy?

What would the quality of eternal life be to serve a god like that?

The “antichrists”, the false teachers that John wrote against in this letter we call 1 John, brought their false Gnostic teachings from the dualism prevalent in Greek religion. This Greek religion promoted gods who were anything but morally upright or transcendent in character.

Xenophanes (c. 570-488 B.C.) commented, “Both Homer and Hesiod have attributed to the gods all things that are shameful and a reproach among mankind: theft, adultery, and mutual deception.”

When John proclaims God is light – no darkness whatsoever, it reverberates within me a penetrating excitement to know that our God, the only God, is perfect and perfectly consistent in all of his character and nature!

As Paul wrote Timothy, “… God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever, Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:15-16.

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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Jesus Christ Brings Joy! - 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 1:4,

“We write this to make our joy complete.”

As John writes and invites his readers to the fellowship that he and his people share with one another and God, he says he does so “to make our joy complete.” The NIV provides a footnote to this verse to say that some manuscripts have it “to make your joy complete.” Either way we find joy here! As John invites his readers to fellowship with Jesus Christ, joy abounds!

Joy is not an everyday word. I don’t know that it is something that I hear very frequently in the “lingua franca” of our day outside of the church context. Maybe around Christmas when even unbelievers enjoy carols that focus on the birth of Jesus Christ.

Merriam-Webster online defines the word “joy” as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires: delight. A state of happiness, bliss.” I can’t think of a better word than “joy” to describe the emotion Jesus Christ brings to our hearts as we come into fellowship with him! Talk about “possessing what one desires: delight”!

In my mind there are two things about our wonderful Savior that bring us joy. The first is that he is who he is. Our Lord is one who is perfect and pristine in all of his majestic splendor. As one who is without fault in his character and nature he inspires respect, reverence, love, devotion and loyalty. As we experience these in our lives, when we gaze upon the beauty of our Lord, it speaks not nearly so much about our spiritual life as it does the fact that we took a good look at the many splendored qualities that make up the character and nature of our Lord.

It is he who inspires these things within us. He is the Son of God who is filled with love, kindness and compassion. He has expressed these in so many ways as he dwelt among us, and of course, certainly these were the utmost expression of his sacrificial death on our behalf as he hung on that cross.

Secondly, in my mind, it is what Jesus Christ has done that brings us joy as well. Having set aside the prerogatives of being God, the Son of God left his exalted place at the side of our heavenly Father and took on humanity. Philippians 2:6-8. Having done so, he procured satisfaction of God’s own justice for the sin in our lives! He now speaks to the Father on our behalf, I John 2:1 and has secured a guaranteed place for each one of us who have embraced him in faith in his kingdom. Ephesians 1:13-14.

As such we have an eternity of life ahead of us that is described in Revelation 21:3b-4 as, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” As Paul quotes Isaiah 64:4, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9.

As Jude puts it in his doxology, “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

Fellowship with Jesus Christ brings true joy into our lives!

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 Wants All Mankind! - 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 1:3,

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

What comes across loud and clear to me in this verse is invitation. John says what he proclaims of Jesus Christ, he does so that “you also may have fellowship with us.” Our God is a god of invitation. He invites all to his tent. He has open arms and seeks us all to come to him.

“For God so loved the world”, the whole world, not just certain ones. His call is to us all. God could have determined that only the best, only the brightest, only the strongest or only the most attractive would be permitted into his family… but not our God. If anything he almost seems to reach out to those that the world itself deems unworthy. In 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 we read, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30. Not just some… but all. The personification of Wisdom in Proverbs echoes this disposition of God to invite all in, “Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city. ‘Let all who are simple come in here!’ she says to those who lack judgment. ‘Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.’”

The apostle Paul’s burning desire was that all would heed the invitation or call of God. When standing on trial before King Agrippa and governor Festus he said, “I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” Acts 26:29.

Far from “cherry-picking” favorites to enter his tent as some would have us believe, our God’s desire is that we all come to him. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3-4. He even holds out his arms to those who reject him as if he were pleading with them, “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.' All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations…” Isaiah 65:1-2.

Our God is a loving God who wants us all. What he has decided is that all who enter his tent will do so only by embracing him in faith, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” John 1:12. As Jesus himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

How can you not love a God such as this?!

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 Extends His Felllowship To Us (Part 2) - 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 1:3,

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

Again, the online definition of Merriam-Webster for “fellowship” includes companionship, company, community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience. The state of being a fellow or associate, a company of equals or friends, association. The English word is translated from the Greek word, “koinonia” and is sometimes also translated as “common”. Of course we understand that our fellowship with God does not indicate “a company of equals” as he is the Creator, we are his creation. He is God and forever will be; we are man and forever will be.

Yet, there is nothing in the least “common” about the relationship the apostle John and those with him enjoyed with God the Father, his Son Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Mankind over the ages has been estranged from God through his sin and rebellion against him as described in Genesis 3. Because of this estrangement, God has only revealed himself in limited ways through a very select few individuals. For John to say he enjoyed “fellowship” with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ, indicated something very unusual and unique.

For God to purpose to “fellowship” with humans is a singular expression of his love and passion for mankind, his creation. It required the cleansing of all sin and defilement for God to invite mankind into such a relationship with him. It also expresses a desire of our God to share of himself with us in a way that results in a transformation that inevitably takes place as we are indwelt with his Holy Spirit.

God has chosen to share the things of himself with mankind!

How remarkable that God has chosen to share himself in this way! How remarkable he has such a love and passion for mankind that he was willing to send his one and only Son to die a miserable death to pay for our sin, qualifying us for an intimacy with him! How remarkable that God has chosen to spend eternity with those of us who have reached out to embrace him in faith!

How remarkable is our 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 Extends His Felllowship To Us (Part 2) - 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 1:3,

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

Again, the online definition of Merriam-Webster for “fellowship” includes companionship, company, community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience. The state of being a fellow or associate, a company of equals or friends, association. The English word is translated from the Greek word, “koinonia” and is sometimes also translated as “common”. Of course we understand that our fellowship with God does not indicate “a company of equals” as he is the Creator, we are his creation. He is God and forever will be; we are man and forever will be.

Yet, there is nothing in the least “common” about the relationship the apostle John and those with him enjoyed with God the Father, his Son Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Mankind over the ages has been estranged from God through his sin and rebellion against him as described in Genesis 3. Because of this estrangement, God has only revealed himself in limited ways through a very select few individuals. For John to say he enjoyed “fellowship” with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ, indicated something very unusual and unique.

For God to purpose to “fellowship” with humans is a singular expression of his love and passion for mankind, his creation. It required the cleansing of all sin and defilement for God to invite mankind into such a relationship with him. It also expresses a desire of our God to share of himself with us in a way that results in a transformation that inevitably takes place as we are indwelt with his Holy Spirit.

God has chosen to share the things of himself with mankind!

How remarkable that God has chosen to share himself in this way! How remarkable he has such a love and passion for mankind that he was willing to send his one and only Son to die a miserable death to pay for our sin, qualifying us for an intimacy with him! How remarkable that God has chosen to spend eternity with those of us who have reached out to embrace him in faith!

How remarkable is our 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.