Virtue Signaling - 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 Matthew 6:1,

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven."

In this passage, Jesus points out that public religious expressions done for the purpose of highlighting one's own spirituality are rejected by God. He uses the examples of public displays of philanthropy and prayer.

There really are all kinds of examples of this about us. My favorite are the TV evangelists who provide little mini-eruptions of "talking in tongues", etc., that are designed to provide the "correct bona fides" for asking the public to empty their wallets for "the very important work of their ministry". I'm sure you have your favorite examples of like disgusting behavior by those who would pass themselves off as our spiritual betters.

I'm certain there are other, less obvious examples around us as well. But, nonetheless, designed to promote some distinction that a person or their church, or denomination, or whatever, is more spiritual than whatever it is you have. If you pay attention to the discourse in the public square these days (and I can't blame anyone who avoids it!), you have certainly heard the term, "virtue signaling".

Wikipedia defines it as "Virtue signalling is the conspicuous expression of moral values done primarily with the intent of enhancing standing within a social group. The term was first used in signalling theory, to describe any behavior that could be used to signal virtue—especially piety among the religious."

I think Wikipedia might have included the notion that there is intent to communicate "I am better than you". Surely this is at the heart of what Jesus was teaching. Do-gooders who ply their trade often do so to demonstrate just how wonderful they are.

I don't know about you, but I am not wonderful - Jesus Christ is. I really don't have anything to parade in front of others. If anything good ever came by my life, trust me, it would be in spite of me, not because of me. However, if I took pride in that fact publicly, might I not be condemning myself of being guilty of the very thing Jesus spoke against?

That conundrum is resolved by taking myself out of the equation all together. If I set my heart and mind on Jesus Christ, and off of myself, as Paul exhorts us to do in Colossians 3:1-4, I won't have to worry about who is better than who, who is more spiritual than who.

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

What Did Jesus Say About the Law? - 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 Matthew 5:17,

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

I think it rather disappointing that so many believers who should know better, do not have a clue as to what Jesus meant in his comments about the law in his sermon on the mount. "The law", Jesus refers to is contained in the first five books of our Bibles. It includes the ten commands as well as all the laws God gave Israel through Moses. In his sermon here, Jesus spoke of some of these: murder, adultery, divorce, etc.

The purpose of the law is to show us we need saving. The law reflects the very character and nature of God. We have a sinful nature, unlike God, that makes us incompatible with him. This sinful nature renders us ill-equipped to keep the law given by God. None of us are able to keep the law, and just one infraction leaves us subject to God's judgment.

Were it not for the law, we would not be aware we need a savior, the very role Jesus came to fulfill for those of us who seek God. This is why Jesus said he came to fulfill the law. That is, those of us who have embraced him in faith have the requirements of the law fully met in us and we will not be subject to God's judgment at the end of the age.

Paul observes, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh [that sinful nature I mentioned above], God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1-4.

In the previous chapter of Romans Paul pointed out, "For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:5-6.

The do-gooders, those given to religious zeal, would have us all focused on an obsessive obedience to law-keeping. They have simply missed the memo that those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith have been "released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."

As Paul says elsewhere, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Romans 3:19-22.

I don't know about you, but I certainly could not keep the requirements of the law. Were it not for Jesus Christ my Savior, where would I be?

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

The Words of 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 heart and mind in Matthew 4:4,

"It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

This was Jesus' response to Satan in the wilderness as Satan tempted him to make bread out of stones at the end of his forty day fast.

The words were originally spoken by Moses in Deuteronomy 8:3 where he exhorted the people of Israel to keep the commands of God to enjoy the blessings of God.

There are a couple of observations not to be missed in Jesus' quotation of Moses here in Matthew 4. The first is that there are words that come from the mouth of God. God exists and our existence is entirely due to his. Not only does he exist, but he is not quiet. He has spoken to us. The words God has spoken have been spoken to us: they are intentional words and words he expects us to be aware of and to follow.

These words that God has spoken are for the benefit of our lives, our existence, our futures. They are words we are to order our lives by. We live by them to enjoy the blessings God provides and we ignore them to our peril.

Unfortunately, many who consider themselves wise by the world's standards have ridiculed and ignored the words of God, while many others have twisted and distorted what God has said.. And, sadly, many have followed these "leaders" to their own destruction.

On the other hand, many have rightly understood the importance of listening to the words of God and have ordered their lives in light of them. These have had the best life has to offer and have placed themselves in a position to enjoy the many wonderful blessings that will come our way in the next age.

Where do you and I fit into this? It is my hope and prayer we all embrace the words of God and order our lives by them. Why follow Satan?

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Who Was/Is Jesus Christ? - 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 Matthew 3:17,

"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Matthew, chapter 3, contains several authenticating affirmations to the truthful nature of Jesus Christ: he was and is the Son of God.

First, Isaiah, seven centuries earlier, prophesied a forerunner to the coming of the Lord, John the Baptist, Isaiah 40:3.

This forerunner proclaimed the Lord was en route. "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." John recognizes who Jesus is when he comes to him and says, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Verse 14.

However, the grand authentication of Jesus' real identity was provided by God himself. When Jesus was baptized by John, we are told "heaven was opened" (what an incredible thing!). The Holy Spirit descended upon him "like a dove" and alighted on him. Then, the voice from heaven, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Verse 17.

There are a lot of folks who are mystified about Jesus Christ, who he was/is and for what purpose he came and lived among us. None of them need go any further than Matthew 3 to have all their questions answered.

Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God.

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Why Were the Boys Slaughtered? - 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 Matthew 2:7-8,

"Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.'"

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Magi came from the east to Jerusalem looking for "the one who has been born king of the Jews". When King Herod heard about it he became "disturbed'. After Herod consulted the teachers of the law, he found out the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, from a prophecy given by Micah centuries earlier.

However, Herod had no intentions of going to worship the baby Jesus. He attempted to use the Magi to find him and kill him. The Magi had been warned in a dream to not return to Herod after finding Jesus so they returned to their country by a different route.

Rome appointed Herod as king over Palestine (including Israel). The online encyclopedia, Britannica, tells us, "Herod was born in southern Palestine. His father, Antipater, was an Edomite (a Semitic people, identified by some scholars as Arab, who converted to Judaism in the 2nd century BCE)... Thus, Herod was of Arab origin, although he was a practicing Jew." Nevertheless, Herod was always considered a foreigner by the Pharisees and others within Israel.

As a result, politics were front and center in Jerusalem. I would venture to say that where we find spiritual activity, we find politics. A lot of politics. It is my perspective that political activity is the expression of the spiritual warfare that takes place in the spiritual realm, and that a person's politics is the most genuine public expression of a person's spirituality. One's political positions on things tells us a lot about their spiritual condition.

Clearly, Herod felt threatened by the arrival of these Magi claiming the Messiah had arrived in Israel. Since Herod felt he could garner intelligence on who and exactly where Jesus was from the Magi, he must have believed what he heard from the them - at least to some extent.

When Herod realized the Magi had "outwitted" him, he had all the boys in Bethlehem two years of age and under slaughtered. It was an outrageous act that certainly upended a number of political ties and balances established in the politically charged environment. Why did Herod do it? To the extent Herod was "disturbed", he must have been convinced the Messiah had indeed arrived.

Where some historians would have us believe it was an act born of Herod's deteriorating physical and mental health at the time, I don't buy it. There is no question in my mind that the slaughter of the boys in Bethlehem was a futile attempt by the dark spiritual forces ("Team Cain") to thwart God's plan of the redemption of mankind - the very thing the Messiah came to accomplish.

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

The Sinless Solution - 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 Matthew 1:20-21,

"Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

These are the words of an angel that spoke to Joseph, the man Jesus' mother, Mary, was betrothed to. These two short sentences pack a lot within them.

When Joseph found his fiance to be pregnant (and not by him!) he had in mind to terminate their engagement "quietly" - not wanting to expose her to public disgrace and humiliation. God had other plans.

Mary was pregnant, not by a man, but by the Holy Spirit! This would make her the only virgin to ever give birth. Here is the most startling of miracles that authenticates the true origin of Jesus Christ. He was and is God's Son. His one and only Son (see John 3:16).

As a member of the Trinity, God the Son came into the world differently than anyone else. All people inherit a sinful nature as the descendants of fallen mankind, but Jesus Christ is different in that he did not have a human father. God was his father, therefore he was born sinless. This would qualify him to pay the ransom for the sins of all others, as he had no sins himself that needed to be paid for. This is why Jesus came in the first place, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10.

It is in this way that Jesus would be able to save his people from their sins, the last point the angel made to Joseph. He was a sinless sacrifice that God the Father brought into this world to redeem a people for himself. God delivered an amazing solution that allowed himself to create a people, a family, a kingdom, for himself out of his love for mankind, without compromising his sense of justice. These are the chief qualities that God reveals of himself to us: his love and his justice, and he acts within the context of both of these qualities without compromising either.

For me, this is all just stunning!

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

How Will We Expend Our Lives? - 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 Esther 10:3,

"Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews."

Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." Mordecai did have a good name and was highly esteemed. His actions in protecting King Xerxes from a threat within his court, and his actions in protecting the Jews from annihilation brought him this "good name".

It is probably a good assumption that not only did Mordecai enjoy a good name among the Jews, but also among those within the heavenly realm. Protecting the Jews clearly facilitated a part of God's agenda in his preparation for the redemption of mankind.

This leads me to the thought of the legacy each of us will both leave here, and, which also precedes us in the heavenly realm. We each have but one life to live... how will we spend that life? Will we expend it only upon the pursuit of our own comforts and pleasures in this life? Or, will we expend it in a way that furthers God's agenda of redemption?

In Ephesians 5:15-16 Paul says, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."

As the Spirit from heaven says, "... they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them." Revelation 14:13.

Life here is short. What will we do with it?

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Why Are You Where You Are? - 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 Esther 9:3-4,

"All the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king's administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful."

The help the Jews received was to provide them protection in the various cities and provinces in Persia. With this help the Jews were able to destroy all those who intended them harm following the plot of Haman, now dead, to destroy the Jews.

Mordecai plays a prominent role in the account written in the name of his cousin, Esther. Both Esther and Mordecai play vital roles in the manner in which the Lord rescued his people from those who wished to destroy them. Both were clearly raised up by the Lord for just this purpose.

I am reminded of Mordecai's words to Esther, "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14b. He encouraged Esther with these words to strengthen her resolve to approach the king, Xerxes, in behalf of the Jews. He pointed out to her that events had transpired in her life for a purpose that transcended those simple events. The Lord had placed her in a unique position to play a part in the deliverance of the Jews.

From our verse above, apparently Mordecai himself shared in that purpose by being uniquely placed in position by the Lord to both precipitate the events the Jews faced, as well as their deliverance from them. We are told the nobles, the satraps, governors and administrators helped the Jews due to the fear of Mordecai the Lord's actions had brought about. He became prominent and "more and more powerful."

I am yet again reminded that the Lord may place any one of us in unique positions for his purposes we may not recognize at the time, just like Esther and Mordecai. We may not be used by the Lord to deliver the Jews as a people. However, God is busy building his kingdom today and each of us have a part to play.

And who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this? It just may be the Lord has you in a key position to eventuate some aspect of what he is doing as he builds his family 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!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Be Patient, Justice is Coming! - 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 Esther 8:7,

"Because Haman attacked the Jews, I [King Xerxes] have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled him on the pole he set up."

Haman set himself to destroy all the Jews held captive in Persia due to his perceived disrespect from the Jew, Mordecai. His plans fell apart due to two things: his king, Xerxes, had married a Jew, Esther - now queen (whom the king and his court did not knew at the time was a Jew), and the earlier circumstance of Esther's cousin Mordecai warning the king of a plot to kill him.

Both of these circumstances, as well as other details in the book, although not stated specifically in Esther, appear to me to be at the hand of God to protect his chosen people, the Jews. They figure prominently in God's redemptive acts and as such would always have their fortunes determined by him, as is still the case today.

An interesting note about the book of Esther is that, not only is God not verbally credited for his involvement in Esther's story, God is not mentioned at all in the book. Nevertheless, his handiwork and hand prints are all over the details in the book.

What catches my eye this morning is that justice was quickly served against Haman for his acts against God's people. The justice Haman received was both horrific and immediate. Haman's acts warranted the justice he received (he was impaled on a seventy-five foot pole!), and additionally, the protection God had in mind for his people required it.

I am reminded that justice for sins is not always as immediate. In fact, it seems in the Scriptures  swift justice is not nearly that common. What we do read of is the "Great White Throne Judgment" that is to come following the end of this age where all will be held accountable for their sins and face the terrible justice of God. We read of it in Revelation 20:11-15.

The delayed justice meted out for sins is something that has been of a vexation for people over the years. When we see wrong-doing, we want swift justice. Asaph makes the observation in Psalm 73:12-16, "This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments. If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply... " Justice appeared to Asaph to be missing as he lived his life for God, still suffered, and yet, the wicked didn't seem to suffer at all. Where was the justice? Asaph found it when he reached a point of clarity about God's justice during his worship of God, "... it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny." Psalm 73:16b-17.

Justice is certainly coming, and unlike the case of Haman, we must be patient for God's agenda to play out. We read David's words in Psalm 37:8-9, "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land."

Paul also encourages us with this comment, "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God." 1 Corinthians 4:5.

Of course, it goes without saying that my own appearance before God to give an account of my sins would be an horrific thing to face were it not for Jesus Christ paying the penalty for those sins himself! I need not fear God's judgment!

How about you?

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Sin Will Find Us Out - 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 :Esther 7:5-6,

"King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, 'Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?' Esther said, 'An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!'"

Haman was a man of sin. (Who isn't?) However, he seems to have made an impressive art form out of it. He displayed quite the capacity for arrogance and conceit, a proclivity for presumptuously feeling offended as he misunderstood other's intentions (does that show up in politics today?), a predilection for bitterness and an aptitude for vicious revenge.

His sin was his undoing. Sin always has that capacity: it finds us out, and in Haman's case that came through Queen Esther as she pointed the finger at Haman as the man who attempted to orchestrate the annihilation of the Jews, which would have included the queen herself.

God held Israel, in spite of her rebelliousness toward him, as a tool he planned to use in his pursuit of the redemption of mankind. God intended to bring his Son, Jesus Christ into the world through Israel and so consequently, Haman's efforts brought him his destruction.

I am reminded of Moses caution to the trans-Jordan tribes about sinning against the Lord, "...you may be sure that your sin will find you out." Numbers 32:23. In Haman's case, though not being a Jew, he nevertheless had to face God's judgment for his actions, and his sin certainly found him out!

Perhaps this is a cautionary tale for us all. Although we may feel our sins can be hidden (in his arrogance, Haman didn't seem to be concerned about hiding his), but we can all be assured, "The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good." Proverbs 15:3. He doesn't miss a thing, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13.

Sobering, isn't it?!

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

The Importance of Wisdom - 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 Esther 6:4,11,

"Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him... So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, 'This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!'"

Haman intended to put Mordecai to death for failing to bow before him. He entered the king's court to speak with the king about impaling him on a pole he had set up for the purpose. However, due to events outside of Haman's control, Haman left the court with the king's command that he honor Mordecai with the highest of honors.

I cannot think of another account that so forcefully displays the proverb: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18.

The book of Proverbs is replete with axioms and maxims: truths to live by. We live by them to find success in life and we violate them to our own peril. In the account of Haman and Mordecai in the book of Esther, the truth of Proverbs 16:18 could not be displayed more clearly and effectively.

The book of Proverbs contains many truths and principles for life - for us. The advantage the wisdom found in Proverbs brings to our lives simply cannot be matched. The account of Haman is a cautionary one and brings the importance of the wisdom found in Proverbs to the ordering of our lives. Things do not end well for Haman. Perhaps if he had embraced the book of Proverbs things would have turned out much better for him.

There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs. Consequently, a person could read through a chapter of Proverbs for the day of the month and avail himself/herself the truths contained in the book each and every month. It only takes 10 to 12 minutes to read a chapter of Proverbs. Today is May 16, so this morning I read Proverbs 16. It is an activity I have engaged in for many, many years and I can attest to the tremendous advantage it brings to life.

How about you? Is God's wisdom for your life worth 10 minutes out of your day? It certainly would have been for Haman!

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

A New Nature - 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 Esther 5:11-13,

"Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. 'And that's not all,' Haman added. 'I'm the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate.'"

That rotten sinful nature that we all have in common since the fall of mankind is an ugly thing. It prompts us to both view things in a distorted way and to act in ways that are destructive.

This passage follows the account of how Queen Esther's cousin, Mordecai, outraged one of the king's officials, Haman, by refusing to bow to him. Haman, in an overwhelming fit of anger and hostility arranged not only for the death of Mordecai, but also all of Mordecai's people, the remnant of Jews still living after Babylon destroyed Jerusalem.

Haman's hateful hostility is on full display here as he recounts how wonderful life has gone for him, yet, in his great and arrogant hate for Mordecai and his people, he has "no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king's gate."

The sinful nature, while certainly prominent in Haman's life and yet exists within us all, is described by the apostle Paul this way, "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21.

However, in the midst of our sinful condition, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins to make eternal life possible for any one of us. All he asks is that we place our faith in him.

When we do, just look at what the Holy Spirit will bring into our lives, "... love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23.

What a difference that looks like than what Haman displayed!

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Fulfilling God's Purposes in our Lives - 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 Esther 4:12-14,

"When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: 'Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?'"

The words Esther had reported to her cousin, Mordecai, explained the difficulty she would have in approaching the king on behalf of the Jews. Due to the perceived disrespect of Mordecai toward Haman, Haman arranged for the Jews to be annihilated throughout Persia. Mordecai had asked her to go before the king to save the Jews. The king had not called for Queen Esther in a month and to approach the king in his inner court without being invited by the king was punishable by death, unless the king extended his scepter to spare their life. Esther feared for her life if she approached the king as Mordecai requested.

Mordecai's response above includes two fascinating realizations. The first was that if Esther took no action in approaching King Xerxes to spare the Jews, Mordecai stated that "relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place."

Clearly Mordecai recognized that the continued existence of the Jews was integral to the Lord's own agenda - the Jews would not be destroyed as the Lord intended to continue to carry out his purposes through the Jews. If deliverance for the Jews did not come through Esther, it would come from somewhere else at the Lord' s own hand. (Such is still true today - the Lord has his plans for Israel, and Israel will never be annihilated, no matter what Israel's enemies may think. (See Romans 11:22-32.)

The second, and perhaps the better known realization of Mordecai was his recognition that his cousin, Esther, had things fall together in the way they had for her because the Lord intended to use her in this way. "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" This is an example of the reality that the Lord very often works things out well ahead of time, before some need may ever present itself - in anticipation of that need.

Mordecai's communication to Esther was that she was where she was to do something God wanted done, and that if she did not fulfill that purpose, God would simply raise up someone else to get the job done.

How about us? Is there something God has equipped us with? Something he intends to do through us? Will we be faithful to fulfill God's purposes for us? Or, will we renege on our commitment to 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!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Hatred Toward God's People - 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 Esther 3:6,

"Yet having learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes."

Haman was a man the Persian King Xerxes had honored. A part of that recognition required the royal officials and others to kneel down to him. This honor fed an enormous arrogance Haman must have had.

Mordecai, being a good Jew, refused to acknowledge the prideful Haman in a manner he reserved for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Since Mordecai kept close to the king's gate as he kept up with Esther, his cousin and now queen, there was ample opportunity for Mordecai to refuse to kneel down before Haman.

The perceived disrespect of Mordecai toward Haman enraged him. Not being satisfied with pursuing the taking of Mordecai's life, Haman made an attempt to destroy all of Mordecai's people, the remnant of Jews. It was unknown to Haman and King Xerxes that the queen, Esther, was herself a Jew. Thus commences a fascinating tale of how things turn out.

Just as the Progressives in Hitler's day attempted to annihilate the Jews, "Team Cain" has always sought to destroy God's people, and here we see it some time near 473 BC.

Christians, as God's people, are not exempt from this hateful and murderous impulse of Team Cain. The apostle John writes, "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you." 1 John 3:12-13.

Jesus said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." John 15:18.

If you are under the misguided notion that somehow the church can endear itself to the people of the world, keep in mind that those who have not embraced the Lord in faith feel a terrible dread and express that dread in their hateful actions toward all of God's people.

Here is an interesting observation by David from Psalm 14:4-5, "Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord. But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous."

As long as God's people live their lives as living testimonies of the Lord, they will be reviled, hated, rejected and subject to the murderous impulses of lost mankind.

Which team do you play for? "Team Cain" or "Team Abel"? If it be Team Abel, be prepared to be subject to the malevolent intentions of those who have not embraced the Lord. After all, you will be recognized as someone who resides in God's tent while Team Cain suffers from the dread, the anxiety, and the fear of being excluded from God, from eternal life, and the palpable specter of looming judgment. After all, they have made the choice to cling to their sin rather than embrace the Lord (See Jesus' comment to Nicodemus in John 3:18-20.)

That is a choice not without its consequences.

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

The Dramatic, The Mundane, The Consequence! - 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 Esther 2:21-22,

"During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai."

Mordecai was an older cousin of Esther and brought her up as his own when she was orphaned. We find that Esther became queen in place of Vashti who disobeyed the king's order.

This event, where Mordecai finds out about a plot to kill the king and reports it, becomes a key in the story of Esther. Because of this event and others to follow as things unfold, the Jews held in Persian captivity will be both threatened and delivered. I suspect Mordecai's faithful reporting of this threat to the king through Esther turned out to be a much bigger thing than Mordecai ever expected.

The hearing of the threat to the king was important enough to Mordecai to report it, and so I'm sure he carried an appreciation for its significance. However, it appears Mordecai never knew at the time how important the reporting of it would turn out to be.

Reflecting on this causes me to suspect there are many occasions in our own lives where we may not realize the significance or importance of those occasions at the time they occur. Perhaps this is why Paul encouraged the church in Colossai, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:5-6.

As Mordecai may not have realized at the time the full significance of his action in alerting the king through Esther, we may not fully realize the importance of something that comes into our life today and how that just may play out.

Mordecai's episode on that day had drama to it, but I am quite certain there are what appears to be the mundane that we encounter that just may have big consequences! Make the most of them!

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

The Influence of Examples We Set - 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 Esther 1:16-18,

"Queen Vashti has done wrong, not only against the king but also against all the nobles and the peoples of all the provinces of King Xerxes. For the queen's conduct will become known to all the women, and so they will despise their husbands and say, 'King Xerxes commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she would not come.' This very day the Persian and Median women of the nobility who have heard about the queen's conduct will respond to all the king's nobles in the same way. There will be no end of disrespect and discord."

I find the book of Esther fascinating, as many do. Here we have a dilemma that confronted King Xerxes of the Persian empire. He had ordered Queen Vashti to appear before him, his nobles and all the people. He wanted to display her beauty ("she was lovely to look at") at a banquet and she refused.

Appealing to his advisers for counsel, one of them, Memukan, gave the king this advice. His point was that the example of Queen Vashti, if left unaddressed, might bring chaos to the culture of the day. The wives of the nobles and all the people might follow her example and result in "no end of disrespect and discord" in the Persian empire.

The Scriptures reflect the reality that adverse behavior can have an adverse influence on others.  Here is an example, "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared." Proverbs 22:24-25.

Here is a passage that provides the truth that being influenced by others can go both ways, "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm." Proverbs 13:20.

You get the idea. There is a caution to consider when we spend time with others. They will impact our lives in one way or another. Further, we should consider the choices we make and the manner in which we live our lives because we will be influencing others around us: our children, our spouses, possibly the neighbors and their children, our coworkers, etc. Apparently, Vashti missed this.

Queen Vashti made a poor decision without realizing the position she placed the king in. He had to do something about the example she had set. Possibly there may be something we can learn here for ourselves. Being mindful of the example we set just may be very important to us, whether that example is a good one or a bad 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!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Do Not Neglect the House of 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 heart and mind in Nehemiah 13:11,

"Why is the house of God neglected?"

This question from Nehemiah was asked of those who had returned to Judea from the seventy year Babylonian captivity. Nehemiah had brought some needed reforms to the Jews in Judea earlier, but had returned to King Artaxerxes. Now that he had come back to Jerusalem, he found problems at the temple.

The question seems to me to be an important one for us all. Do we neglect the house of God? In Nehemiah's day the "house of God" was the temple. Today, the people that make up the church are the temple. Peter tells us that we believers are being built into a "spiritual house", 1 Peter 2:5. As such, to neglect the house of God would be to neglect our responsibilities toward those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith.

What might those responsibilities be? In the same letter from Peter, 1 Peter 4:10, we read, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."

Paul mentions some of these things in Romans 12:4-8, "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."

Certainly Paul did not have in mind an all-inclusive list of responsibilities we have toward our other believers, but he does offer a sampling for us to get the idea.

What responsibility has the Lord called you to, such that God's house not be neglected? It was a great question in Nehemiah's day and it certainly is a good one in ours.

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Worship From An Informed Heart and Mind - 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 Nehemiah 12:36b,

"Ezra the teacher of the Law led the procession."

This comment is made in the description of two choirs that were used in the temple worship during the days of Nehemiah. I note that the teacher of the Law, Ezra, was to lead the first choir in procession, as well as leaders of Judah, as they made their way "on top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate." Verse 31.

I realize I am making a huge stretch here, but the comment brings to mind something I have often thought of. That thought is relative to the observation that in many, many churches today, the congregation is "softened up" with songs of worship and praise prior to the sermon that is provided during the service. Sort of tenderizing the hearts of the folks so that the message might have the most impact within those present.

I suspect this is all just fine. What I have to say here is not a matter of the "right way of doing things", but simply an observation: I have always thought that just as the choir followed the teacher of the law in Nehemiah's day, so the bulk of worship in singing and music ought to follow the sermon, not precede it.

Here is why: genuine worship should be the expression of a heart that rejoices in the acknowledgement of God's wonderful character and nature, as well as the remembrance of the wonderful things he has done. This comes by the focus on God's magnificent qualities, such as his love for us, his justice, his faithfulness to us and so forth. It comes by the acknowledgment of his wonderful deeds in fulfilling his promises to us, the sending of his Son to pay the penalty for our sins, making a way for us into his family, his kingdom.

As Ezra, the teacher of the law, led in the procession during worship, and then followed by the choir, so I have always felt the worship of our God of splendor should rightly follow our learning of God's glorious nature and works that a good sermon can provide.

By the way, if your pastor is not using his time behind the pulpit in the extolling our many-splendored God from Sunday to Sunday, give him a little nudge and let him know you would love to know more of the kindness, justice and righteousness of our breathtaking God (see Jeremiah 9:24).

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

God's Law Brings Spiritual Enlightenment (I'm a sinner!) - 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 Nehemiah 10:29,

"...all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord."

Following a coming together of the Jews in Jerusalem to hear the law read and to confess their sins, they made a "binding agreement" among themselves to follow the law of God by obeying it.

The effort of obeying the law is quite different from simply listening to the law. They had already listened to it and now they committed themselves to the pursuit of obeying it. 

Paul pointed out that some in his day thought that simply being a descendant of Abraham and attending synagogue to listen to the law was enough of a commitment to be a good Jew. On the contrary, Paul says, "For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous." Romans 2:13.

Why is this important? Simply put, it is the very effort of attempting to obey God's law that causes one to eventually throw himself/herself to the feet of the Lord's mercy and seek his deliverance. When we attempt to keep God's law, we find that we really are unable to do so because of an abiding sinful nature that dwells within each and every one of us. We discover that instead of being deft spiritually, we all are really bereft spiritually, unable to come close to qualifying for any relationship with the Lord and headed for God's judgment of us at the end of the age.

As Paul puts it, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." Romans 3:20. It is that very failure to keep God's law that proves our spiritual need and prompts our desperate plea for his forgiveness. This is why we call Jesus Christ our Savior.

We are told that if we seek the Savior and confess those sins that the law points out in our lives, we will find his forgiveness, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.

If/when we do so, we will be able to say with David,

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:9-11.

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

The Circuit Breakers In my Head Blow With This - 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 Nehemiah 9:5,

"Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting."

With these words the Levites exhorted the people on a day of fasting and sackcloth, when the Jews, who had returned from captivity, had gathered to read the Scriptures, confess their national sins and worship the Lord.

I note their reference to the Lord's existence as being "from everlasting to everlasting." It points to the reality that the Lord exists outside of the dimension of time - his presence resides outside and beyond our concept of time. This is where circuit breakers in my head start to blow - my mind just cannot go there.

The concept of time points to the beginning and/or end of something, it points to the duration of someone, of something. Time is what keeps everything that has ever happened and will happen from happening all in an instance. These are the rudimentary concepts I have when I think of time - and the Lord exists beyond the framework of my ability to grasp. My mind just can't go there! It gets all tied up in knots!

As such the Lord has an entirely different perspective than we do. Peter touches on this a bit when he says, "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." 2 Peter 3:8. With this Peter explains why the Lord is not slow in keeping his promises. He is populating his kingdom, and "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Verse 9. Hence, from our perspective he seems "slow" in bringing this age to a close, but from his perspective, he is not slow at all. He is merely creating opportunities so that his kingdom will have a fulness of people that satisfies his desires for his kingdom.

Every bit of everything that takes place within the time/space dimension that we live in exists before the presence and view of the Lord continually. All of it. This is why people who fail to appreciate the prophetic nature of God's revelation to us don't know God and don't understand the circumstances of his existence. Foretelling events to come is not a problem when you are God and it is laying right in front of you - and particularly when you also effect the outcomes of things to suit yourself.

However, I have to say that all of this is simply beyond me, it escapes my ability to grasp, to understand, to know in any degree. Yet, I can certainly celebrate the meager grasp of what little I do know of my fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic God of splendor!

And, what I do know is that the Lord our God resides beyond our concept of time, indeed, the dimension of time itself, "from everlasting to everlasting."

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

How Do We Approach the Scriptures? - 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 Nehemiah 8:3b,

"And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law."

Ezra the priest and teacher of the law brought out the word of God and read it to the Jews resettling Jerusalem and the surrounding towns. They had gathered together and had Ezra read it.

I note that the people listened "attentively". I picture them as folks who sincerely wanted to know what God had to say and how that might touch their lives. When Ezra opened the book we read, "... all the people lifted their hands and responded, 'Amen! Amen!' Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground." Verse 6. Later we read "... all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law." Verse 9. 

The people listened to the word of God as God intended.

Today we see the word of God rejected by so many, or ignored (even by those who claim to be the Lord's own!), and often when not, approached and used in less honorable ways. Some use the Scriptures to simply find out if they can hang on to some sin, to see if it is "allowed", using the Bible as a legal text with potential loopholes. You know what I mean here. "Does the Bible allow divorce?" and that kind of thing.

I've seen others use it to justify what it clearly does not. I don't know how many times I have heard someone twist the Scriptures to find the acceptance of homosexuality. Homosexuality is twisted (God calls it "detestable", Leviticus 18:22) and the Scriptures have to be twisted to find acceptance for it within its pages.

I suspect we have all heard people use the Scriptures as ammo to win some kind of theological argument, or to prove their denomination or church is the "correct" denomination or church to belong to.

I certainly support the correct use of the Scriptures to find sincere and well-intentioned answers to the many perplexing things we may face in life. However, it seems to me that those things I pointed to above should not be done to the neglect of meeting our loving Savior within its pages, to find out all we can know about who he is, what he is like, his character and nature, to find out the wonderful things he has done and the wonderful things he has promised to those who are his.

When we do, I think we find ourselves useful to God in this life, as opposed to us using the Scriptures in less honorable ways. I see this in the lives of the Jews of Ezra's day as he read and taught the Scriptures to the people.

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Protecting God's People - 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 Nehemiah 7:3,

"The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses."

Nehemiah was instrumental in reestablishing the security of Jerusalem as he provided leadership for the Jewish captives who were allowed to return from Babylon to the homeland. Following the rebuilding of the walls and gates in Jerusalem, Nehemiah appointed various people for various tasks. This directive given by Nehemiah to Hanani and Hananiah had as its purpose to insure the defense of the city: protect it from those who would harm it - at all times and particularly at those times when it might be most vulnerable.

This portion of Scripture reminds me of the defense of another city... actually not a city, but another place where the people of God reside: the church. Where the church is not vulnerable in the physical sense that Jerusalem was as her people returned, the church remains vulnerable to spiritual attacks, to the propagation of false teaching and to division. All these kinds of things render the church less virile, strong, and aggressive in carrying out God's agenda of building his kingdom.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings." Hebrews 13:9. Paul told Timothy, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Timothy 4:16. Paul also warned him, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 2 Timothy 4:3.

Paul spoke to Titus about the important responsibility of an elder within the church, "He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." Titus 1:9. Paul's directive to him was, "You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine." Titus 2:1.

The Lord has his agenda of building his kingdom and it is imperative his people guard against the false teaching of today and the spiritual attacks from "Team Cain" to insure we are productive and useful to him in carrying out the things he has for us to do. We don't want to find ourselves vulnerable in such a way we are sidetracked as we pursue that agenda - just as Nehemiah insured the security of Jerusalem in his day.

How wonderful are those brothers and sisters the Lord has raised up who keep the rest of us secure from the attacks that are sure to come from the dark side of the spiritual realm, just as Nehemiah, Hanani and Hananiah did for Jerusalem as the city was being readied for God's purposes!

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

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.