Weeping Bitterly: Getting Past It - 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 26:74-75,

"Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: 'Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly."

In this well-known account, Peter claimed he would never disown Jesus. Yet, Jesus foretold Peter he would. In fact, it would be that very night "before the rooster crows".

Just as Jesus said it would happen, Peter disowned him three times! I have to imagine the events of that night must have been charged with a great fear.

What captures my thoughts this morning is that Peter "went outside and wept bitterly." He had disappointed his Lord.

I suspect we all have those occasions where we have disappointed the Lord. When we do so, we disappoint ourselves and possibly others around us as well. However, that feeling of having disappointed the Lord can just be heart-rending, depending on the circumstances involved and the degree to which we brought it about whatever that disappointment might have been, some sin or whatever.

That bitter feeling of having disappointed the Lord can be discouraging and even defeating in our walk with the Lord. I'm sure that the feeling of disappointment is important and necessary as the Holy Spirit within us brings us conviction of whatever it was we had done, but I am likewise sure we are not to linger in our disappointment.

A couple of thoughts come to mind in regard to the sorrow we may feel having disappointed the Lord:

When it comes to sin, as believers, we don't have to find ourselves trapped in it, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 1 Corinthians 10:13.

In that we still struggle with our sinful nature, it is good to hear John's words, "If we confess our sins, he [Jesus] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. He goes on to say, "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2.

We can take encouragement and comfort in knowing the Lord still loves us when we disappoint him. The writer of Hebrews reminds us, "For we do not have a high priest [Jesus Christ] who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16.

When we find ourselves in the position of having disappointed the Lord in one way or another, we find the Holy Spirit within us faithful to bring our full awareness to it. When we feel that conviction, we need to get back up, dust ourselves off, recognize our Lord's forgiveness and love for us, ask the Lord's forgiveness for it, get back in the saddle and press ahead. 

Don't wallow in defeat and discouragement! The Lord has plenty for us all to do and he does not need casualties laying on the ground of the spiritual context within which we need to be available to him! We need to follow Peter's example.

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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How to Morph from a Goat to a Sheep - 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 25:46,

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Jesus provided teaching to help us understand the things of his kingdom. In the account of the sheep and goats he taught the following:

At the end of the age, Jesus, as the Son of God, will return "in his glory", verse 31, together with his angels. All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate all people into two groups (the sheep and the goats). There will be two groups - not one and not three - two groups. One group will be cast into "eternal punishment" and the other group, the "righteous" will be escorted into "eternal life." Each and every last soul that has ever lived will be in either one or the other group.

This, of course, raises the importance of how to become a part of the group of the righteous, "the sheep". Today we have all kinds of people running around saying we need to do this or that, we need to behave, we need to follow certain religious practices, etc. That is not what we are taught in the Scriptures.

The Scriptures are very clear on how we join the company of the righteous. We read in Romans 1:16-17, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" We gain righteousness by responding to the gospel message, embracing Jesus Christ in faith.

It isn't by "doing" anything, but by believing something. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9. Also, "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." Titus 3:4.

Becoming righteous in God's sight is a matter of placing our faith and trust in him, "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 3:21.

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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How To Protect Against Deception - 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 24:4-5,

"Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah,' and will deceive many."

Jesus' disciples asked him when the destruction of the temple would take place, the signs of his second coming and the end of the age. The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. and, of course, Jesus' second coming and the end of the age are yet future.

Jesus responded with a series of signs that would present themselves. These he described as "birth pains." I understand this to mean they will be painful events that will come in waves, just as a woman's birth pains. However, he began his answer to them with the above warning for us. Do not be deceived!

He explained that many would come in his name, claiming to be the Messiah. They do so in order to deceive people. Apparently they will have some measure of success in their deception as Jesus pointed out that "many" will be deceived. He prefaced his answers about future events with this warning. He clearly believes it is important we not be deceived and led astray.

How do we do that? How do we keep ourselves from being deceived? I am of the persuasion that there are all kinds of deceivers and deceptions around us, deceptions promoted in Jesus' name. Fake evangelists who are lining their pockets as they make false promises to even some of the most financially desperate among us. Fake religious leaders who have invented their own brands of "Christianity" starting new denominations, new -isms, new theologies, new movements within the church to garner big followings. Looking at those things, we have to agree with Jesus that many are being deceived in our day.

Paul gives us excellent direction on how we can avoid deception as we embrace Jesus Christ in our lives, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16,17.

The dark side, "Team Cain", makes every effort to deceive those who would embrace the Lord in their lives. It is the Scriptures and our faithful consuming them that will guard our hearts and minds from being deceived by these deceivers. Reading the Scriptures, ruminating in them, memorizing them, knowing them, understanding them, focusing on them will keep us from this kind of deception.

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 Lord Sends His Own for Abuse - 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 23:33-35,

"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I [Jesus] am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar."

This scathing rebuke of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees is among the "Seven Woes" Jesus pronounced upon them on this occasion. All the things Jesus foretold they would do, they did do. In Acts 17:13 we read of just such an action by the Jews when Paul (whom Jesus had sent) had gone to Berea. The Jewish leaders in Thessalonica followed him there to stir up the people against him, pursuing Paul from town to town, just as Jesus said they would do.

I note that not only did Jesus say he would send "prophets, sages and teachers", but that he would do so knowing the Jewish leaders would kill, crucify, flog and pursue them. In the context of Jesus' rebuke of them, he said he would send these people, knowing they would be abused, for the purpose of filling up to the full the guilt of these Jews who rejected him.

Jesus would send his emissaries to be mistreated so this current crop of "religious leaders" would be fully identified with the very leaders in the past, (which they themselves condemned), who persecuted the prophets of old. These that Jesus would send would truly fulfill Paul's quote of Psalm 44:22  in Romans 8:36, "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

But wait! Didn't I hear that TV evangelist say that God loves us and wants to prosper us? That he would take away all of our difficulties in this life if we would but just send in our $1,000 faith-promise pledge? How about all those sermons we have heard, that if we would just live by these 6 or 8 or 12 Biblical principles (and tithe and attend church regularly) that God would provided us with an abundant life where all our marriages would be successful, the kids will get into the best universities, we will avoid catastrophic illnesses, have two cars, an SUV, a boat and a motor home all parked in the garage? How about that new big screen TV, the motorcycle, the new job, the raise in salary? The big new beautiful house?

Apparently, these "prophets, sages and teachers" did not get the memo from these people who peddle such things today... they were listening to a difference voice (perhaps we should as well).

How do these promises we hear so many promoting these days comport with what Jesus taught us? What about Revelation 3:19? Hebrews 12:4-13? Proverbs 3:11-12?

It seems to me that the Lord has his own agenda and that we are here for his use, not the other way around.

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 Did God Choose? - 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 22:11-14,

"When the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, 'How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?' The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are invited, but few are chosen."

This is a portion of a parable Jesus taught about the kingdom of heaven. In this parable a king puts on a wedding for his son but none of the guests came. So, he told his servants to go get anyone from the street corners they could find and invite them. When they did so, the above continues the story.

The parable is about how the Jews, as a nation, would reject Jesus, but foretold that the Gentiles would embrace him. Two things I see in the above verses:

The wedding clothes that were missing on one of the attendees from the street corner represent the "garment" of righteousness that is required to enter into the kingdom of God. Those who fail to be robed in righteousness (a reality that happens the moment we embrace Jesus Christ in faith in this life) will be suffer the judgment of God.

Secondly, and again, it references the missing "wedding garments", the righteousness we become clothed in when we embrace the Lord in faith, "many are invited, but few are chosen." This is a reference to God's invitation to all through the gospel message. However, only those who embrace the Lord in faith will be chosen to enter in. Many believe we need to be "good enough", but it isn't about being good enough. None of us are good enough to get into heaven. The question is whether we have placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ when the gospel message is made known. Only those are the ones who have be chosen by God. He didn't chose good deeds as those he wants in his family, he chose faith. God wants all who place their faith in him.

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

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Jesus Christ and Politics - 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 21:46,

"They looked for a way to arrest him [Jesus Christ], but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet."

"They" in the above verse were the chief priests and elders of the people that had come to Jesus to question him about his authority for teaching at the temple. The day before he had overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple courts and healed many there. He had come back to the temple this day and began teaching the people.

The parables Jesus told caused the chief priests and elders to seek a way to arrest him when they realized he was talking about them. The two parables he told were the parable of the two sons given tasks by their father and the parable of the tenants who killed the son of the vineyard owner they rented from. Both of these were veiled condemnations of the chief priests and elders.

I note the chief priests and elders refrained from arresting Jesus because they were afraid of the crowd gathered at the temple to listen to Jesus. Earlier in the chapter we read much the same thing. When the leaders of the Jews came to ask Jesus about his authority to do the things he was doing at the temple, Jesus countered with his own question of them. He asked them what they thought the origin was of John's baptism. We read in verses 25-27, "'John's baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?' They discussed it among themselves and said, 'If we say, "From heaven," he will ask, "Then why didn't you believe him?" But if we say, "Of human origin"—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.' So they answered Jesus, 'We don't know.' Then he said, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.'"

Jesus manipulated the both the events of the day as well as the people involved in order to effect the culmination of his public ministry, the giving of himself as a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the world.

His manipulation of the events and particularly the people involved point to politics. The setting of this chapter is a political one. The authorities of the day were being challenged, and without taking a Gallup poll, they knew what the will of the people was. As office holders (chief priests and elders) they desired to use their political power to control Jesus, to end his threat to the power they held. However, since Jesus determined to carry out the events of the week on his own terms, he countered with the political power of the people, a threat to the chief priests and elders in itself, to manipulate the events and people of the day.

You probably see the direction I am going with this here. If we are not seeing the political element of the account in the Scriptures here, we are missing something. And, of course, it raises a question for our day: is God involved in our politics today and how might he be using the politics of our day?

There is an answer if you know what God's agenda is for today. What is that agenda? How might God be using the political arena to bring about the successful accomplishment of his agenda today? I am entirely convinced he is very involved in politics - and not just in our nation and Israel, but in all nations.

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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Do We Envy Those Who Sin? - 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 20:15,

"Are you envious because I am generous?"

Jesus told a parable of a vineyard owner and his workers. In the parable the owner hired workers throughout the day and paid them all the same wage at the end of the day. Those who were hired first were resentful because those hired at the end of the day received the same pay. The above comment was the owner's response.

Jesus taught this to illustrate that all who embrace him in faith will inherit eternal life with all of the wonderful inheritance that will be ours, even if they do so at the very end of their life. They will receive not some kind of "reduced" inheritance, but all the fullness that anyone else who might have embraced him very early in life will receive.

It is never too late to embrace the Lord in our lives. Of course, putting it off has great peril attached to it as none of us knows the moment when we will die. How about a fatal traffic accident the next time you get in the car? No one knows.

I believe I have heard, maybe if so faintly, just a tad-bit of resentment toward an occasion of someone living a life exploiting the pleasures of sin, and then at the last, coming to the Lord for salvation. You may have heard something expressed as well. I think we might sense it when someone is quick to point out the special "crowns" and rewards some individuals may receive because of their service to the Lord in this life. Not that those should not be pursued and celebrated, but when spoken to clarify that the elder convert has missed something, we might be missing the point of Jesus' parable here.

I can't help but think even the slightest resentment expressed potentially betrays a slight bit of envy toward one who indulged the short term pleasures this life has to offer. Might they be feeling they have missed out on the pleasures of sin??

I do think that most of us do not even think along these lines though. Most everyone I know rejoice and celebrate with the angels when anyone, regardless of age or lifestyle, embraces the Lord in faith.

Just musing 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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Rejecting Our Creator Through Transgenderism - 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 19:4,

"'Haven't you read,' he [Jesus] replied, 'that at the beginning the Creator "made them male and female..."'"

Some Pharisees came to Jesus "to test him", verse 3. They asked him a question that no doubt reflected some theological dispute of the day concerning divorce. "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" Verse 3. Rather than resort to a formula that incorporated the various contemporary issues being argued at the time, he went directly to the Scriptures, the very pattern we should follow.

"Haven't you read..." refers directly to the source of all authority on the things of God: our Bibles. Jesus quoted Genesis 1:27 where Moses explains God's creative activity. (What I find fascinating about this is that the very member of the Trinity that created us humans as male and female and provided for the institution of marriage is the very person who was asked the question, and gave the straightforward answer, see John 1:1-3.)

In Genesis 1:27 we read, "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." In John 1:1-3 we read, "In the beginning was the Word [the Son of God, Jesus Christ, see verse 14], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."

In Genesis we read that God created mankind. When he did so he created mankind in two genders: male and female. Gender is a concept of God, his idea, his creation, his intention. It is not mankind's concept, it is not mankind's idea and it is not of mankind's creation. Just as mankind does not exist because mankind thought it up, so our gender is not something we thought up. Our gender is established at conception, entirely and completely at God's design and plan. We have absolutely no say in our gender and there is nothing mankind is capable of doing to make it any other way. We can mutilate our bodies, take hormones and play "pretend", but only fools do so.

Mental health is based in part on our acceptance of what really exists. When we begin to pretend things are other than what they really are, we mentally check out of the reality we exist in and inevitably become mentally and emotionally sick. I would add that we prove ourselves to be spiritually sick as well. The very definition of psychosis is flight from reality.

Those today who pretend we can all be whatever gender we identify for ourselves, are promoting a cultural psychosis. Homosexuality, gender-bending, all of it is a rejection of the God who created us as we are. May I remind us all that one day we will all stand before the judgment throne of God and give an account of ourselves. That will include what we all supported and encouraged here in this life.

I suspect that those of us who are courageous enough to oppose those who oppose our Creator God will have a warm welcome into the kingdom of God. Make sure you are among that group!

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 Do You Know About Angels? - 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 18:10,

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."

The "little ones" Jesus spoke of in the above verse refer to those who enter into the kingdom of heaven as a humble person, with the lowly position as of a child. He warned that those who cause these "little ones" to stumble would pay dearly for it. Likewise he warned those who might despise these little ones because "their angels" always see our Heavenly Father face to face.

"Their angels" tells me there are apparently angels that have been tasked to believers that have, among whatever responsibilities, the care and concern for the welfare of believers. "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" Hebrews 1:14. These angels always have access to God and so the warning to those who might despise the "little ones" ought to be taken as serious warning.

While Jesus' comments about these angels is very brief in this account, it raises some interesting questions. Do all believers have angels tasked to them? Are they always the same angels? Might there be just one angel or a squad of them? Twenty-four hours a day? What might these angels think of us believers, since they apparently see us in all our foibles and shortcomings? Do these angels ever take vacation time, holidays? Are there substitutes for that kind of occasion?

I find it amusing to think of these kinds of things, even if some questions might be somewhat silly. They do have answers to them, but I certainly don't know the answers to many of the questions I might come up with.

We do know angels exist. We know that many are tasked to believers. We know they are very aware of what a believer might be going through (which is why it is best not to despise believers). These angels are in the presence of God (imagine, someone in our lives from day-to-day that also see our Heavenly Father face to face!)

We know there are a lot of angels, "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" Matthew 26:53. We know angels celebrate, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:10. Angels transport us after we die in some kind of fashion, "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side." Luke 16:22.

Angels can talk to us when needed, "Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.'" Acts 8:26. We don't want to get on the wrong side of an angel, "Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died." Acts 12:23.

There is a lot of information about angels in the Scriptures. I suspect that the study of angels with a good look at all Scripture has to say about them would be a lot of fun and richly rewarding.

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.

Okay to Offend? - 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 17:25-27,

"'What do you think, Simon?' he [Jesus] asked. 'From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?' 'From others,' Peter answered. 'Then the children are exempt,' Jesus said to him. 'But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.'"

A temple tax was required and when Peter was approached by the tax collectors they asked him if Jesus paid the temple tax or not. It wasn't a question of whether Jesus was a tax cheat, but given that Jesus was presented as the Son of God and the King of the Jews, it would hardly be appropriate for him to pay the temple tax.

The above words were spoken by Jesus in regard to the question asked by the tax collectors. As we see, even though it would be unseemly for the Son of God to pay a tax to support his own temple, he nevertheless told Peter to make the tax payment for both Peter and himself. The reason he gave is an eye opener: to not cause offense.

Jesus certainly did not mind "offending" people. Paul even speaks of the offense of the cross, "Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished." Galatians 5:11. The gospel contains within it the accusation that we are all sinners and need saving. Offending people in this way is not only appropriate but vitally necessary.

Offending someone is not in and of itself wrong, it all depends on the nature of the offense and how appropriate it is. There are a number of exhortations in Paul's writings to not offend people in the culture for needless and unproductive reasons. Underlying his concerns was the importance he placed on advancing the gospel: make sure the gospel and Jesus Christ is the issue and not something that is really unimportant in the larger scheme of things.

For instance in our day, if you are going to host an event to evangelize Jews, don't plan a pork barbecue - even though Jesus taught us all food is clean.

There should be consideration given in determining the larger, more important issues, and I believe this is what Jesus was driving home to Peter. Something more important was afoot with him than offending tax collectors.

Wisdom is required here to determine these decisions.

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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Building Spiritual Insight: Faith + Scripture - 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 16:2-3,

"When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times."

These words Jesus spoke to a group of Pharisees and Sadducees who had come to Jesus to ask him for a sign from heaven. They wanted him to prove who he was.

In his answer to them, he chastised them for being unable to "read", or interpret what had come upon them at his advent. Here was the Messiah who had come, bringing the kingdom of God with him, and they were hopelessly unable to understand, to perceive what they beheld. Being unable to absorb or embrace what confronted them, they asked for a sign from Jesus... something was afoot but they were simply incapable of comprehending it.

I suspect within the church there are varying levels of understanding concerning what God is doing in the world today. How might we not be caught in the same predicament as the Pharisees and Sadducees? Do we fully comprehend what God is doing in the world today? Do we understand the events taking place on the world stage? Do we understand what God may be doing in the lives of the people around us? Do we understand just what it is that God may be doing in our own lives?

I feel pretty confident that it is only through a close study of the Scriptures in the context of faith that we may have any hope of knowing God, knowing what he is like, knowing what he has done in the past, what he is currently doing as well as his intentions for the future.

Knowing the Scriptures, learning from them in the context of faith in their own lives might have been useful to these theologians who approached Jesus. It wasn't that they didn't know the Scriptures, but that they were unable to unlock the spiritual wisdom and insight the Scriptures  provide in the absence of their own faith.

I am reminded of Paul's second letter to Timothy where first he observes of him, "I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." 2 Timothy 1:5. Then his exhortation to him, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

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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For Those Who Make Up the Rules! - 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 15:6-9,

"Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."

"You gotta be baptized this certain way!" "You gotta do communion that way!" "You gotta talk in tongues!" "You gotta keep these five Biblical principles on [whatever...]!" You gotta have services just like we do!" "You gotta do...." this, that and the other thing!

These and so many other things are peddled about as imperatives by so many differing groups and individuals if we want to live our lives pleasing to God. No, I'm not talking about what God has revealed for us in the pages of Scripture, but the "derived principles" that divide the church so vehemently, one group against another. Nothing can quite touch the volume, the frequency, the passion and the insistence of so many groups, churches, denominations, "ministries", movements and theologies found in what is supposed to be Christendom in this regard.

When the Pharisees and teachers of the law confronted Jesus about his disciples not adhering to the traditions of the elders, Jesus returned the favor by asking them why they would adhere to them when at many points, the traditions actually conflicted with Scripture.

It would be a mistake to miss the point that the motivation for the development of these traditions were well-intentioned enough to begin with. The thinking was that if the Jews could come up with proscriptions and prescriptions regarding many things in life, they would never find themselves in a position where they would be in violation of the law God gave Moses. However, leave it up to man to improve on the things of God and the result is predictable.

A fool's errand. As such, as an example, in order to keep the Sabbath, spitting was proscribed because it would form a little farrow in the dirt and thus be considered farming on the Sabbath! Just about as silly as the many silly things we find being advanced in the church today.

What we see in the church today is not kind of like what the Pharisees and teachers of the law were doing, it is exactly like what they were doing. Jesus was pretty hard on them. Maybe we might learn something here?

Rather than the deriving all of these principles from Scripture by the "deeply spiritual men and women" among us, how about we embrace the Scriptures as fully sufficient? Are they not good enough to stand on their own?

How about, "Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters." Romans 14:1. I might argue the one who has the weak faith is the one who feels compelled to make sure the rest of us are "doing it right". Apparently, the sacrifice Jesus made of himself for us all lacks a bit of sufficiency, needs a little adornment. In any event, what a "disputable matter" is, is the devil in the details. Of course, leave it up to the one who foists his "distinctive" on the rest of us, and naturally, his is indisputable! Just ask 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!

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The Confluence of the Spiritual and the Political - 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 14:5,

"Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet."

Herod wanted to kill John the Baptist because John had been telling him that it was not lawful for him to have Herodias, his brother's wife. However, fear of the people prevented him from doing it until he backed himself in a corner, forcing himself in spite of the political consequences.

Adultery, of course, is sin. Killing a recognized spiritual leader due to their condemnation of sin is likewise sinful. Herod's spiritual condition is clearly indicated in this account. A further expression of sin in Herod's life is the pride he manifested which trumped his decision. Also illustrated in the account is Herod's political instincts. He realized killing John would bring him a political liability in that the people would hold him in contempt for doing so.

Clearly a confluence of two things that people often do not realize go together: religion and politics.

I take the confluence of religion and politics even further. It is my position that a person's politics flow from their spirituality.

Although it was politically inexpedient for Herod to kill John, as much as he wanted to, he nevertheless did it when his pride got the best of him in front of his guests. Perhaps his pride resulted in a change of his political calculus?

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 Was Jesus So Cryptic At Times? - 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 13:10-13,

"The disciples came to him and asked, 'Why do you speak to the people in parables?' He replied, 'Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'"

Ever wonder why Jesus spoke in such a cryptic manner at times? His disciples certainly did and asked him about it. What's more is that Jesus gave them the answer.

The things of heaven are shrouded from life here on earth. We do not see what takes place in heaven, we do not see God's agenda being carried out by those in the heavenly realm who do his bidding. We do not see God himself. The reason for this is that God has determined he wants all who want him - but only those who want him - to join him in his family for eternity. He assures the fair and equitable outcome of this (to satisfy the demands of justice) by maintaining a cloak, or veil preventing us from seeing the reality of spiritual things so that faith has an opportunity to express itself within our hearts and therefore prove we want him, we desire him, that we give ourselves to him.

This is why God has determined that only those who embrace him in faith will be allowed to enter into his family for eternity and escape the horrific judgment everyone else will face at the end of the age: those who do embrace him in faith will ever only do so because they want him. They want God more than the pleasures of a short season, they want God more than clinging to the sin that dominates their lives, they want God more that anything or anyone else in this life.

In order to manifest those who want him in this way, he provides for an environment where faith can demonstrate itself in the lives of those who want God... proving that they do. If we see things, if we touch things, we accept them not on the basis of faith but the basis of hard facts, of perceived and known evidence. If God provides just enough of himself (through his word, through the first coming of Jesus Christ, etc.), but not enough to "prove" himself to us, then it takes faith on our part to embrace him, demonstrating our heartfelt desire for him.

Very simply, God keeps many things that are his from mankind to manifest whether any of us are wheat or chaff, sheep or goats, those who will become children of God or not. He, of course, knows our hearts. However, on judgment day, the fairness of everyone's outcome will be made abundantly clear. 

Once that issue is settled for any of us in this life, God reveals more of himself and those things that are his to those of us who have embraced him in faith, that we might know him better, that we might understand what he is doing in the world, that we might grow and develop as his children. As God reveals himself to those who are his, we develop patience, understanding, perseverance, and our excitement and hope in what awaits us.

Everybody else is simply left in the dark. "They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them." 1 John 2:11. This is why Jesus pointed out that in spite of having the faculties to hear and understand, unbelievers will never hear or understand the things 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!

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Team Cain Versus Team Abel - 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 12:30,

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

Jesus points to two types of people. Not one type and not three or four. Only two. Those who are "not with me", those do not "gather" with Jesus, but "scatter." Then, of course there are those who do. If we are not with Jesus, then we oppose him.

Those who "gather" with Jesus... what are they gathering? A couple of verse earlier Jesus said, "if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.", verse 28. That is what Jesus is doing! He is building his kingdom. There are those who work together with him to gather in the harvest of souls, those who make up the kingdom of God. On the other hand, there are those who "scatter", those who oppose the work Jesus Christ does in the world, right up today.

I call these two groups "Team Cain" and "Team Abel". We see the division of mankind right in the very first book of our Bibles. In Genesis 4 we read of two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain was the older who killed his brother Abel simply because Cain was not on God's "team", not in the least bit. Abel was.

John makes reference to the account of Genesis 4 when he speaks of the animosity Team Cain has for Team Abel, "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." What John refers to as "the world" I simply call "Team Cain" since Cain represents animosity and an aggressive nature toward those who seek to do God's will in working together with the Lord as he builds his kingdom.

Which team do you "play" for? You are either on one team or the other - there is no other option for mankind. 

Those who do not gather with Jesus scatter.

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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Do All Sinners Receive The Same Judgment? - 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 11:24,

"But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

Jesus proclaimed a more terrible judgment that awaited the people of Capernaum than that which the people of Sodom face. He also indicted Chorzin and Bethsaida. These three towns all face greater judgment than others condemned by God in the past, not because of the evil practiced there (particularly in the case of Sodom), but because Jesus had authenticated his message and himself as the Son of God through miracles he performed in their midst and they had not repented.

I have a couple of observations of Jesus' condemnation of these towns. The first being that Sodom has yet to face its judgment for the horrible wickedness it had sunk to. The destruction of fire brought down on the town annihilated it, but there remains yet a more horrific judgment of the people of the town. This tells me that we may reap destruction by the sin we sow in this life, but there is a more terrible judgment that awaits all mankind for sin following this life. It is called the "great white throne judgment" in the book of Revelation (see Revelation chapter 20).

Secondly, did you notice that Capernaum's judgment will be worse than Sodom's? Judgment will be graduated relative to the degree of sin. Judgment will not be all the same for everyone who has rejected God. The nature of sin people will be judged for will determine the level of judgment. Don't get me wrong... there is nothing good in this for anyone who rejects God in this life! All judgment will be horrific. The thing is, some will have it more horrible than others.

We read about the sinful state Sodom had sunk to in Genesis 19 and its destruction at the hand of God. With its aggressive homosexuality that incited rape and abuse others (the practice of homosexuality always drives in this direction - don't bother to "correct" me on this, I am right about it), God decided to remove the people of Sodom from this life - all of them! Yet, the rejection of the miracles authenticating who Jesus was and his intention of redemption of mankind is found by him to be an even greater cause for more severe judgment. The reason for this is clear: redemption is not possible when Jesus Christ is not embraced - and he came for the sole purpose of securing the redemption of all who will embrace him in faith. Rejecting the miracles of Jesus Christ is to reject Jesus Christ!

It only takes one little sin to cast us into God's judgment following this life - but not all sin will be judged the same. Nevertheless, all judgment will be horrific, and how wonderful the offer of eternal life Jesus provided for when he paid for the punishment of my sin on that horrible cross!

Who would pass up on something like that?! All he asks is to place our faith and trust in him!

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

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Jesus Brings Peace Among People? Really??? - 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 10:34,

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."

When Jesus sent his twelve disciples out to the "lost sheep of Israel", verse 6, he gave them instructions. He also provided them with caution. In this verse above he told them that as they went to do his bidding they would discover severe conflict.

That conflict would stem from the fact that when Jesus came into the human family to reach out to us, to offer the kingdom of heaven, it would be a sword among the people of earth, "I did not come to bring peace but a sword."

The reason for this is Jesus' coming to earth was an offensive maneuver by God within the context of the spiritual warfare that finds its origin in the spiritual realm. Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost among mankind, Luke 19:10. The dark side, "Team Cain" does not want to see people turn to God and enjoy communion with him (the very reason Cain killed his brother Abel.)

So, what did the angels mean when they proclaimed at Jesus' birth, "peace on earth" that we see on so many Hallmark Christmas cards? If we look at what the angels proclaimed in Luke 2:14, we read, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." The peace spoken of here is peace between God and those who respond to his Son, Jesus Christ. All who embrace him in faith find God's favor and experience peace with him. However, all who reject Jesus Christ still have God as an enemy (see Romans 5:10). No peace for them.

Among mankind, we find Team Cain with cadres willing and driven to oppose Team Abel (those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith). Consequently, we see this conflict among families (which Jesus pointed to), we see it in the news media, in politics, in academia, within the entertainment community, and the pop culture at large. It is all around us.

Ever wonder why Hollywood always characterizes Christians as fruitloops? Ever wonder why the political left is so vehemently anti-Israel? Ever wonder why militant gays target small indefensible Christian business owners? Ever wonder why our Christian-Judeo heritage is constantly under attack? Look no further than Jesus' words in Matthew 10.

He warned us ahead of time.

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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Jesus Establishes His Bona Fides - 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 9:2-6,

"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, 'Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.' At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, 'This fellow is blaspheming!' Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, 'Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.' So he said to the paralyzed man, 'Get up, take your mat and go home.'"

This is from the account when some men brought a paralyzed man on a mat to Jesus for healing. The message Jesus gave at this occasion could not be clearer: Jesus has the authority to forgive sins and he provided his bona fides to do so by violating the very laws by which he governs his own creation (the definition of a miracle) - our Creator has the authority to forgive sins.

John makes clear that the universe we live in was created by the Son of God, Jesus Christ, from out of eternity past. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:1-3. We know that John is referencing Jesus Christ as "the Word" when he says a few verses later, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, 'This is the one I spoke about when I said, "He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me."')" John 1:14-15.

Since the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is the Creator of everything, it is to him we must give account. It is his law we all stand in violation of (making us "sinners") and therefore subject to judgment. Jesus Christ will sit on the throne of judgment, so he, and he alone, can forgive sins. His act of healing the paralytic was his demonstration to us validating his claim to be the owner of the authority to forgive sins.

His comment, "I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." is a remarkable statement given by him to clarify who he was, and why he came. The miracles Jesus performed while here were done so to help us understand who he is and why he came: to save us from our sins.

Many "experts" reject the authenticity of Jesus' miracles. Do not be misled: they do so for no further reason than they reject Jesus Christ as their Savior and have decided to pass on his forgiveness to cling to their sin. So much the better, in their twisted thinking, to influence as many others as they can to their persuasion.

Do not make the mistake they do! It holds eternal consequences for each of us personally. Jesus did perform the many miracles we read of in Scripture (each and every one!) and provides us all we need to know about his claim to have the authority to forgive sin.

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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Jesus: Capable and 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 Matthew 8:2,

"A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.'"

Following Jesus' sermon on the mount, many needy people came to him to seek relief. The above verse documents the plea of a leper. Also in this chapter a Roman centurion came to him for help because he had a servant paralyzed and suffering. Peter's mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever and Jesus healed her. His disciples sought his deliverance of them from a furious storm as they crossed the lake in a boat. The chapter ends with Jesus healing two horribly demon possessed men.

If nothing else, what we learn from this chapter is that Jesus Christ is who to flee to when in need. He is capable, willing and able to help any one of us regardless of our need.

The greatest need we all have is that we all face the horrific judgment of God for our sins. We have all sinned and we all face God's eternal judgment of us for those sins. However, just as the folks experienced Jesus' deliverance of those we meet in Matthew 8, he can and will deliver us.

There are a lot of remedies out there that are promoted to meet whatever need we may have. There exists no greater need than that which Jesus can provide us relief for. He has the power to deliver us and he has within himself the willingness to deliver us. 

He has the love within him that promises us he is willing to help us in our need.

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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Charlatans in the House! - 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 7:21-23,

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

Here is Jesus' acknowledgment and condemnation for those who promote themselves as Christian religious leaders, but who really do not know him. Jesus clearly says that it is not everyone who claims Jesus is Lord are heaven bound. Many are headed for God's judgment with a very dark eternity to look forward to.

Jesus said not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. He did not indicate just how big of a contingency they comprise of all who call Jesus Lord, and, frankly, I personally believe we are all going to be pretty surprised at just how many will be among this group.

There is no question in my mind that the many today who seduce the most desperate of people by promising them relief in the form of wealth, "God's blessing" (if they would but send in their "faith-promise pledge" of a thousand dollars or whatever) are among the group Jesus refers to here. They have slick appeal as they ply their trade with well-crafted mendacity: "God loves you and he doesn't want you poor, now does he? Just send your money to me and he will respond by releasing the floodgates of heaven to enrich you." We have all heard the drill.

I am quite certain that those who promise to others in this life what will only be ours in the resurrection are likewise a part of the group of those Jesus talked about in this passage. Intentionally misleading people by corrupting the word of God in passages like Isaiah 53:5, "...by his wounds we are healed" these people promise others healing of illnesses and infirmities if they would but join up with them, or again, send in their "faith-promise pledge" to fill their coffers. The truth is that, as believers, our bodies are not yet redeemed - they won't be until the time of our resurrection (see Romans 8:10, 23-25). As believers, we are all yet subject to illnesses, infirmities and death.

My point isn't that God cannot or would not answer specific prayers for healing or financial relief - indeed we are instructed to pray in faith for such things. Further, the Scriptures provide us of examples of just such things. However, God has never committed himself to the automatic dispensing of these things. And, certainly not in the manner these charlatans promise them, and particularly, when promised as a quid pro quo that involves the enriching of those that offer the promise!

I firmly believe what Jesus warned us of exists right before our very eyes. I can see it any time I want on some of the "Christian networks" that come as part of the package I receive from my satellite service.

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.