Today's Ruminating in the Word of God: The narrow door.

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 13:24,

"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to."

This is the response Jesus gave when asked the question, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" Jesus pointed to the many of his day, and of the many down through the ages who will try to enter into God's family, that is, to be saved, but will be unable to do so. 

Oddly, there is a major theological tradition today that attempts to tell us that most people have no interest into the things of God. I find this to be something of a bizarre perspective because of the many religions, cults and -isms and so on that confidently claim to have a hold on the kingdom of God. Many seek the spiritual and many seek God. All the pollsters tell us that atheists comprise just a minority of the population of our country as most believe in some form of "higher being". We are never told in Scripture that man, in his depravity and fallen condition, has no interest in the things of God. While that may be true of many, what Scripture does tell us, as the Lord does here, is that many want to do things their own way. They will try to "enter" but be unable to do so.

Jesus tells us to make every effort to enter through the narrow door. God has laid a "stumbling stone" in man's path. That stumbling stone is Jesus Christ. Paul quotes Isaiah in Romans 9:30-33, "The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone." As it is written: 'See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'" In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

The truth Jesus gave in this passage is that mankind, in his depravity and sinful rebellion determines he is going to do things his own way. Rejecting God's offer of forgiveness through faith to embrace the punishment Jesus took on himself for our sins, faith in him for many simply won't do. So many religions have hoops for folks to jump through with many rules and regulations to prove to God they are worthy of salvation.

You can put lipstick on a pig and in the end, you still have a pig (although cosmetically enhanced). Being a do-gooder will never get us into God's family as it only makes one a well-behaved sinner. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way. He is the narrow door, the narrow way. Unfortunately most, in their rebellion and sin, want to do things in their own way. Many will try to enter and "will not be able to." As John tells us in John 1:12, "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

May we all make every effort to enter through the narrow door!

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 patience 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 13:8-9,

"'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it [a barren fig tree] alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"

Here is the response of the man who took care of a vineyard for its owner. In the vineyard a fig tree had been planted and the owner wanted to have it removed after expecting fruit from it but not finding any for three years, "Cut it down!". In this parable Jesus said the caretaker of the vineyard told the owner to give it another year, he would work with it to see if it would bear fruit.

This speaks to me of a few things about the Lord. The first is that he has an expectation that we bring to fruition that which he as created us for. Just as the vineyard owner expected what he wanted from the fig tree, so God expects we fulfill our purpose in this life by embracing him in faith and joining his family. I find that thought captured in a comment Jesus gave his followers, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." John 6:29. 

The second is that just as the vineyard owner decided he wanted to cut down the unproductive fig tree and cast it out of his vineyard, so he will judge anyone who does not embrace him in faith. I am reminded of Jesus words in the sermon on the mount, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 7:19. We read of God's judgment in Revelation 20:15, "If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

A third thought that comes to mind is the intercession of the man who took care of the vineyard in behalf of this unproductive tree. He tells the vineyard owner he will dig around it and fertilize it. Whatever it takes, the man will do his best to bring this tree into a condition where it fulfilled the purpose for which it was planted. Likewise, I am reminded of all Jesus does to draw us to himself, that fulfills the purpose for that which God has brought us into existence. Jesus said in John 12:32, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." Jesus also said he would send the Holy Spirit, "When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned." John 16:8-11. Jesus does all he can to bring us to the purpose for which we were created. The choice remains ours, but look at what he has done to draw us to himself!

A fourth thought is the patience and forbearance of God. Just as the vineyard owner kept coming back year after year for three years to look for fruit, and assuming his agreeing with the caretaker of the vineyard for another year, so we see God's patience in waiting for us to come to him. In pointing to his reader's need of salvation, Paul says, "Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" Romans 2:4. Likewise Peter tells us, "He [the Lord] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9b.

This is a beautiful parable that tells us much about God's patience as well as his expectations of us. I do acknowledge that at the end of it the caretaker of the vineyard told the vineyard owner that if the fig tree did not bear fruit within the next year, "then cut it down." Our God is a loving, kind and patient God. However, there is a limit to God's patience, the end of which is found in a fiery lake of burning sulfur we read of in Revelation 21:8.

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 good God gives good gifts!

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 11:11-13,

"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Here Jesus points to the goodness of God expressed in the good gifts he gives. If even sinful man can give good things to their children, how much more can our heavenly Father, who is pristine in character, who is called love (1 John 4:8,16), who is without fault give us perfect gifts? I am reminded of James words, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17.

God our Father is good, he is without stain or wrinkle in his pristine character. In his perfection he gives gifts and his gifts are good and perfect. Through the salvation he provides us, Jesus tells us that God gives the good gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians, "You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory." What a wonderful gift this is!

Jesus himself is the model of perfection of all good, in speaking of Jesus Christ, the author of Hebrews tells us, "Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens." Hebrews 7:26. The gift he provides us brings us perfection, "When this priest [Jesus Christ] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Hebrews 10:12-14.

Surely our God is good and gives good and perfect gifts!

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: Jesus Christ - Provocateur.

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 11:38,

"The Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised."

I wonder what might surprise me today about the Lord? It is not difficult to see the Lord intended to "surprise" and provoke this Pharisee.

In the following chapter Jesus pointed out that he came to "bring fire on earth", Luke 12:49. In that passage he goes on to say, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." Jesus came as a provocateur.

The accounts we have of the Lord provide many occurrences where he challenged the well-established religious practices and teachings of the day. The Son of God confronts not only sinners in the midst of their sins but also the religious and the do-gooders in the midst of their labors. The above account of a surprised Pharisee includes an expert in the law who complains, "Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also."

At times I wonder if I am all too comfortable in what I perceive to be those activities I assume must please the Lord. Certainly many were shocked in Jesus' day and even dismayed at the Lord's challenge of the things they assumed God desired from them. I wonder what all we do today the Lord would confront us about.

The Lord has his own agenda and what he seeks is often not what many have assumed. I am reminded of Isaiah 29:13-14, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

Perhaps some well-needed examination of myself is routinely in order to insure I do not find myself in his crosshairs. Not just in my sin, but also in my "religious" assumptions and activities as well.

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 Lord takes what he wants!

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 11:21-22,

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils."

When Jesus was accused of casting demons out of afflicted people by Beelzebub, "the prince of demons", in this case a man who was mute from a demonic presence, he responded, "a house divided against itself will fall." He went on to say that if he drove out demons by "the finger of God", then the kingdom of God had come to them. It was a sobering observation of the Lord that God was moving and the presence of God's kingdom had come to them as evidenced by the things Jesus was doing.

It is this further observation of the Lord that captures my heart. In it, Satan is pictured as a "strong man" attempting to keep his possessions to himself. But now that the Lord is here, as a much stronger opponent, he attacks and overpowers the devil, crushes his defenses, and takes what he wants.

And he wants us! "For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.

There is nothing in the cosmos that can keep the Lord from what he wants. His disposition of love for us makes this reality something to behold in wonder and excitement! His intentions for us is what life has always been designed to be in the perfection of beauty, satisfaction and fulfillment that could only be designed by God himself!

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 responds when we seek him!

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 11:9-10,

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

The Scriptures are called "revelation" because within them we find so much about God we would otherwise not know. Additionally, within the pages of Scripture we find the authoritative word on what God is like, what his expectations are, his agenda and what he is doing on planet earth.

There are many today who feel that God has predetermined all that happens. If God has decided you will be saved, then saved you will be! If he has pre-determined you are not to be saved, then anything you do will never be able to change that. It is the ultimate in fatalism. 

However, in the Scriptures, Jesus simply does not present God in that way. Here Jesus Christ says if we seek God out, he will respond. This can only be true if God might not act if we don't seek him. Otherwise what Jesus Christ taught is misleading and without merit.

Jesus Christ's observation on his statement about God responding to our seeking him is that God knows how to give good gifts. He says, "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:11-13. I note the gift Jesus has in mind here is the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we know from many passages in Scripture, as say Romans 8:9-11, he is speaking of salvation here.  That passage in Romans says, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." If we ask God, if we seek him, if we knock on his door he will respond to us with his wonderful gift of salvation.

God is interactive with us, just like a real person! If we respond to him, he responds back! Far from a pre-arranged script that unfolds without any regard to the choices, desires and heart-felt expressions on the part of people and God, we find in the Scriptures that if we make the choice, if we make the effort to approach God, he will respond to 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: Riches in this life and the kingdom 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 12:21,

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

"This" refers to the fate of the rich man in the story Jesus gave "a crowd of many thousands." In the story a certain rich man had a bumper crop, built bigger barns and decided to "take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." Luke 12:19. As the story goes, God told the rich man, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" Verse 20.

The point of the story is the message of Ecclesiastes. The riches we pursue in this life "under the sun" is an emptiness, a "vanity". It's meaninglessness lies in the reality that whatever we accumulate in this life does us little good for eternity. This life and what it offers is pretty short compared to eternity and all we acquire gets left behind. Jesus reminds us of this in the story of the beggar, Lazarus, and the rich man. In that story Abraham tells the rich man, after he is dead, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony." Luke 16:25.

The danger imposed by riches is that they are deceiving. The pursuit of wealth becomes a great distraction, keeping us from wisely considering the import issues in this life. The wonderful offer of salvation from God's judgment gets choked out by the desire to acquire wealth in this life. In the parable of the soils, the Lord said that one condition of the heart the gospel may encounter is one filled with thorns, "The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature." This is a heart the gospel will eventually fail to resonate with and the person will find himself shut out from the kingdom of God and cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8.

Jesus never taught a rich man cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he did warn of the dangers riches and the worry of them present to us. In Luke 16:13, Jesus said, "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Regardless of what we have in the way of wealth in this life, the wise man will be "rich toward God."

Here is a message that has been lost by many in our time, as they have misunderstood God's love to be expressed by his blessing of wealth upon us in this life. Of these, Paul told Timothy to beware as they are, "men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain." 1 Timothy 6:5.

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: When the Lord won't do what we ask.

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 12:13-15,

"Someone in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' Jesus replied, 'Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?' Then he said to them, 'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.'"

I have to think the man in the crowd that sought the Lord's help in gaining what he considered to be a legitimate portion of his family's estate had truly been treated unfairly by his brother. Since the man brought it to the Lord publicly, in a setting where his peers were present, among those who might have known of the circumstances, it must have been an appropriate and real complaint. I could be wrong, but I'm assuming that when he asked for the Lord's involvement in redressing his grievance, it was a real and genuine situation where he had been treated unfairly. If I were to dismiss this man as simply someone who was a money-grubbing opportunist, looking to the Lord for an upper-hand, I think I'd miss the message here. He is not presented that way.

What I am told is that the Lord declined to get involved and warned of greed. Here is something I think that many never stop to consider. Just because we come to the Lord with our issue, whatever it may be, does not necessarily make it the Lord's issue. Does this mean he doesn't love us or care for us if we have some burden on our heart we bring to him? Not at all.

Look at the Lord's response to the man. The man wanted his fair share of the inheritance, but the Lord responded by pointing to the danger of being driven by greed. His concern wasn't the equitable distribution of the estate, but the danger greed posed for either the man or his brother, or possibly both. The man came to the Lord out of a concern for wealth, the Lord expressed a concern about a condition of the heart: greed.

But... shouldn't the Lord care if I am mistreated? If I am treated unfairly? This, I think, is the message for me. There are more important issues I am faced with than being mistreated or treated unfairly and it has nothing to do with whether the Lord loves me. Consider the Hebrew believers: "Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions." Hebrews 10:32-34.

Didn't the Lord care about these believers? Of course he did! They were reminded of their earlier devotion to the Lord, their own example to themselves of what confidence in the Lord looks like. Likewise, as captured in the Scriptures, they are offered up to us as examples. I'm certain the Lord loved these believers dearly and cared about them deeply. Yet, he did not intervene in their mistreatment and it becomes clear to us the end result of their mistreatment transcends anything they may have had, had the Lord intervened and prevented them from being mistreated.

But do these thoughts occur to us when we are in the midst of the fray? Paul points out something very interesting in talking of what we bring to the Lord, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27. We don't always know what it is we should be praying about. I suspect this extends not to just what we fail to bring to the Lord, but also the things we do bring to him. We can find ourselves asking for those things that are not "in accordance with God's will" and we can't expect his involvement, as the mistreated man in the crowd found.

Sometimes we assume if we have "an issue" we can make it the Lord's issue and expect him to resolve it for us. James has a warning for us, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." James 4:1-3. There are things the Lord will not do for us.

As the man who brought his concern for the inheritance to the Lord was unable to see the bigger danger of greed, so we may miss the bigger picture of what it is that really concerns the Lord out of his love for us. We do know that the Lord loves us and wants his very best for us. Paul's prayer for the Ephesian church speaks to this, "I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:17-21.

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine! Those issues he addresses in our lives, the prayers he answers are the kinds that can and do transcend our requests and even move beyond our imagination. Far from being an errand boy for our pedestrian wants and desires, he brings us the very best. He asks us to bring to him what is on our hearts and tells us that our confidence needs to be in him. But, it will be those requests that are "according to his will" that he responds to, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15.

James provides us one example of a prayer the Lord will respond to if we ask in faith, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." James 1:5-8

At times I feel I lack such maturity in the things of God. James example is an excellent prayer for me. I could use much of what he says we should ask for... it certainly is much better than many other things I've asked of the Lord!

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's great love, in spite of my shortcomings.

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 12:2-3,

"There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs."

Here is a sobering reality... God knows it all! He knows everything about me: my thoughts, my feelings, the things I have ever said and done. He knows it all! I can't begin to express the consternation this brings to me! You may have been well-behaved over the years, but I can't say the same for me.

I am reminded of a couple of other passages that touch on this same theme. "He [the Lord] will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God." 1 Corinthians 4:5. The Lord can only do this if he knows it all. Also, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13. There simply is no escaping it. Someone knows absolutely everything about us - and that someone is God himself!

In spite of knowing all of my faults, my weaknesses, my shortcomings, the Lord loves me anyway. This is an amazing thing! The very impulse to feel consternation at anyone knowing everything about me is the fear of disapproval, rejection, condemnation... maybe even disgust! But the Lord loves me in spite of my shortcomings, in spite of those things I am not proud of, in spite of poor decisions on my part, in spite of the many ways is have disappointed him and treated him other than my Creator, the God of my life!

How can he love me? This is the one aspect of our God that I find so astonishing! Whether I read John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he sent his Son..." or Romans 5:8, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Titus 3:4-5 also comes to mind, "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." So, how do I know these verses apply to me? I know they do because they constitute God's invitation to us all. "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..." John 1:12. He loves us all and he invites us all to himself, regardless of how unlovely we might be!

David, who had his own faults knew something of this as he confided in the Lord in Psalm 139, "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you." 

Here is the confession of a murderer and an adulterer. David knew God was aware of everything about him. And, yet, David knew of God's love for him, the same love he has for each of us, in spite of our faults, "I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me." This will be the song we will all sing on that wonderful day as we reflect on God's love for us that brought us into 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: Our light in this dark and fallen world.

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 11:45,

"Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also."

This is the complaint one of the teachers of the law made to Jesus when the Lord excoriated the Pharisees. Perhaps any confidence in knowing and living the things of God might be something to take a caution in. To be sure, we, today, have a full account of our Savior's life and ministry the "experts in the law" were only beginning to experience themselves, we have a completed New Testament they lacked in their day. We also have the tremendous advantage of the indwelling Holy Spirit who leads into an understanding of the Scriptures and provides us wisdom and insight into the things of God. We also have a vast and rich history in the many wonderful teachers within the church that we can and do look to, to help us understand what we encounter in the pages of Scripture. These things should provide us all a leg up. But just look at how the Lord called out these teachers of the law!

As I read Luke 11, the Lord's response to this complaint was to indict these teachers of the law for loading people down with heavy burdens they extracted from the law, burdens they themselves were unwilling to help others with. The Lord laid at their feet the responsibility of the blood of those whom the Lord had sent to Israel, the prophets, and also for taking away "the key of knowledge". The Lord informed them that they had not entered in and had hindered those who were. A frightful and sobering comeuppance! The text leaves me with the thought these experts in the law had esteemed themselves to be just fine.

I am reminded that when Jesus Christ came to planet earth, he came to a place of darkness. "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." Isaiah 9:2. I am reminded of when the Lord quoted Isaiah 61:1-2 in speaking of his mission. "He [God the Father] 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 must be this darkness, this blindness within the heart of man that has made the things of God so difficult to apprehend and desire. 

What grips my heart is that the Lord came for this very purpose, to reveal to us who God is and what it is he desires from us. He is our light in this dark and fallen world.

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 intransigence of a sinful 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 11:32,

"The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here."

Jesus spoke these words to a growing crowd. He called them a "wicked generation" because they demanded miraculous signs from him. Apparently, embracing Jesus in faith based on what he had been doing and saying up to this point was not enough and they wanted him to prove himself by performing further miraculous feats.

The further miraculous feats that they demanded would not be coming, save one: his resurrection from the dead, to follow his crucifixion three days prior. This he refers to as "the sign of Jonah". As you recall, Jonah spent three days in the belly of a fish as a sign to the Ninevites, to whom Jonah was enroute to preach. Where the Ninevites repented, Jesus warns they would stand up at the coming judgment and condemn those to whom Jesus spoke because they demanded further evidence. Many would not, and will still not today, turn to him in faith, even despite the proclamation of Jesus' resurrection.

This theme will be repeated by the Lord when he provides the account of a poor, sick beggar named Lazarus and a rich man. In it we learn that Abraham, from paradise, tells the rich man, who is in agony in hell, that if his brothers would not listen to the Scriptures then they won't repent, "even if someone rises from the dead." Luke 16:31.

What is striking to me is the length to which God has gone to draw us all to himself. What more could he have provided us? Jesus came and provided plenty of authenticating proof that he was the Son of God. He fulfilled many passages of prophetic Scripture written centuries prior to his coming to earth, he healed many sick people, he commanded the very elements of the physical world when he turned water to wine, calmed the wind and waves, fed five thousand from next to nothing, raised dead people back to life, cast out evil spirits from people, taught things that transcended anything anyone had ever considered and confounded those who were held in high esteem. Then... he was raised from the dead himself, proving death could not hold him. This, to me, is a great expression of the love God has for us. He as gone well beyond what anyone should expect, to say the least, to draw us to himself!

Man's response? "Show us more!" "Further prove yourself!" "God, you haven't left us enough evidence of yourself!" The deceitful heart of man simply will not embrace God in faith. He demands, requires, that which is beyond the pale to wrest him from his sin to which he clings - to find a place in his heart for the God that loves him so.

Amazing, isn't it?!

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 get God's blessings.

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 11:28,

"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

If we are unhappy in this life, if we feel unfulfilled, that we are missing out on something, an emptiness, possibly it is because we have not experienced the blessing of God. Those in this life that live it to its fullest and experience the very best are those who experience God's blessing. The ultimate fulfillment of those blessings may not come until the resurrection, but they are in our possession now. Purposefulness, fulfillment, an incredible excitement of the certainty of what lies ahead for us are all ours now. Paul begins his letter to the Colossian believers by saying, "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you." Colossians 1:3-6a. Our hope is the wellspring from which blessings flow.

How do we get this blessing? Jesus makes it very simple: "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." If this be true, then what exactly must I do to obey the word of God? Jesus answers this very simply as well in John's gospel, "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.' John 6:28-29.

How blessed we are if we place our faith and trust in the Lord! Many place their trust in their own ideas, concepts and thoughts. Many place their trust in political leaders, teachers, icons and heroes of the culture. Only emptiness and frustration can be found there. Trusting in the Lord is where a blessed life is found!

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: Of whom shall we fear?

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 12:5,

"I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."

We live in a day where we are often entertained by those thoughts that can elicit a measure of fear. Books, movies, television broadcasting have plenty in the way of zombies, vampires, aliens, the dark foreboding unknown, slashers and psychos. Indeed, I think I just listed all my favorite genres of movies here. I used to love X Files when it was being broadcast. It's draw was to tickle our sense of fear of the off-the-wall. I think many of us are entertained by that which pokes or prods at us in the things we find creepy. As long as it is bearable, some of us find entertainment value here.

However, there is that which holds no entertainment value at all. I would think many in the mental health field would tell us that fear is a fairly common element with folks who suffer serious mental and emotional issues. Fear of the unknown, fear of the irrational, fear we won't succeed, fear that someone we care about might do us harm, etc. These are serious issues and, as we all know, can consume the lives of many.

On the other hand, there are those rational fears we can all wrestle from time to time. Death and what lies beyond the grave, serious illness, the well being of those we love being endangered, the threat of our enemies. These are real and legitimate. I suspect it is in this realm the Lord speaks. There are those things in life that are authentic and "real" that we might fear. Some may fear opposition, some may fear what others may do, what others may think.

When it comes to our expression of faith in God, the only one we should fear is God himself. In this passage Jesus says, "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God." Luke 12:8-9. Fear of what others may think and do have no place when it comes to the expression of our faith in God. He is the one to fear... and no one else.

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 responds to our requests?

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 11:9,

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

In this passage on prayer, the Lord taught us that we need to ask God for things boldly. He underscores the reality of this through his illustration of a man who has a friend on a journey that pays him an unexpected visit at a late hour. The man has no bread for his friend and seeks to get some from his neighbor. His neighbor's family is in bed and the neighbor won't get up. It is at this point the Lord teaches us tenacity in prayer. He tells us the neighbor will get up because of the man's boldness and will "give him as much as he needs." Luke 11:8.

The point of Jesus' story is that God will answer our prayers if we are persistent and bold in them. This can only possibly be the case if it be that what we request of God might not come to us if we are not "bold" in our prayer. This is a fascinating window into the things of God.

Through this the Lord teaches us our relationship with God is an "interactive" one. By that I mean God responds to our requests and will do things for us that he might otherwise not if we don't ask. This makes many uncomfortable as their theology simply will not allow for it. It interferes with their particular concept of the supremacy of God. They can't imagine that God would allow himself to respond to the requests of people and act when he might not otherwise. For them, when God answers prayer, it is only because he was going to do it anyway and his desire for prayer from us is to help us acknowledge our dependence upon him. While this principle is a good one, and is inherent within this illustration the Lord provides, there is obviously much more going on here.

Is I consider it, the reality that we have the kind of relationship with God where we can have input into the things that take place is something of a double edged sword. To think we have a connection with God Almighty, the Creator of all that exists, that we can bring those things before him that weigh on our hearts is simply astonishing! However, on the other hand, to think that good things may not have happened just because I didn't bring them to the Lord in prayer, or that bad things may have happened simply because I didn't bring them to the Lord in prayer is a weight of responsibility few of us would wish to bear.

Nonetheless, I take at face value what the Lord taught us. I believe, in spite of my pitifully poor prayer life, that what Jesus Christ said was true. As I mull it over, it brings an astonishing excitement to think God listens to my requests, and will answer them in his way. It also brings a sense of responsibility to mind that how I use the time the Lord has given me in this life is very important, that there is consequence to it and that I should be engaged in those things that reflect the importance of this 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: Grading in the resurrection of the living and the damned.

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 9:48; 10:14,

"He who is least among you all—he is the greatest... it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you [Korazin and Bethsaida]."

I used to think there were two simple dispositions in life following death: that in God's kingdom and that in a fiery lake of burning sulfur. While that is certainly true, I learn from the Lord that there will be those who are greater than others in the resurrection of life and those who will suffer more intensely than others in the resurrection of the lost.

While I am thrilled to just be counted among those who will share in God's family, I have to recognize that if the Lord taught there will be a "grading" process resulting in differing dispositions in the resurrection, then he wants me to be aware of it. From two passages in Luke I learn about this.

In the first, Luke 9:46-48, we find the disciples arguing among themselves as to who would be greatest, something that didn't bring the Lord's commendation. As we see in his comment, the least will be the greatest. It will be the reverse of what their prideful outlook anticipated. I note he did not correct their notion that there would be some greater than others, in fact he underscored that notion by pulling the rug from under them in pointing out their very argument was positioning others ahead of them. The least will be the greatest. Some will be greater than others.

Likewise, at the judgment, there will be varying degrees of misery. Two cities the Lord had performed miracles in will suffer more intensely in the resurrection of death than others which had rejected God, but had not had the miracles performed in them.

Some have mistaken the reality of a "threshold" as the end of the disposition of us all. All people have sinned and are subject to the judgment of God. All face this judgment except for those who have crossed over from death to life. Jesus speaks of this in John's gospel.

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." John 5:24-30.

The threshold is real and divides us all. However, we find that there will be those who will be greater in God's family and those who will suffer more intensely at God's judgment than others.

As I say, I am thrilled just to be among those who will enter into the resurrection of life. But I have this gnawing felling that, although I can be certain about my destination in the resurrection, what I chose to do in this life makes a difference in what that destination is going to look like. Something, certainly, to think about and consider...

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: "This is my Son, whom I have chosen..."

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 9:35,

"A voice came from the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.'"

God is often depicted in the Scriptures as manifesting himself within clouds. At Mount Sinai and other places his presence is associated with clouds. As this cloud enveloped Peter, James and John, while they were on the mountain where Jesus was transfigured, we are told they were afraid. In Matthew's account we are told they fell to the ground "terrified". Luke tells us, following a suggestion Peter had made about putting up three shelters, that he didn't even know what he was saying.

The moment must have been one of the most dramatic and electrifying events ever witnessed by any man. We are told that Jesus' face changed and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightening. In light of Luke's intent to be specific here, I take these as very literal descriptions. The Lord must have been blinding to gaze at. At the time, two heroes of renown appeared, Moses and Elijah, both of whom had passed away centuries earlier. A stunning event! It wasn't until long afterward that the three disciples who had witnessed this told anyone about it.

For me, the greatest and most dramatic part of the event was God the Father speaking from the cloud that had enveloped them. To the three terrified apostles who had fallen to the ground, the Father said, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." As I attempt to picture in my mind what the event must have been like for Peter, James and John, I find it difficult to capture. However, without a doubt, the most profound and wonderful piece of it is what God the Father told them.

This clearly leaves no question about who Jesus Christ is. As a member of the Trinity, he was chosen by God the Father to "seek and to save what was lost." Luke 19:10. Because he is the One the Father chose to save mankind, he is the way to God, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.

This speaks to me of the great love God has for man, an astonishing love! After mankind had turned his back on God, gone his own way in sin and rebellion against him, God in his great and astonishing love chooses to send his Son to die a miserable death to pay the penalty for our sins and provide a way for us to his table! Astonishing!!

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's choice - the faithful!

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 8:8,

"Other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown."

In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained to his disciples that the gospel would be greeted by hearts that might have one of four dispositions. In verses 11 through 15 Jesus explained that when the word of God is "sown" there will be those who will not believe as the devil "takes away the word from their hearts". Then there will be those who will initially receive the word with joy but have no root and fall away during a "time of testing". Then there are those who are so filled with life's worries, riches and pleasures that the word of God does not produce a crop. However, there are those with a "noble and good heart" who hear the word, retain it, persevere in it and produce a crop. It is those with a noble and good heart that the gospel resonates. These are the ones God has chosen for his kingdom.

God is building his kingdom today. He has paid the penalty for the sins of all mankind and invites to himself all people through the gospel. "He [Jesus Christ] 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. However, he only wants those who want him. Only those who embrace him in faith as Abraham did will receive eternal life while all others will face judgment. In Genesis 15:6 we read, "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Paul tells us, "The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." Romans 4:23-24.

Later in the book of Romans Paul addressed the complaint of those who refuse to embrace God in faith. In a section of his letter where he discusses those who want to earn their way into God's kingdom by being do-gooders (law-keepers) rather than trust in God, Paul anticipates their question, "One of you will say to me: 'Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?'" Paul's firm reply is his question back to them, "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" Romans 9:19-21. Their complaint is that it is unfair of God to chose only those who will embrace him in faith. Paul's point is that God has the right to chose whomever he wants as he quotes the Lord in Exodus 33:19, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

God has chosen for himself all who will receive him in faith and only those who receive him in faith. These are the folks with "a noble and good heart". The wonderful thing about this is that even I can be saved. Any of us can. It is up to each one of us. Paul tells us why many of his countrymen didn't make it into God's kingdom while so many of the Gentiles did in Romans 9:30- 32, "The Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works." 

Where I could never make it into God's kingdom by being well-behaved, my trust in God puts me in good standing with him. I think it is wonderful our God chose for himself anyone who will embrace him in faith! All it takes is a heart willing to do so.

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