Today's Ruminating in the Word of God:

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 9:13,

"You give them something to eat."

One time, when Jesus and his disciples had gone to a remote place near Bethsaida, his disciples came to Jesus with a concern about the folks that had followed them there. After the crowd listened to Jesus speak of the kingdom of God, when the afternoon arrived, his disciples asked Jesus to send them away to get food and lodging as evening was drawing near. Jesus responded by telling the disciples to feed the people themselves.

What transpires next in the account is the miraculous feeding of the five thousand from five loaves of bread and two fish. It is an amazing account of a true miracle. As I read of it a number of thoughts come to mind. The feeding of these folks with what the disciples had is an obvious metaphor for what the apostles would be doing later as they took the gospel to the world and is yet still an assignment for all of us today.

I am reminded of what Jesus told the devil when he tempted the Lord while he was hungry, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." Jesus' answer was, "Man does not live on bread alone." Luke 4:3-4. The allusion of consumption of the gospel as with food is a common theme.

Jesus said in John's gospel, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." John 6:32-33. "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35 "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:47-51.

Just as folks need food to live, so they need Jesus Christ for eternal life. Deprivation of either results in death. The one a physical death, the other an eternal death.

Just as Jesus empowered his twelve disciples to perform the miraculous, so he continues to empower his disciples to do the miraculous today. Just as Jesus provided necessary food for the disciples to distribute to others, so he provides the necessary gospel for us to take to others.

Jesus could have fed these five thousand himself in some miraculous way without involving his disciples ("you give them something to eat") and, likewise, he could build his kingdom without using us. But he has chose to use us, to engage us in his grand enterprise. Through this he has provided us the most noble of all purposes life has to offer: service in the Lord's kingdom.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Where to look for joy.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 10:20,

"Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Seventy-two disciples had been empowered by the Lord and sent out in pairs to the towns and places he was about to go to. Upon returning to the Lord, in joy they told Jesus, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." Luke 10:17. These were disciples of the Lord that experienced the thrill and joy of being set apart by him for his purposes and given special ability to do things that were otherwise not possible. Of them, it can truly be said, they were right in the middle of doing what the Lord wanted in the way he wanted it done, having been empowered by him.

Today we have all kinds of groups who claim to be just so. There are those who claim to have the inside scoop with the Lord because they talk in tongues. They say we should all join them because they are the ones who experience what God has to offer by way of empowerment. Some purport to have found the fulfillment of what the Lord intends for us all because they have found the key to success in life. "You can have that job..." "You can find happiness in your marriage..." "You can raise successful children..." All we need do is join their ministry and we can experience that success as well. Some claim to have the right theology, the right interpretation of Scripture because they can experience miraculous healing. The rest of us get sick and die because we don't subscribe to their doctrine, so we miss out on this special empowerment of God. And, of course, don't forget about the ones who offer financial blessings as the reward of godliness.

It seems there is a determined effort to lay claim to having the special blessing and empowerment of the Lord, that which provides us joy, by manifesting the different, the miraculous, the unusual, that which differentiates. I wonder if Jesus' response to these seventy-two might be instructive here. The specific issue here is power over demons, but I suspect what Jesus had to say extends to the genuine manifestations of any kind of empowerment he provides. It may be great to talk in tongues, it may be wonderful to experience miraculous healings. It may be unique and fantastic to be able to relieve folks who might be plagued by demons. But, according to the Lord's own words, regardless of any of these miraculous activities, this is the little stuff. There is something far greater than having demons submit, there is something that transcends any of these things, something that is a genuine miracle in and of itself that goes well beyond it all: salvation!

The voluntary sacrifice of the Son of God in payment for our sins, the credit for that payment being offered solely on the basis of faith, the reality that our names are written into God's book of life transcends anything. Here is where we should be exulting. Here is where our joy should flow. Here is where our hope and satisfaction in life should find both its origin and its fulfillment. 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Worthy for service...

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 9:62,

"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Luke is a chapter that confronts me with a very important personal issue. That issue is, of what value do I esteem the Lord? Do the choices I make reflect that I exist for him and his purposes, or do they reflect that I assume he exists for me and my purposes? Is he here to fulfill my life as I might define it or do I abandon all that I might seek in deference to him? Am I willing to set aside those things in life, to subordinate all I might find important to me for that which he has expressed is important to him? Do I hold him in that high a regard?

Tough questions! Here are more verses that raise the issue from the chapter:  "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Luke 9:23-24. "He who is least among you all—he is the greatest." Luke 9:48. 

The verse above, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God", follows an exchange Jesus had with each of three men. One man came to Jesus and told him he would follow the him. The Lord told him of the deprivation involved, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Luke 9:58. Would the man esteem the Lord in such a way he would be willing to give up the comforts this life has to offer?

Jesus told a second man to follow him. The man replied that he wanted to "go and bury my father." Luke 9:59. Jesus responds, telling the man to let the dead bury their own dead, that he should go evangelize. A little research into the period of mourning for the loss of a loved one in that culture will reveal what the man was saying to Jesus... he wanted to do the Lord's bidding only after he satisfied the family obligation of the expected extended period of mourning (not literally to simply participate in a funeral at the grave site). Would the man esteem the Lord in such a way he would be willing to give up the expectations of others?

A third man told Jesus he would follow him, but only after he went home to say good-by to his family, Luke 9:61. Would the man esteem the Lord in such a way he would be willing to give up even his family if that be required? Would he be fit for service in the kingdom of God? It appears that fitness for the task resides in the priority placed on it.

Here is a commitment to priority for the Lord in our lives that is seldom seen. Where we spend our prayer time asking God to bring about success in the very things the Lord tells us we should be willing to give up for him, it makes for difficult personal reflection. Over the years I have heard all kinds of comments on these passages that, in the end, allow me to zip right past them, get on my knees and pray for that job I'd really like to pursue, that spouse I'd like to find, healing and infirmity removed so that I won't be hampered, acceptance into the college I want, the Lord to take the really tough decisions I'm faced with so I don't have to wrestle with them...

Yet, these are things we should be praying for. What a perplexing issue! One thing stands as clear to me - the Lord, in spite of anything, ought to hold the highest esteem from me. If I have a clear view of him, if I come to know him as I should, he will become the priority in my life, the single highest object of love and devotion that captures my heart. If he doesn't hold that spot, then I have some soul-searching to do.

As I say, tough questions!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Misery with a purpose.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 8:4,

"A large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town..."

This comment was made by Luke as he sets the stage for his account of Jesus' Parable of the Sower. Why were people coming to Jesus from town after town? In Luke 5:15 we are told, "Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses." People were suffering from sickness. They suffered from demon possession. Jesus spoke to their poverty and hunger in Luke 6:20-21. Lepers, paralytics, Peter's mother-in-law with a high fever, folks were suffering and looking for relief. As news of Jesus Christ spread, people flocked to him for that relief. Even dead people were raised back to life, providing relief for the grieving, as in the case of the raising of the dead son of a widow in Luke 7:11-17. To be sure, there were must have been many who came simply to hear of the hope Jesus Christ offered, to hear someone from speak from God, as say, Nicodemus in John 3. But many came to seek relief from the things they struggled with.

What misery! The gospels are full of accounts of misery folks lived in. A common thread throughout is the relief folks sought for their frustrations, their misery. We likewise see it today as nothing has changed. We may have technological advances available to us. We may have much improved heath care. We may have a much higher standard of living than the folks we read of in the gospels. But one thing that has not changed is that we all face our frustrations, our miseries, whether real or imagined, whether life-threatening or simply inconveniences. And as the folks in Jesus' day, we seek relief from them. 

A guaranteed best-seller for any author down at the Christian book store is a convincing volume on how to find relief from the things that break our hearts, the frustrations, the failures, the misery - in other words, how to have a happy and fulfilled life. The greatest scam in our day are the religious broadcasters who promise relief from our miseries if we simply send in our "faith-promise pledge" of so and so dollars. Many have gotten rich in our day by preying on the misery of others. Folks in the worst poverty, sending in what little they have with a promise they will receive tenfold. Why would they do such a thing? Desperation to find relief from poverty, misery or illness.

Why does such misery abound? Surely much of it is caused by our own poor choices. The account of man's fall in the garden of Eden begins the story of the misery mankind has brought on himself. Life comes with misery built in. We all get sick and eventually die. We all suffer the grief that the death of a loved one brings. Misery in this life is inescapable. If God loves us why doesn't he just remove those things from us that we struggle with? Even Paul spoke of something he suffered that the Lord would not bring relief for. He tells us of "a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." 2 Corinthians 12:7. There he speaks of his prayers that the Lord would bring him relief, prayers that were answered in a way other then removing the torment. He was told the Lord had a purpose for what Paul suffered.

So, is there a purpose for all the misery and suffering that afflict us all, at one time or another? If so, what is the Lord's purpose in it? I can't help but notice that in Luke's gospel, the very things that folks suffered from provided them the motivation to seek relief from the Lord. As then, often it is the frustrations we struggle with today that drive us to the Lord. Paul puts it this way in Romans 8:20-21, "The creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

As in Jesus' day, our frustrations, our sufferings drive us to the Lord. How often I have prayed to God for relief from one thing or another to the One who took pains to bring it into my life for my own good in the first place! I have labored under the false notion that it is God's job to answer my prayers so that I can lead a successful and fulfilling life, a life filled with happiness and the absences of frustration, suffering and pain. After all, isn't life all about my happiness in this life?

It turns out this life is not all about me. God is building his kingdom. God loves me and I have my part in it as we all do, and a part of that involves God drawing us to himself, even if some desperation, frustration and misery may be required. As Paul goes on to quote Psalm 44:22, "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

I wonder how many books this message might sell... I suspect not many...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Who are God's people?

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 7:16-17,

"They were all filled with awe and praised God. 'A great prophet has appeared among us,' they said. 'God has come to help his people.' This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country."

Those that were filled with awe and praise for God in this account were the folks in Nain, a town where Jesus, his disciples and a large crowd went shortly after he had provided healing for a centurion's servant. According to Luke, a widow's only son was raised back to life by Jesus. Those that witnessed the event were filled with awe, praised God and made the statement that God had come to help his people.

Just what they understood, at that time, as to how God had come to help his people may be somewhat different than what Jesus himself said. For instance, many at that time were looking for someone to help them remove Rome's control over Israel at that time. But, in any event, their observation was a true one! God had come to help his people. In Matthew's gospel, when appearing to Joseph, the angel of the Lord said, "... you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21.

The important question for all of us should be, who is it that are "his people"? This is a phrase used in both quotes from Matthew 1:21 and Luke 7:16-17. It indicates that out of all people, there are some that are God's and some that are not. How do we know who the people of God are? Who are the ones God has come to help, the ones that will be saved from their sins?

It is often observed that the nation of Israel, the Jews, are God's chosen people. One of them, the most prolific New Testament writer, the apostle Paul, said, "I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!" Romans 9:3-5. From this I find that Israel holds among many things, much of the things of God. Surely at the top of the list is that "theirs is the adoption as sons...". However, as that chapter continues, Paul points out that "it is not the natural children who are are God's children, but children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring." Romans 9:8. Earlier in the letter Paul pointed out, "...he [Abraham] is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised." Romans 4:11-12. Both Jew and Gentile alike become Abraham's offspring, God's children, his people, when they embrace God in faith!

Here it is made clear that the people of God are those who manifest the faith Abraham had in God. In Genesis 15:6 we read that Abraham was credited with a righteous standing with God because of his faith. God seeks those who will embrace him in faith as Abraham did. He offers us salvation through faith in him and provides us a place at his table, as members of his family when we place our trust in him.

As we read in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For 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." How wonderful to be included as one of God's people by simply trusting in him! Surely this is the greatest gift to mankind: eternal life as members of God's family by faith alone.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: On joining God's family.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 8:21,

"My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."

I am reminded that the gift God gives when we embrace him in faith is entrance into his family. We are not merely subjects of a kingdom, though we are. We are not merely friends of the Lord, though we are - we are family!

In Romans 8:16 we are told, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." God's children are also called the children of Abraham, a perspective on us when we manifest the faith Abraham did in Genesis 15:6, "Consider Abraham: 'He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.' Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: 'All nations will be blessed through you.' So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith." Galatians 3:6-9. 

Look at this wonderful statement Paul makes in Ephesians 1:3-6, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." We receive "every spiritual blessing in Christ" because he determined ahead of time that he would adopt us as his sons, his children!

The writer of Hebrews makes an interesting observation, "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, 'I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.' And again, 'I will put my trust in him.' And again he says, 'Here am I, and the children God has given me.' Hebrews 2:10-13.

As children we become heirs of all that is Jesus Christ's, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:16-17.

Contemplating, ruminating on the reality of being a child of God can cause you to have to catch your breath! What an exciting eternity we have as believers to look forward to!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Responding to the gospel - life or death?

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 6:47-49,

"I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."

A dilemma that faced me when I was confronted with the gospel message was the message itself forced of me an exercise of faith. Either accepting the claims of the gospel, that I was a sinner and Jesus took my punishment on himself when he died on that cross or not accepting the message (and the One from whom it originated) was going to require faith. Either I embrace Jesus Christ in faith, or in faith embrace the notion I didn't have to respond to it - either at the time or at any time - either choice was an exercise of faith.

"Do you believe in the Son of God?" is a question that requires faith regardless of how we respond to it. Even if I opted for the alternative of putting the decision off till later requires faith that it will be OK to do so. I wonder how many have been thrust into eternity that had opted for the "till later" response and now are awaiting judgment day on their own...

Regardless, here is one of the countless times we find the intolerance of the Son of God. I note as I read the gospel of Luke that Jesus presents his offer of the kingdom of God without give-and-take, without tempering it to mollify the thoughts and feelings of others, without concern for rejection, humiliation and fear, without the "political correctness" that seems to infest our spineless society today.

Perhaps I'm being a little harsh here, but the love of God is manifested in his sending of his Son to die a miserable death to pay the penalty for our sins, all our sins. It is not manifested in any equivocation of the message. Jesus here simply says, do what I say and receive eternal life or do not do what I say and spend eternity in a fiery lake of burning sulfur. What I see in the things the Lord says demonstrate a conviction, a certainty, a confrontation not often seen in our culture and society today. I'm not sure love allows any other approach.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: On being furious with the Lord.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 6:11,

"They were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus."

The "They" in the above were various Pharisees and teachers of the law. These were the religious leaders of the day, the ones who laid claim to the mantle of experts in the things of God. If you wanted to know something of God, they were the ones a person was expected to look to. They were the ones who taught others about God, who established the expectations if one wanted to draw near to God, seek God's forgiveness, his love and acceptance.

Yet, they couldn't even recognize the Son of God when he showed in their midst. Not content in their ignorance, they went so far as to oppose the Son of God at every turn. "The Pharisees and teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely..." Luke 6:7.

I suspect very little has changed over the years and that what we see in much of the leadership of those who are the religious leaders of our day is not often different. We have plenty who claim to hold the mantle of expert in the things of God. They are the ones who put themselves forward as the ones to go to if a person wants to know something of God. They write books, are found on the speaking circuit and hold massive services and meetings. They have offers for us on TV and will send us pamphlets, books and tapes.

I also suspect many of them would fail to recognize the Lord, were he to show up in our midst.

So, I ask myself the same question... would I recognize the Lord today? As most, I would like to think I would. But he may not be like I'd expect. He might be someone who would show up expressing an unfathomable love for drug addicts and prostitutes. Is that what I'm expecting? He might rather be down at the bar sharing things with the folks there, having a beer with them rather than in church for the Sunday evening service. Is that what I'm expecting? He may hold a love in his heart for child molesters, rapists and thieves. Is that what I'm expecting? He might even seek out folks who have gotten divorced, filed for bankruptcy, behind in their payments, defaulted on their mortgage, before he'd seek out me. Is that what I'm expecting?

At one point in his ministry Jesus was asked, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" His reply, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Luke 5:31-32.

Yes, it just might be with the "occupy Wall Street" crowd, the socialists, the gay crowd, the bikers or even politicians the Lord might be found with were he to resume his earthly ministry today. Would I recognize him? I would like to think so. I certainly wouldn't want to be found furious with him. In any event, unlike many of our religious leaders today, I think I might just fit in with whatever crowd desperately needs him. 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Witnessing the supernatural.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 9:30-31,

"Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus."

What a fascinating account! Often referred to as the "mount of transfiguration", it is an astonishing event that captures the imagination. Jesus takes his inner circle of disciples, Peter, James and John, up on a mountain and begins to pray. While in prayer, Jesus' appearance transforms - changes. Luke tells us his face changed and his clothes became as bright as "a flash of lightning." Two Old Testament figures appeared, Moses and Elijah, and had a conversation with Jesus. Luke reports that the topic was about "his departure" a reference to the sacrifice of atonement Jesus was going to fulfill. 

A couple of thoughts come to mind as I read of this stunning event. The first is that it needs to be acknowledged that when Jesus came to planet Earth, it wasn't disconnected in any way from all of the activities and involvement of God in the affairs of mankind prior to his arrival. In other words, the discontinuity provided by having the cannon of Scripture divided into "Old" and "New" testaments can be misleading. In the appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus, we need to recognize the events of Christmas, the arrival of John's ministry of repentance in preparing the way of the Lord, and the Lord's own earthly work were all part and parcel of all of God's activities up to that point. The law given to Moses prefigured the coming Lamb of God who would come as a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the world and the ministry of the prophets, represented in Israel's history, spoke of the coming Messiah, the One who will, one day, bring the nation of Israel back to her God.

Another thought that strikes me is that Jesus included his "inner circle" of disciples because he wanted an account of this provided to us following the events that lay ahead. The topic of discussion between Jesus, Moses and Elijah was about Jesus "departure". We are told that Peter, James and John kept this event to themselves and didn't tell anyone about it till later. The Lord had his reasons for keeping this event from being known until a time he thought best.

 I can only imagine the state of mind of these three disciples. They knew Moses and Elijah had appeared from the dead, they witnessed the transformational glory manifesting itself from Jesus and they heard God, from within the cloud say, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." We are told they were afraid when the cloud from which God spoke enveloped them. In Matthew's account of the event, we are told that Jesus' face "shone like the sun" and when the voice of God spoke they "fell facedown to the ground, terrified." Matthew 17:6.

There is much more to real life than what we encounter on a daily basis. The Scriptures are full of accounts where someone has seen or experienced something out of the ordinary. There is so much that is "cloaked" from us. We don't normally see the reality of spiritual activity that I am certain takes place all around us each day. We don't see the angels, we can't peer into the things of heaven as Paul did in the vision he talks of in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, where he speaks of being caught up to paradise, hearing things inexpressible that "man is not permitted to tell." We don't normally see the angels ascending and descending between heaven and earth as Jacob did in Genesis 28:10-15. Of course, the one overwhelming spiritual reality that is hidden from us, for now, is the penetrating and piercing glory of God that emanates from him, a blinding light that Paul calls "unapproachable". In his letter to Timothy he says, "... 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." 1 Timothy 6:15-16.

What exists in reality transcends our every day experience. I am certain that one reason for this is that it provides the opportunity for faith to manifest itself within our hearts. How fascinating when the veil is lifted and we are provided a "peek" at the uncommon, the astonishing and the breath-taking, even through the eyes of others - an opportunity provided us in the pages of Scripture.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Our Kind and Fearsome Lord.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 9:23-25,

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?"

To say that drawing close to the Lord can be unsettling is quite the understatement. Many of us who love the Lord and desire to please him speak of coming near to him, to know him as best we can, to gain some measure of intimacy with him. We desire to experience his presence in our lives and to be impacted by him. James 4:8 tells us, "Come near to God and he will come near to you." We read in Colossians 3:2-3, "Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." And, Hebrews 12:1-3 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

I don't know about you, but there are some things in my life that don't fit neatly into a pursuit of the Lord. Earlier in Luke's gospel Jesus asked a simple, but important and sobering question, "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" Luke 6:46. I'd like to think the Lord had his attention on someone else as he asked the question, but I have this nagging feeling he is looking right at me. Then, as I think of the above passage about denying myself, taking up my cross daily and following him... well, at what point can you feel you are meeting this expectation?

On the other hand, here is someone who loved me enough to come and die for me! Taking my punishment upon himself to provide a way into his family is an expression of love that simply cannot be ignored. As I consider all the Lord has done for me and how little I deserve what he provides me is too compelling to look any other way!

Perhaps one reason so many struggle in drawing near to the Lord is that he bristles with reality. He doesn't sugar-coat my faults and doesn't excuse them the way I do. He points to them and forgives me of them. He loves me despite them. Love and righteousness, mercy and justice. I find the Lord to be breathtaking in his love and kindness and yet fearsome in his honesty and expectations.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: A "paradigm shift" of life is on the horizon!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 8:1,

"Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God."

When Jesus Christ came on that Christmas morning, he did not come to bring peaceable relations between nations, but to provide mankind with a way to have peace with God. When Jesus Christ came on that Christmas morning, he did not come to remove sickness, disease, infirmity and physical death from mankind, but to provide mankind with a way to resurrection into eternal life where there will be no more tears, no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, no more pain. When Jesus Christ came on that Christmas morning, he did not come to fill our purses, bring us affluence, to improve our standard of living, but to provide mankind a way into his kingdom, where riches, "eternal pleasures" at God's right hand (see Psalm 16:11), happiness and fulfillment in life await. A paradigm shift of life is on the horizon! When it arrives it will be said, "The old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4.

The message Jesus brought to planet earth was the message of a coming kingdom, the Kingdom of God. This kingdom will be on the order of a "paradigm shift" in life. You might be poor in this life, you might be hungry. You might weep in this life and you might be hated. You might be excluded in this life, insulted and rejected. But that is in this life. A new kingdom is coming!

You might be rich in this life, you might be comfortable. You might be well fed and you might laugh. You might be well spoken of in this life. But that is in this life. A new kingdom is coming! A paradigm shift of life is on the horizon!

No matter our station in life, no matter how blessed or miserable we consider ourselves in this life, a paradigm shift in life is on the horizon! That is the consideration of utmost importance in this life, will we be blessed in the resurrection or will we be the objects of woe? Our station in this life will not dictate what eternal life will look like for us. Only through Jesus Christ can we insure we will be blessed in the kingdom of God.

Jesus Christ said, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." God is building his kingdom! He also said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

May all of us find ourselves fulfilled in what Jesus had to say, "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven." Luke 6:23.

A paradigm shift of life is on the horizon! God is building his kingdom!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Laughing at Jesus.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 8:53-55a,

"They laughed at him [Jesus], knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, 'My child, get up!' Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up."

This comes from the account of Jairus' daughter. We are told Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue who had only one daughter, a twelve year old. She was dying and so Jairus went to plead with Jesus to come heal her. In route the daughter died and when Jesus arrived he found a crowd at the house "wailing and mourning". Jesus told the crowd to stop wailing as he prepared to raise her. We are told the crowd laughed at Jesus.

On the one hand, I find it not surprising that the crowd laughed and scoffed. How often does one see someone raised from the dead? And, yet, that is exactly what Jesus did with the girl. He raised Jairus' daughter from the dead. I wonder how the crowd felt after they saw her alive? It turns out that laughing at the Son of God is unwise.

At the event of an earlier miracle, Luke tells us that when Jesus had Peter and the others put in their nets, resulting in a miraculous catch of fish, Peter fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" Luke 5:8. Peter's appropriate response reflected a reality he previously was unable to perceive. How did the crowd react at Jairus' home after they laughed at Jesus, only then to witness this astonishing miracle? How did they feel, having laughed at him? An appropriate response, from our perspective, looking back on the event, would be one that included a measure of remorse for being so foolish.

How would I feel after scoffing or laughing at someone who turned out to be the Son of God? How would I feel after treating with contempt the blood of Jesus Christ that can bring me forgiveness of sins, making a way for me into the family of God, bringing me eternal life? I wonder how the folks that scorn Jesus Christ in this life will feel on judgment day?

Jesus Christ hung on a cross, dying a miserable death to pay for all of our sins. The sins of every human being that has ever lived. "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2. 

The writer of Hebrews says, "How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' and again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:29-31.

How will anyone feel having rejected God's wonderful offer of eternal life on that day? It will certainly not include laughter.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Sight for the spiritually blind.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 7:31,35:

"To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?... But wisdom is proved right by all her children."

This is the account where Jesus points out the utter darkness of the hearts of mankind. Recall the fulfilled Scripture Jesus read in the synagogue as he announced the purpose of his public ministry, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4:18-19. It is a quote of Isaiah 61:1-2. That passage speaks of release from darkness for "the prisoners". Who are these prisoners and what is the prison? The prisoners are all mankind, every man, woman and child on planet earth. What is the prison? It is the spiritual darkness that has fallen over the hearts of all mankind due to sin and estrangement from God.

Jesus points to the utter darkness of this prison people are in. They cannot see or perceive anything of a spiritual nature. Although we have an ample supply of all kinds of folks who claim to have arrived at some spiritual attainment or another, the truth is, all suffer an imprisonment of spiritual darkness. Jesus uses the differences between John the Baptist, who is the subject of the moment, and himself to illustrate just how dark the spiritual blindness is that people are imprisoned in. He says that just as the child's taunt about the musician who can play a happy or sad tune, and the appropriate response is found lacking, so look at folk's response to the differing ministries of John and Jesus. One is an ascetic while the other eats and drinks. They say John has a demon because he doesn't eat or drink and Jesus is a glutton and drunkard because he does. In other words, it doesn't matter what folks are exposed to: the darkness they are imprisoned in prevents them from any spiritual insight. They are spiritually crippled, spiritually blind.

However, "wisdom is proved right by all her children." Only in Jesus Christ is there freedom from spiritual darkness, only in Jesus Christ is there an ability to acknowledge and respond appropriately to the things of God. How precious is the faith we have in Jesus Christ that restores our spiritual sight! 

Here is how wonderfully the apostle Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 2:9-16: "However, as it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him'— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ."

Today I thank God for bringing us sight to our spiritually blind eyes. I thank him for revealing to us his things in such a way that we can understand and know what it is he has for us!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: God has a purpose for everyone on planet earth.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 7:30,

"The Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves..."

This observation by Luke of these Pharisees comes in a place where he provides the account of when John the Baptist's disciples visited Jesus to verify if he was "the one who was to come". John had already recognized who Jesus was when he baptized him, that he was the Savior sent by the Father to redeem mankind. Here John's disciples were sent by John to verify that Jesus was that one. Where there impostors running at large at that time creating some confusion?

In any event, I note from Luke's comment that there were those who had rejected God's preparation in sending John the Baptist ahead of Jesus. Luke says these Pharisees and experts in the law did not go to John for the purpose of receiving the baptism of repentance which John was offering. Luke couches his description of them as having "rejecting God's purpose for themselves". They were not repentant and not looking for the redemption that God was providing. I understand these to be "unsaved" people, unrepentant and still under God's condemnation. John, in his gospel, quotes John the Baptist as saying of Jesus, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36. Surely these Pharisees fit this description. But God had his purpose for them they were rejecting.

These Pharisees are seen as rejecting "God's purpose for themselves." I think it important to understand that all people have a purpose in this life. Our purpose, every one's purpose in life, is to embrace the salvation God offers us. This salvation is offered to all and all have a responsibility to embrace it in faith and not make the horrific choice of rejecting it.

The philosophers of all ages have scratched their heads wondering what is mankind's appropriate purpose in this life. Luke's gospel can't make it any clearer: we come into this life for the purpose of joining God's family. God is building his kingdom, his family. All who embrace God's purpose have eternal life, all who reject it remain under God's condemnation and will face an eternity in the fiery lake of burning sulfur that we read of in Revelation 20 and 21.

May we all be certain we have embraced God's wonderful purpose for our life!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Everyone exercises faith - what is your object of faith?

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 7:50,

"Jesus said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'"

This is the woman who loved the Lord so much because she had been forgiven of so much. As a sinful woman who lived in this town, her sinful lifestyle was well known to all who lived there. A Pharisee, who had apparently done little in the way of sinning in his life, demonstrated little love for the Lord when he had him to his home for dinner. But the sinful woman manifested in her great love of the Lord due to the great amount of  forgiveness she had received. Jesus told the Pharisee, "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little." Luke 7:47.

I note it was not the expression of love for the Lord that brought salvation to her, but the faith that manifested her love of the Lord that saved her. So many people have so much confusion about this issue of faith. It is by faith we procure salvation from the Lord. The greatest confusion most have is the notion that being a do-gooder is what gets you there. The Scriptures tell us that a person's good deeds, or lack of bad deeds, thoughts, words and actions cannot get us into heaven. Faith that may produce good works will. The Lord clearly told this woman who so publicly demonstrated her love of the Lord, it was her faith that saved her. 

We all live by faith. The nature of life requires faith for our existence. I have to believe the ground will hold me up when I get out of the bed in the morning. I don't prove that fact each day before I roll out of bed. I simply assume it in an impulse of faith because it has held me up every other day I got out of bed. We all place our faith in something or someone. When I was confronted with the gospel I can recall understanding that if I didn't trust in Jesus - that would be an act of faith in itself. Should I place my trust in Jesus Christ or do I "believe" I don't have to? Either response has to be an act of faith. We all exercise faith. 

I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ. How about you? What are you trusting in?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: Faith - our door to God.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 7:6b-7a,

"Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you."

Here is a statement of true humility. What I find so compelling about this man's confession of unworthiness is that it came from someone who was spoken of in different terms by others. Others said of this man, "he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." Therefore, in their minds he deserved the Lord response to his request for a healing of his servant, "This man deserves to have you do this...".

Jesus made quite a statement about this man, a centurion. We read, "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, 'I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.'" Luke 7:9. In the past I have often thought it was this man's understanding of the things of God relative to a chain of authority this man saw in the way Jesus Christ operated while here on earth, see verse 8, that amazed Jesus about his faith. Perhaps that may be so, however, I also recognize that the remarkable humility of this man may have been a part, maybe a big part, of the basis for Jesus' acknowledgement of the faith of this man.

It takes faith to recognize who it is when we think in terms of God and all that is his. Faith is the only vehicle we have to approach God, to see him, to know him, to understand what we can of him. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,  by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:19-22. It was this faith that brought such a humility to this centurion. A humility that was the result of a clear view of God that was made possible by his faith.

In any event, what is exciting to me is that it is faith that pleases the Lord. Exciting because faith is possible for me. I may not be able to do other things, but faith is something all are capable of. On my commute to work this morning I noticed a lot of folks crossing the Poplar Street Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River. We all exercised faith that the bridge would get us safely to the other side. Faith in a good bridge can get me across the river, but faith in the Son of God can bring me into the family of God. How wonderful is that?!

The good things people do are good only if those things express an inner faith in Jesus Christ. The spiritual disciplines anyone might engage in only have value if they manifest faith in Jesus Christ. If I show up in church on a Sunday, it only holds value if it expresses an inner faith in Jesus Christ. The gifts I may offer in the collection plate, the opportunities I take to share the gospel with others, any expression to please the Lord only holds value if it expresses a heart of faith for our Lord. James said, "I will show you my faith by my deeds." James 2:18b. I'm certain James did a lot of deeds. He was a great man of faith.

In Hebrews 11:6 we are told it is impossible to please God without faith. Many might seek to tell us otherwise. Certainly, in so many churches it is all about the doing. Not that doing isn't important, but the doing becomes worthless activity when it does not find its origin in the heart of faith. Today, I thank my God that he has decided that it is faith that brings me near him!

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: The matchless perfection of the love of our Savior's heart.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 7:13,

 

"When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, 'Don't cry.'"

 

Luke provides us with an account of a widow whose only son had died. Jesus had come across the funeral procession carrying him out of the town gate of Nain. Jesus came up to the widow in her grief and Luke tells us the Lord's heart "went out to her". He then brought the son back to life and gave him back to his mother.

 

This account, of course, demonstrates that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the flesh. As the Creator he, and only he, of all who have been born into the human family, could do such a thing. We are told that Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, was the creative agent within the godhead,  "By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." Colossians 1:16. We also read, "Through him [the Word, Jesus Christ] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men." John 1:3. The life "in him" is what he provides us all and was from which this dead son was brought back to life.

 

But there is something else in this account that captures my attention, something that touches my heart deeply. Luke tells us something revealing about the Lord's heart: "his heart went out to her". We know there is a special place in the Lord's heart for widows and others who are truly helpless. "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." Psalm 68:5-6. "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— the Lord, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked." Psalm 146:5-9.

 

It is this kindness, this love, this mercy of the Lord's heart that grips my heart. It is something I struggle to wrap my mind around. It is something I find so compelling about our Lord - it draws me to him. He loves us with a love I can scarcely fathom. When I read passages such as "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." Titus 3:4-5, it grips my heart. How can I not be moved by such a heart as this? How can I not be drawn to him?

 

It is these very kinds of passages in Scripture that cause me to reflect on the matchless perfection of the love of our Savior's heart.

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: It is all about faith.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 7:9,

 

"When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, 'I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.'"

 

Here is a fascinating and riveting account provided us by Luke. A centurion, (a Roman soldier with a command) exhibited such faith we are told that Jesus himself was "amazed at him". This man had a servant he valued highly and when the servant had become sick and was about to die, the centurion sent for Jesus to ask for healing. On Jesus' way to the centurion's house he was met by friends sent by the centurion who told Jesus not to trouble himself by coming to the house, as he felt unworthy for Jesus to do so, but just say the word and "my servant will be healed."

 

This remarkable faith of the centurion was something Jesus had not seen, even among the Jews, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel." We are told the centurion's friends returned to the house and found the servant healed.

 

In my mind, the account seems to imply Jesus was unaware he would be encountering such a faith expressed by this Gentile centurion, hence his amazement. Perhaps I am wrong in this but it seems as though Jesus, even though he was the Son of God in the flesh, was not expecting this. I am left with the notion that quite possibly there were things Jesus knew and then some things he didn't.

 

This thought might create a discomfort in the theology of some. But we know that there were some things Jesus did not know when he was here. In speaking of his second coming to planet earth Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew 24:36. As a member of the Trinity, the Son of God set aside some of the things of deity when he came here as our Savior. Paul tells us in Philippians 2:6-8, "Who [Christ Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Here Paul tells us that the Son of God, rather than clinging to his exalted position within the godhead, set aside aspects of his deity to come as a man to secure the payment for our sins. Even within the Trinity, we understand by what the Lord said in Matthew 26:36, there are some things reserved to God the Father alone.

 

How this works out, as far as the breadth of knowledge only a member of Trinity could have and what Jesus knew or was aware of when he was here is somewhat unclear to me. I only know what I read, and what I do read in this passage is that Jesus Christ was amazed at the faith of the centurion.

 

I see two issues at play in the centurion's faith. The obvious one is that through the fabric of his faith, the centurion knew that Jesus Christ had the ability to heal someone at death's door. This speaks of the understanding of the centurion that Jesus Christ could control the issues of life and death for anyone. This is something only God could have. The second issue at play in the centurion's faith is the humility engendered by his faith. Holding a commanding rank in the occupying army of Rome, this humility could only find its origin in the recognition of this centurion that Jesus Christ was not your normal Jew. Sickness and death are the result of God's judgment for sin and only God himself hold ultimate control over life and death. Asking God of anything in sincere faith, must acknowledge the position of the One to whom the request is made. The humility of this centurion certainly speaks of the faith he approached the Lord with in his request. His message to Jesus was, "I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you".

 

Just a few thoughts today about a fascinating account. If anything, it reminds me once again that it is all about faith. As the writer of Hebrews said of those of old, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for." So, likewise, I find in the gospel accounts it is the expression of faith folks are commended for.

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: A good tree bears good fruit.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 6:37-38,

 

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

 

This observation was made by Jesus in his "sermon on the plain" which quite likely to my thinking is the same sermon as the one on the mount... the "plain" being the "level place" mentioned in verse 17. It may be that when Jesus spent a night on a mountainside to pray, verse 12, he afterward came down the following morning as far as a level place on that mountainside and gave his sermon on the mount, Matthew 5:1-7:29, the same as Luke's sermon on the plain, 6:20-49.

 

In any event, I use the term "observation" in connection with Luke 6:37-38. While most seem to take the thrust of what Jesus says here as a "punch list" of do-gooder items a pastor sends his flock out to perform during the week, I don't see it that way at all. I don't think for a minute that Jesus' intent here was to give us a laundry list of things to go scurry about to perform. He set a bar so high that all might recognize their need of a savior. He was making observations with an intent in mind:

 

-those who don't judge will not be judged

-those who don't condemn will not be condemned

-those who forgive will be forgiven

-those who give will receive abundantly

 

Who does these things? I've never known anyone to do these things in a genuine way apart from the enablement of the Holy Spirit. No one. So, as Jesus is offering the kingdom of God to those who will listen to him, what is the purpose of these observations given people who will need to respond to the gospel of faith?

 

In my thinking, the point Jesus was making was to let all know, not just of the benefits of salvation, but the estate of one who does these things. The one who does these things is one who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit because he is a child of God. Only those who have been enabled by the Holy Spirit will express the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His point is that those who emulate these things demonstrate they are God's children and therefore will never be judged or condemned but will be forgiven and given to abundantly.

 

It is a look ahead that Jesus provides his listeners. If they are seeking God, they need to know that a change in their disposition with God, one from judgment to becoming a member of his family, will be accompanied by a reciprocal change in nature. As Jesus says several verses later, "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:43-45.

 

Paul talks about the "fruit" of one's life in his letter to the churches of Galatia. He says, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:22-24.

 

Those who don't judge will not be judged because they are God's children. Those who don't condemn will not be condemned because they are God's children. Those who forgive will be forgiven because they are God's children. Those who give will receive abundantly because they are God's children.

 

The fixation so many do-gooders have for their lists of things to do in order to earn God's love and acceptance needs to be replaced with a felt need to embrace Jesus Christ and then marvel at the changes they see brought about in their lives as the Holy Spirit does his work within them. I am reminded the fruit of a life that God commends is fruit that is produced by the Holy Spirit.

 

In any event, I am greatly relieved and excited to know that God's love and acceptance for me is not conditioned upon my performance of doing good deeds. I simply could not measure up. How thankful I am that God has given me freely the righteous standing of Jesus Christ by embracing him in faith! How about you?

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com