God Establishes Because God is Strong! - 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 heart and mind in 2 Chronicles 3:17,

"He [Solomon] erected the pillars in the front of the temple, one to the south and one to the north. The one to the south he named Jakin and the one to the north Boaz."

When Solomon built the temple, he had two massive pillars placed on either side of the front. The one he named "Jakin" which is thought to mean "he establishes" and the other "Boaz" which is thought to mean "in him is strength". Both would be statements about God, whose presence would reside in the temple.

To me these names reflect all I need to know about the redemption of mankind God's presence in this world would ultimately lead to. Since the birth of the nation of Israel, God's promise to Abraham would be that those who embrace him in faith would secure his righteousness, our ticket providing us entrance into his kingdom, his family. In Romans 4 Paul looks back to Genesis 15 where we read Abraham's faith was credited as righteousness and Paul points out that righteousness is for all who do likewise.

The names of the columns of the temple remind me that God establishes his promise of the gift of righteousness, and beyond that, he has the strength, the capability to do so. It is a promise that is as good as done and has been done!

How wonderful is that?! 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Very Best! - 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 heart and mind in 2 Chronicles 2:7,13,

"'Send me [King Solomon], therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided'... 'I [King Hiram] am sending you Huram-Abi, a man of great skill'"

As Solomon made his preparations to build the temple of the Lord, he requested the best craftsman from Hiram, king of Tyre. Hiram sent the best he had.

Plain old craftsmen just wouldn't do. The best was sought. After all, this was the temple to be built for God! As Solomon told Hiram, "The temple I am going to build will be great, because our God is greater than all other gods. But who is able to build a temple for him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him? Who then am I to build a temple for him, except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?" Verses 5-6.

The Lord deserves the best because he is the best! The Lord deserves the greatest because he is the greatest! Any old thing just won't do! Mediocre, second-rate, meager, lacking, scanty, skimpy, sparingly, just won't do!

I am reminded the Lord deserves my very best. The best of what he has blessed me with, the best of what he has gifted me with, the best of my life, the best of me.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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What Are We Asking For? - 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 heart and mind in 2 Chronicles 1:11-12,

"God said to Solomon, 'Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have."

The Lord came to Solomon one night and asked him what he wanted the Lord to give him. Instead of asking for those things many would, things that might bring pleasure and comfort in this life, he asked for something that was in line with the Lord's agenda, his purposes for Israel. He asked for the wisdom he would need to lead the Lord's people.

The Lord's response was wonderful. He would grant Solomon the wisdom he asked for and beyond that, those things others might have asked for, those things that would bring pleasure and comfort in this life, "possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have."

Solomon took the broader, the longer view. He had his sights on things beyond himself, beyond the simple pleasures of this life. He had his eyes on those things he would need to be successful with what the Lord wanted.

We may not be kings and queens over God's people. However, when we pray today, we approach him with the thought that he wants to hear from us. He wants us to come to him with our thoughts and concerns. Just as if he were asking us the same thing he asked Solomon, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."

How will we answer him? Will we do as Solomon did, with the Lord's concerns in mind? Or, like so many others who have their own pleasures and comfort in mind?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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"Who Is Willing?" - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 29:5,

"Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?"

In preparation for his son, Solomon, to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, David brought together all the officials over Israel's tribes, the commanders of the varying divisions that were in service to him, the military commanders, the officials in charge of the royal property, the palace officials and the "warriors and all the brave fighting men."

David addressed this group and told them of his desire to build the temple, but that the Lord had chosen Solomon to do it instead. He charged these leaders to remain faithful to the Lord and to obey the Lord's commands. He provided the plans for the temple that was to be built and reviewed the inventory of gifts he himself had given for the task.

He then challenged the assembly as to what they would commit themselves to in the building of the project. He did this by asking the above question, "Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?" The response was remarkable. We are told, "The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly." Verse 9.

I think David's challenge to the officials in his day is an absolutely appropriate one for the believers of our day. God is building his kingdom, his family. This age extends as the Lord provides opportunity for new ones to respond to the gospel message. As that work goes on, we can certainly ask David's question, "Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today?"

Those who respond to the call will find meaning, purpose, fulfillment and satisfaction in this life, along with reward in the next. Nothing is quite as fulfilling as participating with the Lord has he builds his family.

How do you answer that question today?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Encouraging Words - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 28:20,

"Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished."

These wonderful words of encouragement were given by David to his son Solomon when he spoke to him about building the temple. David had set aside materials and craftsmen for the project, but it would be Solomon who would build the temple.

A different temple is on my mind this morning, the temple the Lord has established during this age. This temple is made up of all who embrace Jesus Christ in faith and comprise his family together with those who have come before us and those who are to follow.

Paul speaks of this temple, "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22.

I think David's words of encouragement to Solomon are very appropriate for our encouragement as we participate with the Lord in building his temple he resides in today, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished."

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Divine Origin of Solomon's Temple - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 28:12,19,

"He [David] gave him [Solomon] the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things... 'All this,' David said, 'I have in writing as a result of the Lord's hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.'"

The Lord hand-picked Solomon to build the first temple in Jerusalem for himself. David desired to do so but the Lord disqualified him in favor of his son, Solomon. Nevertheless, David was able to acquire materials and craftsmanship for Solomon to complete the task. These he placed at Solomon's disposal and told his son and all the leaders of Israel of the day that it was the Lord himself who had provided the design and the plans for the temple construction.

Think of it! A building standing on planet earth that was designed by our Creator himself! What this tells me is that there are those things in life the Lord leaves up to us, to our own design, our own plan, our own industry. Yet there are other things in life the Lord chooses to do himself.

We get a flavor of this as we read how the Lord designed things to be in the church. In Ephesians 4:11-13 we read, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

This design for building up the church - that we might attain a unity in the faith, knowledge of the Son of God, to become mature and attaining the whole measure of the fullness of Christ - is designed by himself!

I am reminded that what the Lord designs, he designs in perfection. While the church is not perfect, he has established the perfect plan to grow the church in that direction, that it may attain "to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

Just as Solomon was to follow the design exactly as the Lord gave it to his father, so we are to follow the design the Lord has given the church.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Gatekeepers in the Church - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 26:19,

"These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari."

Gatekeepers, among other things, were assigned duties to provide protection for the temple. In those days the Lord's presence among his people was located in the temple Solomon would build.

Today the Lord's presence among his people doesn't reside in a building, but in the hearts of his people, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" 1 Corinthians 6:16.

Where the physical temple Solomon built that would be the locus of God's presence among his people required "gatekeepers" to provide protection, I find in Scripture that God's temple today requires protection. The protection needed is not of the order in Solomon's day from advancing military threats, bandits and the like, but from those who would lead God's people off in harmful directions.

This is why I believe we find apostolic direction, such as Peter gave, to protect the flock, "To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders." 1 Peter 5:1-5a.

Something to think about here...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Military and Prophecy - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 25:1,

"David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals."

This morning I note the proximity of the military with prophetic activity. The commanders of the army joined with David in setting apart priests for the ministry of prophecy accompanied by music.

In Israel there was to be a tie between the actions of the nation, particularly those of a military nature, with seeking the Lord's guidance. This required an active ministry of prophecy. You will recall the trouble David brought upon the nation by doing a headcount of his fighting men, expressing his confidence in manpower rather than in the Lord himself, see chapter 21. Trouble in military matters occurred at the neglect of seeking the Lord's guidance.

Years later Azariah pointed out to Judah's King Asa, "Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The Lord is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law. But in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them. In those days it was not safe to travel about, for all the inhabitants of the lands were in great turmoil. One nation was being crushed by another and one city by another, because God was troubling them with every kind of distress." 2 Chronicles 15:2-6.

Azariah's words make very clear the important tie between the military and the prophets, were they to seek success!

How might that be approached in our nation today?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Worship God With Reverence and Awe - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 24:1-2,

"The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests."

While recounting the divisions of the priests in David's day, the observation was made that two of Aaron's sons had died before Aaron did back in their day. The account of their deaths is provided us in Leviticus 10:1-3. They had been put to death by the Lord.

Aaron and his offspring were chosen by the Lord as Israel's priests. However, Nadab and Abihu had such little reverence for what the Lord desired, they approached their duties as priests without regard for the Lord's direction for them. Consequently, when they put "unauthorized" fire and incense in their censers, they were consumed by fire that "came out from the presence of the Lord." Leviticus 10:2.

I am reminded that in our worship of the Lord within the church today, our reverence for him is a critical factor in how we celebrate him. I suspect there are many motivations for differing churches in how they craft their worship of the Lord.

I am quite certain some have as a primary motivation those considerations that position themselves as "seeker friendly" within the community. While there is not necessarily anything wrong with that approach, I question whether that ought to be the prevailing motivation.

I'm quite certain some have as a primary motivation the notion that "this is the way we have always done it". Again, while there is not necessarily anything wrong with that perspective, I question whether that ought to be the prevailing motivation.

I suspect we could create a pretty good list of motivations in the approach to our worship of the Lord. The account of Nadab and Abihu points out that what moves us in our worship, what motivates us, what animates us in our worship of the Lord reflects our reverence for the Lord, and in their case it resulted in a dire consequence.

There are plenty of examples of biblical worship provided us in the pages of Scripture. If we take time to learn from them and if we examine our own hearts relative to the level of reverence within our own hearts, it would serve us well in our worship of the Lord.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God Is Immutable, His Tasks For Us Are Not - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 23:25-26,

"Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service."

In verses 25-26 of this chapter, David observed one of the original services for which the Lord had set aside the tribe of Levi: to carry the pieces and parts of the tabernacle with its utensils and furnishings as Israel wandered through their forty years in the wilderness.

Now that the nation occupied the land the Lord promised them, and with the tabernacle no longer needing to be transported, the Levites were relieved of their charge to carry it.

Further duties as prescribed for the Levites are enumerated in verses 28-31, "The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron's descendants in the service of the temple of the Lord: to be in charge of the courtyards, the side rooms, the purification of all sacred things and the performance of other duties at the house of God. They were in charge of the bread set out on the table, the special flour for the grain offerings, the thin loaves made without yeast, the baking and the mixing, and all measurements of quantity and size. They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening and whenever burnt offerings were presented to the Lord on the Sabbaths, at the New Moon feasts and at the appointed festivals. They were to serve before the Lord regularly in the proper number and in the way prescribed for them."

These duties were now to be carried out with expanded responsibilities since the Levites' original workload had been modified. God brought a change.

I am reminded that although God himself never changes, what he desires us to do just might. We may have responsibilities in God's family that expand at one time, and may diminish in another. We may be tasked to move on from doing certain things for other new things we hadn't done before.

Although God himself never changes, as I say, and although his priority of the redemption of mankind does not change in any way, God himself yet remains dynamic in how he may have things done. It just may be that what we are currently doing in our participation with the Lord as he builds his family may not be what we need to be doing for him down the road.

We need to be prepared for change as we serve our active and dynamic Lord as he builds his kingdom.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Why a Temple of Great Magnificence, Fame and Splendor? - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 22:5,

"... the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations."

This is the direction David contemplated as he made preparations for his son, Solomon, to build the temple of the Lord.

While it may seem an overly pedantic question, I think it should be asked nonetheless: exactly why should the temple of the Lord be of "great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations"? Why not just order up a structure from General Steel and get 'er done?

Was it because David wanted to upstage the surrounding nation's false idols? A sort of "my god is bigger than your god" taunt? Was it because he felt that God's ego needed bolstering, that God needed a majestic temple of splendor to enhance his self-worth? OK, I know these options are ridiculous, but I offer those as some people have wacky ideas about God.

How about this: the temple to be built by God's people to provide a locus for his presence and a venue for their worship and adoration of God should be appropriate to his splendor and majesty. That sounds pretty good to me, but I think another point is to be made. After all, how could mankind build anything proportional to the greatness of God? What kind of structure might be commensurable to the majesty of God's transcendent and many-splendored qualities?

This leave room for another thought to consider as to why the temple of the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations: to have impact on all the nations, drawing them to understand the transcendent presence and qualities of the God of Israel. Israel was chosen as God's people to represent him to the world and anything short of what David was looking for Solomon to build would simply not do.

What do you think?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God Using Satan - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 21:1-2,

"Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, "Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are."

There is nothing wrong with a census. There is something very wrong with God's people finding solace and security within themselves as opposed to God. The reason for this is that God was conditioning his people, and through his people, all mankind, to seek refuge in him.

The wrath of God against our sins looms in the future in the form of his justice, and the only refuge from it is found in the atonement for sins God's Son, Jesus Christ, would provide a thousand years after David. To prepare his people to find their refuge in God himself, he utilized the threats of every day life, such as national security, to condition his people to look to him. Performing a headcount of fighting men ran contrary to that.

This account is also provided us in 2 Samuel 24. Among the key players in this episode we see Israel as a nation, David, God and Satan. In both accounts it was Israel as a nation that the Lord's anger burned against - not specifically David (initially). While the text doesn't say so, given the nature of the account, I suspect it was Israel's overall waning faith and trust in the Lord that brought his anger when he incited David to do the census.

In 2 Samuel 24 it is the Lord who incited David to take a census of Israel, in 1 Chronicles 21 we are told it was Satan that incited David to take the census. What I learn from this is that the Lord utilizes Satan to accomplish his intentions at times.

We are told in 1 Chronicles 21:7 that David's command to Joab (the head of his military) to count the troops was "also evil in the sight of God", confirming the drift in the nation's faith and trust in the Lord - even the king of whom the Lord said (and observed by the apostle Paul), "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." Acts 13:22.

What a fascinating account! There is more to the story and I would encourage you to read it in its entirety.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Bringing Blessing / Bringing Suffering - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 20:1,

"In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and left it in ruins."

To me, chapter 20 of 1 Chronicles is something of a lead up to chapter 21. In this chapter we see the Lord's blessing of David and Israel in the victories he gave. In this chapter the Ammonites and Philistines were soundly defeated by Israel.

I've heard all the sermons about David remaining in Jerusalem at a time when "kings go off to war" and thereby placing himself in a position of not being where he should have that led to the affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband by David. It makes for a good sermon. However, I think something bigger is going on in these chapters.

David and Israel found favor with God by placing themselves squarely in the intentions God had for them. Therefore we read twice in chapter 18 that "The Lord gave David victory wherever he went." Chapter 20 continues that theme, but something changes when the transition to chapter 21 is made.

In chapter 21 Satan rises up against Israel, incites David to take a census of the fighting men, and subsequently, Israel suffers God's judgment. David placed his trust, once squarely in the hand of the Lord who provided him victory, to trusting in his own military strength, represented in the head count of his fighting men.

The lesson here to me is that if we place ourselves in God's hands, in his intentions, finding out what he wants us to do and then doing it, we receive God's blessings. When we ignore or get side tracked from God's intentions for us, putting our trust in other things, we suffer.

There are blessings to be had by taking the effort to find out God's intentions for us and then doing them. And, like a lot in this life, the reverse is true as well.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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No Good Deed Goes Unpunished, Yet... - 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 heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 19:1-4,

"In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king. David thought, 'I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.' So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.
When David's envoys came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, 'Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Haven't his envoys come to you only to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?' So Hanun seized David's envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away."

This, of course, led to war. David, in an expression of kindness to the successor to the throne of the Ammonites, sent envoys. They were treated horribly. As I say, no good dead goes unpunished.

However, that is never the whole story. The Lord has a way of making bad things turn for the good for those who love him - and David loved the Lord. While David may have raged at what happened, and while the text doesn't say, but may have wondered what he did to be treated in such a horrible way, it all culminated for the good for David.

The Ammonites were routed by David's forces and the mercenaries hired by them, the Arameans, became subjected to him. "But they [the Arameans] fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak the commander of their army. When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore." Verses 18-19.

The power of the Ammonites and the Arameans was finally broken, and David's rule was extended to the Euphrates. The account is also provided in 2 Samuel 10.

Paul makes the point that even when it seems like no good deed goes unpunished, the Lord will ultimately work it for our good, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us... And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:18, 28.

How wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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