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 Psalm 126:4-6,
"Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him."
Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary defines joy as "the emotion
evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of
possessing what one desires." "Gaiety, "bliss", "a state of happiness"
and "a source or cause of delight" are all provided for this word.
Sometimes it is helpful to look at antonyms of a word to help shape
our thinking. It lists as antonyms "ill-being", "misery", "sadness",
"unhappiness" and "wretchedness".
Joy is a key word that is used when referencing the experience of
being in God's presence. Where the Lord is, there is joy. It is our
automatic reaction to being in the presence of his wonderful
perfections, his breath-taking beauty and his transcendent glory.
Additionally, all the Lord does has, as its inevitable result, a
response of joy to those who love him.
This world brings much misery and unhappiness as it continues its
existence in estrangement to the Lord's presence. Mankind, in his
rebellion and sinful rejection of the Lord leaves itself in a forlorn
existence bereft of the excitement, joy and wonder that our Creator
had intended for us when he created us. The fall of mankind in Genesis
chapter three is an account of horrific proportions that has
consequence reaching all generations, including today.
As the psalmist makes his plea to the Lord to restore the fortunes of
Israel, he acknowledges the great joy that comes when the Lord becomes
a part of any endeavor. While the restoration of the nation is cause
for joy, in and of itself, I can't help but notice throughout the
Scriptures the joy of all who are touched by him - with the very
observable exception of one group: those who find themselves in the
cross-hairs of his judgment. There we find a different reaction:
terror.
I recognize the many of the Lord's people who suffered at his hands:
Job, Jeremiah, the Sons of Korah in Psalm 44 and many others. I am
reminded of Paul's quote of Psalm 44 in Romans 8:36, "For your sake we
face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered." These all, however, where used by the Lord for his
purposes and the inheritance they all share for an eternity is one of
great joy. As Paul reminds us a few verses earlier in Romans 8, "I
consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the
glory that will be revealed in us." When this glory is revealed in us,
there will be great joy in the resurrection.
Here are just a few thoughts concerning the joy that the Lord brings
to our lives as mentioned in the psalms: "You have filled my heart
with greater joy..." Psalm 4:7. "You have made known to me the path of
life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal
pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11. "The precepts of the Lord
are right, giving joy to the heart." Psalm 19:8. "Surely you have
granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your
presence." Psalm 21:6. "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my
heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I
will give thanks to him in song."
For all who have embraced the Lord in faith, when we find ourselves in
his presence, when we participate in his agenda, when we observe all
he does, we become filled with a joy this world is unable to offer.
Even when we are unable to see him, this side of the resurrection,
Peter observes, "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even
though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with
an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of
your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8.
Where the Lord is, there is joy. Joyfulness is a reigning emotion in his camp!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
What type of personality does the Lord have? - 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 Psalm 116:5-6,
"The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me."
As I suspect most do, when I think of the people I know in my life I
can't help but think of the differences of their personalities. Some
are one way, some are another. I can't say anyone is exactly like
another because of the complexity of traits that make up each of our
personalities. Like anyone, I relate to each of them somewhat
differently because of these differences, but always within the scope
of my own personality. We all have traits, characteristics, aspects
that contribute to our own unique personalities.
The Lord has his own personality. It exists, not in my mind, what I
would make of him or how I might wish to define him, but his
personality exists objectively. No matter how I might wish him to be,
he is his own person and will not be defined by me or anyone else.
This is a wonderful thing because as I get to know him more, I find he
is more wonderful than I could ever imagine.
He wants us to know him and what he is like. As he reveals himself to
us in the pages of Scripture, he says things like, "Let him who boasts
boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the
Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for
in these I delight." Jeremiah 9:24. This is a part of his character he
wants us to know of him. He delights in kindness, justice and
righteousness because these traits are a part of what makes him who he
is.
The psalmist knows this as he acknowledges the Lord is gracious,
righteous and full of compassion. His saving acts are born of these
qualities. The more I learn of the Lord, the more I meditate and
ruminate on these qualities of the Lord, the more excited I become of
him. I find him ultimately fascinating and intriguing. The more I know
of him the more I desire to know of him, as David says, "One thing I
ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple." Psalm 27:4.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 116:5-6,
"The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me."
As I suspect most do, when I think of the people I know in my life I
can't help but think of the differences of their personalities. Some
are one way, some are another. I can't say anyone is exactly like
another because of the complexity of traits that make up each of our
personalities. Like anyone, I relate to each of them somewhat
differently because of these differences, but always within the scope
of my own personality. We all have traits, characteristics, aspects
that contribute to our own unique personalities.
The Lord has his own personality. It exists, not in my mind, what I
would make of him or how I might wish to define him, but his
personality exists objectively. No matter how I might wish him to be,
he is his own person and will not be defined by me or anyone else.
This is a wonderful thing because as I get to know him more, I find he
is more wonderful than I could ever imagine.
He wants us to know him and what he is like. As he reveals himself to
us in the pages of Scripture, he says things like, "Let him who boasts
boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the
Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for
in these I delight." Jeremiah 9:24. This is a part of his character he
wants us to know of him. He delights in kindness, justice and
righteousness because these traits are a part of what makes him who he
is.
The psalmist knows this as he acknowledges the Lord is gracious,
righteous and full of compassion. His saving acts are born of these
qualities. The more I learn of the Lord, the more I meditate and
ruminate on these qualities of the Lord, the more excited I become of
him. I find him ultimately fascinating and intriguing. The more I know
of him the more I desire to know of him, as David says, "One thing I
ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple." Psalm 27:4.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Friday, September 21, 2012
Is God evolving? - 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 Psalm 102:24-28,
"Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days;
your years go on through all generations.
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.
The children of your servants will live in your presence;
their descendants will be established before you."
The psalmist, in this "prayer of an afflicted man" calls out to the
Lord to not cut his days short. As he does so, he considers the
immortal nature of the Lord. Where he is mortal, the Lord is not. The
Lord's "years go on through all generations". He created the heavens
and the earth and he will remain when they come to an end. The
psalmist declares, "your years will never end."
What is more, not only does the Lord always exist, he also never
changes. "You remain the same." Nothing of what we know of the Lord
will ever change. His love and faithfulness and also his sense of
justice will always be the marks of his character and nature. The Lord
does not "evolve", he does not grow and he does not learn new things.
Perfection does not mature and the multifaceted and glorious
perfections of our Lord will remain forever.
What this means to me is the kindness, love and mercy of the Lord will
always be with those who embrace him in faith. We will never hear one
day that the Lord's heart has changed and that he will leave us
behind. Knowing that he exists forever and will be ours forever, and
knowing his heart will never change is truly cause for celebration and
worship!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 102:24-28,
"Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days;
your years go on through all generations.
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.
The children of your servants will live in your presence;
their descendants will be established before you."
The psalmist, in this "prayer of an afflicted man" calls out to the
Lord to not cut his days short. As he does so, he considers the
immortal nature of the Lord. Where he is mortal, the Lord is not. The
Lord's "years go on through all generations". He created the heavens
and the earth and he will remain when they come to an end. The
psalmist declares, "your years will never end."
What is more, not only does the Lord always exist, he also never
changes. "You remain the same." Nothing of what we know of the Lord
will ever change. His love and faithfulness and also his sense of
justice will always be the marks of his character and nature. The Lord
does not "evolve", he does not grow and he does not learn new things.
Perfection does not mature and the multifaceted and glorious
perfections of our Lord will remain forever.
What this means to me is the kindness, love and mercy of the Lord will
always be with those who embrace him in faith. We will never hear one
day that the Lord's heart has changed and that he will leave us
behind. Knowing that he exists forever and will be ours forever, and
knowing his heart will never change is truly cause for celebration and
worship!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
What's it all about? - 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 Psalm 89:1-4,
I will sing of the Lord's great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
'I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.'"
The centerpiece of all of Scripture is God's Son Jesus Christ. In him
God's love, kindness and mercy finds its greatest expression. Mankind,
created for God's own purposes, turned on his Creator and went his own
way in sinful rebellion. The account of the fall of man in the garden
of Eden is provided in Genesis 3 and sets forth the great conundrum of
this current world living in hostile opposition to its Creator. Jesus
Christ is God's expression of love and faithfulness as the means by
which man may find his way back to God.
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me." He has made it possible by paying the
penalty for our sins against God. Having died a sacrificial death,
God's justice is satisfied and all he asks is we embrace him in faith.
All who will place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will spend
eternity in heaven with God and all he ever intended for mankind
before his fall. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn
the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17.
Here in this psalm, as Ethan considers the Lord's great love and
faithfulness, verses 1 and 2, he sees it fulfilled in the line of
David's throne. This "chosen one" he speaks of is Jesus Christ
himself. The genealogy of Jesus Christ starting at the first verse of
the New Testament, Matthew 1:1, starts this way, "A record of the
genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David..." Jesus Christ is
introduced to us as the fulfillment of the line of David's throne. In
Luke 1:32-33, we read, "He [Jesus] will be great and will be called
the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his
father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his
kingdom will never end."
The Bible, a library of sixty-six books, has as its focus Jesus
Christ. Throughout its pages in the Old Testament we find many
prophesies concerning him, his coming, his suffering, his
resurrection. In the New we read the account of his being here, his
teachings, his agenda of redemption. We also find prophecies of his
second coming yet to be. It is therefore not surprising, when
contemplating God's love and faithfulness, Jesus Christ becomes the
focus.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 89:1-4,
I will sing of the Lord's great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
'I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.'"
The centerpiece of all of Scripture is God's Son Jesus Christ. In him
God's love, kindness and mercy finds its greatest expression. Mankind,
created for God's own purposes, turned on his Creator and went his own
way in sinful rebellion. The account of the fall of man in the garden
of Eden is provided in Genesis 3 and sets forth the great conundrum of
this current world living in hostile opposition to its Creator. Jesus
Christ is God's expression of love and faithfulness as the means by
which man may find his way back to God.
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to
the Father except through me." He has made it possible by paying the
penalty for our sins against God. Having died a sacrificial death,
God's justice is satisfied and all he asks is we embrace him in faith.
All who will place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will spend
eternity in heaven with God and all he ever intended for mankind
before his fall. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn
the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17.
Here in this psalm, as Ethan considers the Lord's great love and
faithfulness, verses 1 and 2, he sees it fulfilled in the line of
David's throne. This "chosen one" he speaks of is Jesus Christ
himself. The genealogy of Jesus Christ starting at the first verse of
the New Testament, Matthew 1:1, starts this way, "A record of the
genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David..." Jesus Christ is
introduced to us as the fulfillment of the line of David's throne. In
Luke 1:32-33, we read, "He [Jesus] will be great and will be called
the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his
father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his
kingdom will never end."
The Bible, a library of sixty-six books, has as its focus Jesus
Christ. Throughout its pages in the Old Testament we find many
prophesies concerning him, his coming, his suffering, his
resurrection. In the New we read the account of his being here, his
teachings, his agenda of redemption. We also find prophecies of his
second coming yet to be. It is therefore not surprising, when
contemplating God's love and faithfulness, Jesus Christ becomes the
focus.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Monday, September 17, 2012
A most important library! - 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 24:25-27,
"He [Jesus] said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart
to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have
to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with
Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all
the Scriptures concerning himself."
Cleopas and his companion were upbraided by Jesus for being foolish
and "slow of heart to believe". Not understanding the events that had
taken place in Jerusalem concerning the arrest, crucifixion and
resurrection of Jesus betrayed a lack of faith. Jesus accompanied them
on their walk to Emmaus and we are told he responded by taking them to
the Scriptures. Luke tells us that beginning with Moses and taking
them through the prophets he explained what they needed to know about
himself. This was the need when unbelief was encountered: go to the
Bible!
I am reminded of where Paul says faith comes from, how it is generated
in the heart of an unbeliever. In Romans 10:17 he says, "Consequently,
faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through
the word of Christ." It is in the Scriptures, the Bible that God
speaks a message for us. It is this "revelation" of God, concerning
himself that provides us opportunity to come to belief in him. A vital
and most important thing for us all as Jesus himself said, "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." John 5:24. If we want eternal life, we have to believe in
him.
Paul points to the challenge of faith. None of us are born into it as
it is something that must be acquired. This is how Paul puts it, "How,
then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can
they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they
hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless
they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those
who bring good news!'" What is it that is preached? It is what Paul
says a few verses later when he speaks of the "word of Christ".
There are many purposes for which God gave us the Scriptures. In them
we learn of him. We read of his great love and his frightful judgment.
Additionally, he provides us truth by which we can order our lives in
this lost and fallen world. But, certainly, the most chief of all
purposes of the Scriptures is the opportunity to embrace God in faith
as we encounter him there. Of the Scriptures, as Paul says to Timothy,
"from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to
make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may
be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
As a most important library of sixty-six books, the Bible provides us
the opportunity for faith, just as with Cleopas and his companion on
the road to Emmaus with Jesus, exposure to the Scriptures is the
antidote for unbelief.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 24:25-27,
"He [Jesus] said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart
to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have
to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with
Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all
the Scriptures concerning himself."
Cleopas and his companion were upbraided by Jesus for being foolish
and "slow of heart to believe". Not understanding the events that had
taken place in Jerusalem concerning the arrest, crucifixion and
resurrection of Jesus betrayed a lack of faith. Jesus accompanied them
on their walk to Emmaus and we are told he responded by taking them to
the Scriptures. Luke tells us that beginning with Moses and taking
them through the prophets he explained what they needed to know about
himself. This was the need when unbelief was encountered: go to the
Bible!
I am reminded of where Paul says faith comes from, how it is generated
in the heart of an unbeliever. In Romans 10:17 he says, "Consequently,
faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through
the word of Christ." It is in the Scriptures, the Bible that God
speaks a message for us. It is this "revelation" of God, concerning
himself that provides us opportunity to come to belief in him. A vital
and most important thing for us all as Jesus himself said, "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." John 5:24. If we want eternal life, we have to believe in
him.
Paul points to the challenge of faith. None of us are born into it as
it is something that must be acquired. This is how Paul puts it, "How,
then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can
they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they
hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless
they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those
who bring good news!'" What is it that is preached? It is what Paul
says a few verses later when he speaks of the "word of Christ".
There are many purposes for which God gave us the Scriptures. In them
we learn of him. We read of his great love and his frightful judgment.
Additionally, he provides us truth by which we can order our lives in
this lost and fallen world. But, certainly, the most chief of all
purposes of the Scriptures is the opportunity to embrace God in faith
as we encounter him there. Of the Scriptures, as Paul says to Timothy,
"from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to
make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may
be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
As a most important library of sixty-six books, the Bible provides us
the opportunity for faith, just as with Cleopas and his companion on
the road to Emmaus with Jesus, exposure to the Scriptures is the
antidote for unbelief.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Who do you look to? - 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 Judges 1:1-3,
"After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, 'Who will
be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?' The
Lord answered, 'Judah is to go; I have given the land into their
hands. Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers,
'Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against
the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.' So the
Simeonites went with them."
The book of Judges starts out, in my perspective, as a narrative of
failure of faith. Although Israel seeks the Lord's direction on who
should be the first to go up and fight against the Canaanites, Judah
turns to another tribe, Simeon, for help to insure victory. Simeon is
a natural choice for Judah to strengthen its forces, as its territory
is contained within Judah's in the distribution of the promised land.
However, the question needs to be asked, why did they look to others
to help them when the Lord said he would give "the land into their
hands"?
Many commentators (but not all) view Judah's request of the Simeonites
as a positive step for the tribe of Judah to secure the help of its
brothers. Working together, the tribes will be much stronger and
express the unity the Lord seeks among his people. I think that misses
an important point. If anything, this book reveals the problems that
arise when God's people seek help from others, betraying a lack of
faith in him. Although we are told the Lord was with the men of Judah,
verse 19, and of many victories, we also read, "they were unable to
drive the people from the plains". Other tribes had trouble as well,
"The Benjamites, however, failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were
living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the
Benjamites." Verse 21. These and other failures would eventually lead
to Israel's downfall.
Later in the book the Lord demonstrates how little is needed when
people look to him, trust in him for help. In the account of Gideon
against the Midianites, the Lord says, "You have too many men for me
to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast
against me that her own strength has saved her..." and he pared
Gideon's troops from tens of thousands to just three-hundred. Judges
7:2. With these few hundred, the Lord gave the victory over those who
were described this way, "The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the
other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts.
Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore."
Following the Lord's promise to give Judah victory, they had need of
no one else. The Lord is more than sufficient, the Lord is more than
ample to provide all that is needed. I am reminded of Romans 8:37-39,
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who
loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our
Lord." Also, 2 Corinthians 9:8, "God is able to make all grace abound
to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need,
you will abound in every good work."
When the Lord is on our side, the only need we have is to trust in his
abundant strength and provision. No need to question, no need to
doubt. Our God is faithful and he wants us to trust in him.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 1:1-3,
"After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, 'Who will
be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?' The
Lord answered, 'Judah is to go; I have given the land into their
hands. Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers,
'Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against
the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.' So the
Simeonites went with them."
The book of Judges starts out, in my perspective, as a narrative of
failure of faith. Although Israel seeks the Lord's direction on who
should be the first to go up and fight against the Canaanites, Judah
turns to another tribe, Simeon, for help to insure victory. Simeon is
a natural choice for Judah to strengthen its forces, as its territory
is contained within Judah's in the distribution of the promised land.
However, the question needs to be asked, why did they look to others
to help them when the Lord said he would give "the land into their
hands"?
Many commentators (but not all) view Judah's request of the Simeonites
as a positive step for the tribe of Judah to secure the help of its
brothers. Working together, the tribes will be much stronger and
express the unity the Lord seeks among his people. I think that misses
an important point. If anything, this book reveals the problems that
arise when God's people seek help from others, betraying a lack of
faith in him. Although we are told the Lord was with the men of Judah,
verse 19, and of many victories, we also read, "they were unable to
drive the people from the plains". Other tribes had trouble as well,
"The Benjamites, however, failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were
living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the
Benjamites." Verse 21. These and other failures would eventually lead
to Israel's downfall.
Later in the book the Lord demonstrates how little is needed when
people look to him, trust in him for help. In the account of Gideon
against the Midianites, the Lord says, "You have too many men for me
to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast
against me that her own strength has saved her..." and he pared
Gideon's troops from tens of thousands to just three-hundred. Judges
7:2. With these few hundred, the Lord gave the victory over those who
were described this way, "The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the
other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts.
Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore."
Following the Lord's promise to give Judah victory, they had need of
no one else. The Lord is more than sufficient, the Lord is more than
ample to provide all that is needed. I am reminded of Romans 8:37-39,
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who
loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our
Lord." Also, 2 Corinthians 9:8, "God is able to make all grace abound
to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need,
you will abound in every good work."
When the Lord is on our side, the only need we have is to trust in his
abundant strength and provision. No need to question, no need to
doubt. Our God is faithful and he wants us to trust in him.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Flirting with certain disaster - 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 Judges 2:1-5,
"The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, 'I
brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to
give to your forefathers. I said, "I will never break my covenant with
you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land,
but you shall break down their altars." Yet you have disobeyed me. Why
have you done this? Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive
them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods
will be a snare to you.' When the angel of the Lord had spoken these
things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, and they called
that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord."
When the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt to provide them the land he
had promised their patriarch, Abraham, the nation faltered. First, in
a demonstration of faithlessness, Israel refused to go into the
promised land to take it from its inhabitants. Although the Lord said
he would be with them and be their strength and give them the victory,
they refused because the fear of the challenge outweighed their faith
in the Lord. As a result they had to endure God's judgment and
wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
Now, following that forty year period, having entered into the land
and conquering it at the Lord's direction, the Israelites again broke
faith with the Lord. The Lord told them not to make any covenants with
the inhabitants of the land, and that is just what they did. They
failed to consider the dire consequences of failing to follow the Lord
and recognize what that cost the previous generation.
What this account tells me about the Lord is that he is to be taken at
his word. He will do exactly as he says he will and his expectations
are clearly defined. The consequences of not obeying the Lord can be
horrific. As the Israelites made their covenants with the remaining
people in the land, the Lord expressed his judgment upon them, "Now
therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they
will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you."
These "gods" of the inhabitants Israel was to drive out would
ultimately become the cause of Israel's eventual demise.
Trifling with the Lord is to flirt with certain disaster.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Judges 2:1-5,
"The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, 'I
brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to
give to your forefathers. I said, "I will never break my covenant with
you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land,
but you shall break down their altars." Yet you have disobeyed me. Why
have you done this? Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive
them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods
will be a snare to you.' When the angel of the Lord had spoken these
things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud, and they called
that place Bokim. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord."
When the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt to provide them the land he
had promised their patriarch, Abraham, the nation faltered. First, in
a demonstration of faithlessness, Israel refused to go into the
promised land to take it from its inhabitants. Although the Lord said
he would be with them and be their strength and give them the victory,
they refused because the fear of the challenge outweighed their faith
in the Lord. As a result they had to endure God's judgment and
wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
Now, following that forty year period, having entered into the land
and conquering it at the Lord's direction, the Israelites again broke
faith with the Lord. The Lord told them not to make any covenants with
the inhabitants of the land, and that is just what they did. They
failed to consider the dire consequences of failing to follow the Lord
and recognize what that cost the previous generation.
What this account tells me about the Lord is that he is to be taken at
his word. He will do exactly as he says he will and his expectations
are clearly defined. The consequences of not obeying the Lord can be
horrific. As the Israelites made their covenants with the remaining
people in the land, the Lord expressed his judgment upon them, "Now
therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they
will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you."
These "gods" of the inhabitants Israel was to drive out would
ultimately become the cause of Israel's eventual demise.
Trifling with the Lord is to flirt with certain disaster.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Shelter from the tempest and storm - 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 Psalm 55:1-8,
"Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;
hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
at the voice of the enemy,
at the stares of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering upon me
and revile me in their anger.
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death assail me.
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
I said, 'Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest—
I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.'"
As we look forward to the wonderful hope we have in the resurrection,
many thoughts come to mind. We think of what it might be like living
in God's immediate presence, to live where "there will be no more
death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away." Revelation 21:4. We also look forward to an existence
that David describes as being filled with "joy in your [the Lord's]
presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11.
Eternal pleasures!
We also think of the treasure in heaven that Jesus spoke of in Luke
12:33 and Luke 18:22. We will be heirs of all that Jesus Christ
inherits from our heavenly Father as 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 8:17.
Additionally, we will enjoy a wonderful relationship with God in spite
of any shortcomings we may have had in this life, "he chose us in him
before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his
sight." Ephesians 1:4.
Something else I think of from time to time relates to David's
complaint in Psalm 55. He speaks of being troubled and distraught over
the wicked, of his being in anguish and his suffering in terror,
trembling and horror and his desire to "fly away and be at rest", to
be able to flee to a place of shelter from the "tempest and storm".
While many of us may never face the difficulties in this life as David
did, we all, nonetheless, live in a world that exists under the
judgment of God, fallen and filled with a collective sinful nature
that is destructive, hostile and dangerous. We lock our doors at
night, avoid dark alleys and certain parts of the city, we worry over
the influences our children may encounter. This world can be a very
hostile environment, a place that can easily be seen as a "tempest and
storm."
As David, we may have called out to God for shelter from the hostility
and dangers we face in this life. Here is a wonderful feature we have
to look forward to in the resurrection. Since evil and those given to
it will be banished to a fiery lake of burning sulfur, we will live in
a pristine environment where the hostility we face in this life will
be gone. As many do, I think of what heaven will be like, and there I
see the "place of shelter" David longed for. No dangerous areas that
need to be avoided. No need to lock the door. We can leave the keys in
the ignition - no need for keys. No danger from harmful people, no
concern for self defense, no concern for loved ones. No terrorists, no
nuclear weapons program.
As David, I suspect all of us have yearned for a "place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm." How wonderful will be that life we
find in the resurrection, an eternal life free from the cares we have
living in this current lost, fallen and hostile world.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 55:1-8,
"Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;
hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught
at the voice of the enemy,
at the stares of the wicked;
for they bring down suffering upon me
and revile me in their anger.
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death assail me.
Fear and trembling have beset me;
horror has overwhelmed me.
I said, 'Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest—
I would flee far away
and stay in the desert;
I would hurry to my place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm.'"
As we look forward to the wonderful hope we have in the resurrection,
many thoughts come to mind. We think of what it might be like living
in God's immediate presence, to live where "there will be no more
death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away." Revelation 21:4. We also look forward to an existence
that David describes as being filled with "joy in your [the Lord's]
presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11.
Eternal pleasures!
We also think of the treasure in heaven that Jesus spoke of in Luke
12:33 and Luke 18:22. We will be heirs of all that Jesus Christ
inherits from our heavenly Father as 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 8:17.
Additionally, we will enjoy a wonderful relationship with God in spite
of any shortcomings we may have had in this life, "he chose us in him
before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his
sight." Ephesians 1:4.
Something else I think of from time to time relates to David's
complaint in Psalm 55. He speaks of being troubled and distraught over
the wicked, of his being in anguish and his suffering in terror,
trembling and horror and his desire to "fly away and be at rest", to
be able to flee to a place of shelter from the "tempest and storm".
While many of us may never face the difficulties in this life as David
did, we all, nonetheless, live in a world that exists under the
judgment of God, fallen and filled with a collective sinful nature
that is destructive, hostile and dangerous. We lock our doors at
night, avoid dark alleys and certain parts of the city, we worry over
the influences our children may encounter. This world can be a very
hostile environment, a place that can easily be seen as a "tempest and
storm."
As David, we may have called out to God for shelter from the hostility
and dangers we face in this life. Here is a wonderful feature we have
to look forward to in the resurrection. Since evil and those given to
it will be banished to a fiery lake of burning sulfur, we will live in
a pristine environment where the hostility we face in this life will
be gone. As many do, I think of what heaven will be like, and there I
see the "place of shelter" David longed for. No dangerous areas that
need to be avoided. No need to lock the door. We can leave the keys in
the ignition - no need for keys. No danger from harmful people, no
concern for self defense, no concern for loved ones. No terrorists, no
nuclear weapons program.
As David, I suspect all of us have yearned for a "place of shelter,
far from the tempest and storm." How wonderful will be that life we
find in the resurrection, an eternal life free from the cares we have
living in this current lost, fallen and hostile world.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Friday, September 7, 2012
Got strength? - 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 Psalm 28:8,
"The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for
his anointed one."
Strength speaks of energy, force, might, virility, power and vigor. We
normally think in terms of having our greatest strength in our
biological prime, sometime in our twenties possibly. As a man in his
sixties, I can vouch that the energy and strength is not there as it
was forty years ago. But only in some ways. In other ways I feel much
stronger. Not a physical strength, but strength in other ways.
I readily acknowledge that kind of strength as having come from a
source outside me, nothing I have generated on my own. What we might
call "inner strength", as represented in patience, the ability to
endure things I couldn't have at a younger age, mental and emotional
strength, the strength of will power, tenacity and discipline, etc.
are part of a maturing process the Lord brings about in the lives of
those who are his. Paul speaks to this in his letter to the
Colossians, "We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of
the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good
work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all
power according to his glorious might so that you may have great
endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who
has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the
kingdom of light." Colossians 1:10-12.
We can say with Paul, "I can do everything through him who gives me
strength." Philippians 4:13. He also acknowledges the strength the
Lord provides us that shields us from Satan, "The Lord is faithful,
and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." 2
Thessalonians 3:3.
As believers our greatest strength resides not within us but is
available to us as we share in God's purposes. We are told, "The
foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God
is stronger than man's strength." 1 Corinthians 1:25. It is God's
strength and faithfulness that will abide with us through this life
and see us into the resurrection, "He will keep you strong to the end,
so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1
Corinthians 1:8.
In fact, it is our very weakness that becomes the canvas upon which
the Lord demonstrates his own strength. "He [the Lord] said to me
[Paul], 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect
in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for
Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
Surely, "The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of
salvation for his anointed one."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 28:8,
"The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for
his anointed one."
Strength speaks of energy, force, might, virility, power and vigor. We
normally think in terms of having our greatest strength in our
biological prime, sometime in our twenties possibly. As a man in his
sixties, I can vouch that the energy and strength is not there as it
was forty years ago. But only in some ways. In other ways I feel much
stronger. Not a physical strength, but strength in other ways.
I readily acknowledge that kind of strength as having come from a
source outside me, nothing I have generated on my own. What we might
call "inner strength", as represented in patience, the ability to
endure things I couldn't have at a younger age, mental and emotional
strength, the strength of will power, tenacity and discipline, etc.
are part of a maturing process the Lord brings about in the lives of
those who are his. Paul speaks to this in his letter to the
Colossians, "We pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of
the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good
work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all
power according to his glorious might so that you may have great
endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who
has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the
kingdom of light." Colossians 1:10-12.
We can say with Paul, "I can do everything through him who gives me
strength." Philippians 4:13. He also acknowledges the strength the
Lord provides us that shields us from Satan, "The Lord is faithful,
and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one." 2
Thessalonians 3:3.
As believers our greatest strength resides not within us but is
available to us as we share in God's purposes. We are told, "The
foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God
is stronger than man's strength." 1 Corinthians 1:25. It is God's
strength and faithfulness that will abide with us through this life
and see us into the resurrection, "He will keep you strong to the end,
so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1
Corinthians 1:8.
In fact, it is our very weakness that becomes the canvas upon which
the Lord demonstrates his own strength. "He [the Lord] said to me
[Paul], 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect
in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for
Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10.
Surely, "The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of
salvation for his anointed one."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Are you being transformed by God? - 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 Psalm 24:3-4,
"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false."
Ascending "the hill of the Lord", standing "in his holy place" are
expressions that refer to entering into God's kingdom, participating
in God's family.
The future fulfillment of this will be realized in the resurrection.
There, we are told, "I saw the dead, great and small, standing before
the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is
the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done
as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it,
and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each
person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades
were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second
death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he
was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:12-15.
Apparently those who "may ascend the hill of the Lord", who "may stand
in his holy place" will have their names written in a very important
book, "the book of life".
Whose names will be written in this book? According to David, those
who have "clean hands and a pure heart." Those who do not lift up
their souls to an idol.
However, no one leaves this life with "clean hands". As Paul observes,
"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who
understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have
together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even
one." Romans 3:10-12. Paul leaves no room for dispute as he
effectively demonstrates this reality in his letter to the church in
Rome. We are all guilty of sin. All of us.
A few verses later in Romans 3 Paul tells us how anyone can enter into
God's family. He says, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from
law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets
testify.This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus
Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented
him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did
this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had
left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to
demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the
one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Romans 3:21-26. It
comes through faith.
To make sure he is not being misunderstood, Paul concludes his thought
by saying a couple of verses later, "We maintain that a man is
justified by faith apart from observing the law." Those who ascend the
hill of the Lord, who stand in his holy place get their by faith.
What are we to make of David's observation, "He who has clean hands
and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by
what is false."?
Taken together we learn that entering into God's kingdom is a matter
of faith. Those who do so will manifest "clean hands and a pure
heart." How does that happen? Those who enter into God's kingdom are
transformed as members of God's family. "Those God foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brothers." God brings about changes within
those who are his, who have embrace him in faith. The process is
ongoing in this life finding its ultimate fulfillment in the
resurrection.
In his psalm David is not communicating how one becomes a member of
his family, but what a family member looks like as the transformation
takes place.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 24:3-4,
"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false."
Ascending "the hill of the Lord", standing "in his holy place" are
expressions that refer to entering into God's kingdom, participating
in God's family.
The future fulfillment of this will be realized in the resurrection.
There, we are told, "I saw the dead, great and small, standing before
the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is
the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done
as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it,
and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each
person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades
were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second
death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he
was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:12-15.
Apparently those who "may ascend the hill of the Lord", who "may stand
in his holy place" will have their names written in a very important
book, "the book of life".
Whose names will be written in this book? According to David, those
who have "clean hands and a pure heart." Those who do not lift up
their souls to an idol.
However, no one leaves this life with "clean hands". As Paul observes,
"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who
understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have
together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even
one." Romans 3:10-12. Paul leaves no room for dispute as he
effectively demonstrates this reality in his letter to the church in
Rome. We are all guilty of sin. All of us.
A few verses later in Romans 3 Paul tells us how anyone can enter into
God's family. He says, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from
law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets
testify.This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus
Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented
him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did
this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had
left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to
demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the
one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Romans 3:21-26. It
comes through faith.
To make sure he is not being misunderstood, Paul concludes his thought
by saying a couple of verses later, "We maintain that a man is
justified by faith apart from observing the law." Those who ascend the
hill of the Lord, who stand in his holy place get their by faith.
What are we to make of David's observation, "He who has clean hands
and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by
what is false."?
Taken together we learn that entering into God's kingdom is a matter
of faith. Those who do so will manifest "clean hands and a pure
heart." How does that happen? Those who enter into God's kingdom are
transformed as members of God's family. "Those God foreknew he also
predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brothers." God brings about changes within
those who are his, who have embrace him in faith. The process is
ongoing in this life finding its ultimate fulfillment in the
resurrection.
In his psalm David is not communicating how one becomes a member of
his family, but what a family member looks like as the transformation
takes place.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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