Self Promotion - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 9:34,

"'You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!' And they threw him out."

A man born blind was healed by Jesus. The religious set, the "Pharisees", feeling their standing in the community might be in jeopardy, had the man brought to them to question him about Jesus. Not satisfied with his answers (meaning the man didn't disavow Jesus), they called in his parents who failed to provide them with satisfaction. So, they summoned the healed man in again in an attempt to invalidate what Jesus had done for him. Again, not providing them satisfaction, they "threw him out."

I notice that about the religious set these days. When someone can further whatever it is they are promoting (usually just themselve), that someone becomes a darling among them. As soon as that someone fails to further the religious set's interests, they are unceremoniously dumped - thrown out.

At a church of a friend of mine, overweight women are not allowed to participate in the "praise team." They don't promote the "look" the leadership is interested in conveying to the community. In churches I have participated in (which in part prompted me to leave), people with children in trouble have been prevented from participating in activities during services (it might make the church look bad.) Likewise, with those experiencing marital difficulty (even when the culprit in the marriage was the spouse and not them).

For many in the religious set, when we don't add to, or contribute toward the interests of their agenda, we get "dumped." Just like the man born blind and healed by Jesus. He didn't further the cause of these religious Pharisees and was thrown out.

Where is the love? Where is the care and pastoral concern for those who don't benefit religious leaders? We have an enormous amount of religious leaders and "ministries" these days, but we really don't have many who are genuine followers of Jesus Christ in my view.

Show me someone who is willing to give up in behalf of others what they think they have acquired "in service" to the Lord, whether it be a built up ministry, a pulpit with a broad voice, a facility, a congregation, a televised ministry, etc. and I'll show you someone who has an undivided heart for the Lord.

These Pharisees were certainly unwilling to give anything up they felt important to them... and it led to their rejection of the Son of God! Self promotion in this life led them to the certainty of being cast into that fiery lake of burning sulfur in the next. (Some self promotion that was!)

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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Don't Follow the Devil! - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 8:41b,

"'We are not illegitimate children,' they [unbelieving Jews] protested. 'The only Father we have is God himself.'"

Jesus pointed out to these unbelieving Jews that their father was the devil, verse 44, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires." Jesus points out that those who do not belong to him belong to the devil. Two camps, and only two camps. We carry out God's desires or the devil's desires.

However, this brood thought they were God's children, that God was their father. They were utterly deceived in their thinking and their perception of things. Very religious, with the Scriptures in hand, they served the devil and carried out the devil's desires.

I believe there are a lot of people today that live their lives in a similar deceit, no doubt as convinced as these Jews were that they have God as their father when they only carry out the devil's purposes.

I am reminded of Jesus' words, "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!'" Matthew 7:21-23.

The remedy for this is to ensure we are in fact following God and not the devil. Apparently many cannot tell the difference. I highly recommend Paul's exhortation, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15.

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 Know What We Know? - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 7:27,

"But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from."

Here we see people who have a confidence in what they think they know. As they evaluated the claims of the Son of God, they felt they knew enough to know he was not the Messiah. Imagine being in the presence of God's one and only Son and determining he wasn't the One because he didn't check one of the boxes they mistakenly trusted in. They thought they knew that no one would know where the Messiah came from, and since they knew where Jesus was from, he couldn't be it.

Confidence is important. We should all be confident in what we believe. But evenly more important is placing our confidence in the right thing. Do we know what we really think we know?  Can we know things for certain? Absolutely!

An example: In 1 John 4:16 we read, "God is love." That is a simple, knowable truth. I can know that and I can have a legitimate confidence in knowing it. We can know things with confidence. Where we might get into trouble is to assume we know how God might act on that love in a given situation. I can't be confident I know that for certain. Some run with this knowledge that God loves us and then assume that God wants to "prosper" us because he loves us. We should have all the goodies the world has to offer. Some say that since God loves us, he doesn't want us to become sick, or he doesn't want us to have frustrations in this life... you get the drill. 

Some things we can know for certain, other things we can't. Wisdom dictates we distinguish between the two.

One thing I am entirely convinced of is that it is in the Scriptures: the reading, studying, meditating upon, memorizing, saturating our minds with, brings an ability to determine what we can know, as opposed to what we just might not know for certain in its pages.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15.

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 Most Important Consumable! - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 6:50,

"Here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die."

Jesus likened himself to a consumable, a very important consumable. In verses 53-58 Jesus said, "Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever."

The Son of God came down from heaven and took on humanity, "For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people." Hebrews 2:17. This he did by giving up his physical life as a payment for the sins of all mankind.

As a "consumable", his body and his blood represent the sacrifice of atonement he made for our sins. In doing so he offers us eternal life if we place our faith and trust in him. I note in John 6:50 that this offer of his is for anyone, everyone, all inclusive - the one requirement is for us to embrace him in faith. The metaphor of eating his flesh and drinking his blood is a picture of us availing ourselves of the sacrifice he made of himself.

Not only does he make the offer, but he points out that the Father draws us all to him! "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." Verse 44. Those who respond to God's effort at drawing them are those he has given to his Son, "All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away." Verse 37. The Father uses the Son to draw all mankind to himself, "And I [Jesus Christ], when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." John 12:32.

A fitting and important metaphor we all need to respond to!

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 Is 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 5:18,

"For this reason they tried all the more to kill him [Jesus]; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God."

Jesus made "himself equal with God." Next time someone asks you who you think Jesus Christ is, you can tell them very assuredly that he is God. God the Son, the second person of the Trinity.

The Scriptures clearly identify Jesus Christ as God.

"Theirs [the Israelites] are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah [Jesus Christ], who is God over all, forever praised!" Romans 9:5.

"In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1.

"For to us a child [Jesus Christ] is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6.

"Thomas said to him [Jesus Christ], 'My Lord and my God!'"

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage..." Philippians 2:5-6.

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." Colossians 1:15.

"It [God's grace] teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ..." Titus 2:12-13.

And so on....

Jesus once asked his disciples, "Who do you say I am?", Matthew 15:16. If we are ever asked that question, we should be able to answer that boldly and confidently just as Peter did, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living 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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Living Water - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 4:13-14,

"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water [from Jacob's well] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'"

In John 7:37-39 we read, "On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.' By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive."

Mankind was created to have an ongoing and immediate (meaning "close") relationship with his Creator. Following the fall of man in the garden, he has been estranged from God with a God-sized piece of emptiness dwelling within. A hunger, a thirst, a felt-need has existed within our hearts ever since. It is my belief that many of mankind's ills (addictions in life, etc.) find their origin in this emptiness. The impulsiveness to create religions, the drive to pursue philosophical schools of thought, the quest for meaning in life, I feel, are all motivated by this emptiness.

What Jesus Christ offers is to have that emptiness within us filled with what was originally intended in our creation, to a fulness of satisfaction, purposefulness, meaning in life and fulfillment through his presence in our lives by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit never leaves us believers, never forsakes us, and becomes a spring of the mystical water of eternal life bubbling up and flowing within and through us.

How wonderful is that?!

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

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Don't Be A Goat! - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 3:19,

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."

This statement explains a lot of things. The one that captures my thoughts this morning is the purpose of this life. This life is a proving ground where a great sifting, or winnowing of the hearts of all the members of the human race takes place. This is the primary, most fundamental purpose of this life under the sun. It is for this purpose that we find ourselves in this life. All other things in this life are subordinated to this one primary and overriding purpose.

This life provides the opportunity for people to express whether they love God more than their sinful lifestyle, (or the other way around.) In the following verse we read, "Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed." The purpose of this life is so this great "sifting" can take place.

We live in an environment where God has cloaked himself and so faith has the opportunity to express itself based on whether we love and want God more than our sin. God only wants those for eternity who want him, and he has determined that faith in him is the way to define that desire. We have to really want God in order to find our way to embracing him in faith.

We read in Matthew 25:31-41, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left... Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'... Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'"

People who desire God over their sin come into the light as we read about in John 3:21. Those who refuse God's offer die in their sins and go to "the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

This is the verdict! Don't be a goat!

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 Makes Only the Best! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 2:10,

"Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

This was the comment the master of the banquet made to the bridegroom after Jesus had turned water to wine at a wedding banquet. The wine Jesus created from water was "the best"!

This is what the Lord does. His hand turns out the best. I am reminded of what Jesus Christ does in our lives when we embrace him in faith. He takes plain old sinners like you and me and creates things of beauty of us. He transforms us and he perfects us into the best.

"For he [God] chose us in him [Jesus Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." Ephesians 1:4. "Holy and blameless" is not something anyone would have accused me of, but he perfects us!

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23. Anyone who is marked by these qualities certainly is a thing of beauty! He perfects us and makes a thing of beauty of us!

"You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2;9-10. Look at the beautiful thing the Lord makes of us as a people! He makes us the best.

The Lord makes only the best.

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 Metaphysical Context of Following 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 1:43,

"The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, 'Follow me.'"

Early in John's gospel, in the first chapter, we are introduced to a few of the men that followed Jesus Christ. In that chapter we read of two of John the Baptist's disciples, one of whom was Andrew (Peter's brother). We see that Andrew brought his brother, Peter, to meet the Lord. Next we meet Philip in the chapter, to whom Jesus said, "Follow me." Afterward, Philip found Nathanel, who was stunned to learn that Jesus knew things about him that no ordinary person would know.

These men followed Jesus and it is what Jesus told Philip that catches my eye this morning, "Follow me." There are four verses in John's gospel that record Jesus telling his listeners to follow him and another verse where Jesus observes that those who belong to him, his servants, must follow him.

Jesus told his listeners that his sheep follow him, John 10:27. In John 12:26 Jesus said that those who serve him must follow him. Additionally, Jesus told Peter to follow him twice, John 21:19 and John 21:22 ("Follow me!", "You must follow me.")

Although John's two disciples asked Jesus where he was staying, verse 38, and Jesus invited them to come and see, following Jesus has a transcendent metaphysical context. We read in verse 43 that Jesus decided to leave Bethany on the Jordan for Galilee. When he told Philip to follow him, it meant far more than just the 4 day trip it would take.

The term "follow", used by the NIV in the passages cited above, is defined by Merriam-Webster (in addition to the simple meaning) as: "to engage in as a calling or way of life", "to be or act in accordance with", "to accept as authority : OBEY", "to seek to attain", to "imitate", "watch steadily, to keep the mind on, to attend to closely, to understand the sense or logic of".

As you can see, as we think of being followers of Jesus Christ, there are some considerations that need tending to.

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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"You Must Follow Me" - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 21:20-23,

"Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, 'Lord, who is going to betray you?') When Peter saw him, he asked, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus answered, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.' Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?'"

This is the last exchange between Jesus and his disciples recorded in John's gospel. Following Peter's earlier denial of Jesus three times after his arrest, we read of Peter's threefold reinstate in this chapter. Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved him and three times he told Peter to pursue the ministry he intended for him: "Feed my lambs", "Take care of my sheep" and "Feed my sheep."

Following this exchange on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus told Peter to follow him. As they went, Peter turned and saw John (our gospel writer) following them. Seeing him, Peter asked Jesus, "What about him?" I find Jesus' response to be instructive for me today.

Jesus told Peter, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." Some sixty years after this event, the gospel writer had to clarify to his readers (which eventually includes us!), "Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?'"

A part of Jesus' response to Peter has to include the consideration for us all to follow the Lord: "You must follow me." And, that obedience is to surpass any concern we may have about what the future holds. The Son of God has his agenda, and whatever that agenda may be, we need to follow the Lord. This is first and foremost.

While I hold an interest, as many do, about the calendar of future events we attempt to decipher in the Scriptures, that must be subordinated to my focus on following the Lord. Gerald L. Borchert, in volume 25b of "The New American Commentary" makes an interesting comment about this: "The end of this Epilogue is therefore an implicit warning against chronologizing the eschaton [the calendar of future events], Just as the risen Jesus did not promise the beloved disciple control of the calendar of his lifespan, neither does he offer readers such insight. That knowledge belongs only to God."

All things have their importance. Refining the precision we may have on our understanding of the future events we read of in the Scriptures (and, maybe what we don't read in the Scriptures) falls well below the imperative we have to follow the Lord, "You must follow me."

A heated exchange (argument, dispute) between believers over, say, the timing of the Rapture, makes the point here. Are we following the Lord when we get angry at a brother for such a thing?

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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Enabling the View - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 20:1,

"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance."

The tomb Mary went to was the tomb Jesus' body was laid in following his crucifixion. We see that when Mary arrived she found the stone had been removed from the entrance to the tomb. She fetched Peter and John and they found the same. They each looked into the tomb and found it empty. Jesus' body was gone. Why had the stone been removed?

We might think because Jesus had been raised from the dead he needed to get out. Maybe the two angels that show up later in the story helped him for the purpose. That explanation quickly falls apart when we read later in this chapter that Jesus showed up in the midst of his disciples who were in a locked room! On two occasions! Jesus apparently had mobility through the impenetrable.

It seems to me the only rational explanation the stone had been moved was to enable the view into it. Jesus wanted Mary as well as Peter and John to look into the tomb so they could see it was empty. He was risen from the dead and he wants all to look into that tomb to see it is empty!

The resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything! It proves his offering of his body through that crucifixion satisfied his Father's justice for the sins of mankind. Since all sin is now paid for, we can all have a right standing with God (all who embrace him in faith). "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." Romans 4:25.

He invites us all to look into the tomb to find it empty! It provides us all we need to know. "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." 1 Corinthians 15:20.

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 Greater Culpability - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 19:10b-11,

"'Don't you realize I [Pontius Pilate] have power either to free you or to crucify you?' Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

When Jesus was brought to Pilate following his arrest, Pilate interrogated Jesus. When Jesus remained silent when Pilate asked him where he came from, Pilate warned Jesus that he could either free him or have him crucified. Jesus informed Pilate that the only power Pilate had over him was what was given to him "from above." Just as Judas Iscariot, Pilate also had his part to play in the predetermined arrangements to bring about Jesus' own death (thereby effecting his atonement for the sins of all mankind.)

We read in verse 12 that Pilate set himself to free Jesus, "From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, 'If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.'" It was not to be and Jesus was crucified. Pilate had no real control as he had fallen into the hands of God's sovereign will and the atonement for mankind would be accomplished no matter what. "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord." Proverbs 21:30.

I note the disparity of culpability Jesus informed Pilate of. Caiaphas, the chief priest who handed Jesus over to Pilate (or was Jesus speaking of Judas?), was guilty of a greater sin than Pilate himself. Why would that be? The NIV Study Bible points out that the one who handed Jesus over to Pilate to be crucified was guilty of a greater sin because it was carried out with willful, malicious intent. John MacArthur points out, "The critical point is not the identity of the person [either Caiaphas or Judas], but guilt because of the deliberate, high-handed, and coldly calculated act of handing Jesus over to Pilate, after having seen and heard the overwhelming evidence that He was Messiah and Son of God. Pilate had not been exposed to that."

It is that last thought of MacArthur that strikes me as an important point. It is one thing to not know and be guilty of some sin against God. It is another to have been exposed to the things of God and sin anyway. Both Judas and Caiaphas fit well into that thought.

How might we fit into that? 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!

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What's In A Name? - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 18:4-6,

"Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, 'Who is it you want?' 'Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied. 'I am he,' Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground."

As we read this passage, we find Jesus willingly turned himself over to the Jewish officials and soldiers for his arrest. In reading John's gospel we learn that, in fact, Jesus orchestrated the whole event. After dispatching Judas from the Last Supper to pursue his treachery for thirty pieces of silver, he took his disciples over to a place called Gethsemane, Matthew 26:36, where he knew Judas and the soldiers would find him.

As the Jewish officials and soldiers approached, Jesus went out to them. As he did so he asked who they wanted, and when they said, "Jesus of Nazareth" he told them, "I am he". Then, the strangest thing happened. These soldiers and officials drew back and fell to the ground. Why?

Recall when Moses, 1600 years earlier, asked the Lord for his name, who it was sending him to lead his people out of Egypt, the Lord told him to tell the Jews, "I AM". Tell them "I AM" has sent you. When these soldiers came for Jesus, he identified himself with that very name!

The NIV Quest Study Bible has a great comment about this scene in Gethsemane: "The soldiers, although they were trained to expect violence and physical force, were evidently caught off guard and struck by the power of Jesus' words and courage (7:45–46). But that alone doesn't explain why they fell to the ground. Somehow the divine authority and power of Jesus was revealed to these armed men, causing them to fall down in fear, panic or awe." This happened when he told them "I am he."

I think it is difficult for us, so removed by time and geography, to fully embrace the impact of Jesus Christ in the hearts, minds, and fears of those who had contact with him, both those who embraced him in faith, as well as those who rejected him.

Never lose sight of the fact that these were people who were actually interacting with their Creator God - whether they knew it or not!

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 Preexistent Son of God: 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 17:24,

"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."

This verse is part of an extended prayer of Jesus to the Father that takes up the entire seventeenth chapter of John. His prayer contains some amazing things that we learn from it. In the verse quoted above, Jesus talks to the Father about the love the Father had for him before the creation of the world. It helps us understand a little of the eternal nature of the Trinity.

John's gospel opens with the following about Jesus Christ, "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. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." John 1:1-4. "The Word" is Jesus Christ in John's introduction here.

In that the Trinity exists outside or beyond the dimension of time, whatever "beginning" is being contemplated, the Son of God is already there with the Father (and the Holy Spirit) in a relationship marked by love. Consequently John points out that the Son of God was existing "in the beginning" and that he was with the Father "in the beginning." We also read that the creation we know (as well as what we don't know) was created by the Son of God.

The writer of Hebrews also speaks of this as the writer wrote amazing things about the Son of God, "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3.

In this passage in Hebrews we see the Son of God preexisting the creation of the universe, acknowledging him to be both the creator and sustainer (or maintainer) of it.

In connecting "the dots" of passages we read in Scripture, it helps me understand better who Jesus Christ is, how he fits into the Godhead, and his participation in acts of the Trinity and so on... that is, until the circuit breakers in my head start to blow (which appears to be early on!) I feel I know very little about it all but stand amazed at what that little speaks of!

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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Is "In Jesus' Name" A Formula? - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 16:23b-24,

"Very truly I [Jesus] tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

Some people think Jesus was telling his disciples here that if they were to use the "right words", as in some kind of incantation, the prayers get answered. "In Jesus' name I pray" and that is the formula - this gets it answered to our satisfaction. I'm afraid this is just a misunderstanding of what Jesus was saying.

When Jesus said to ask in his name, that refers to praying in the context of his will and purposes (as the NIV Quest Bible puts it.) Who he is, what his plans and intentions are, his agenda. Praying in Jesus' name is an attitude and outlook, not a formula of words.

Formulas of words are for Hollywood movie scripts where we see someone open a book of spells, invoking the devil to do nefarious things. Jesus is a real person and I am sure he is more interested in us approaching him with that understanding, rather than if he were some kind of a mindless force that springs into action if we get the formula of words just right.

I'm sure this doesn't sit well with the "Name it and Claim it" crowd.

The NIV Quest Bible has a great point on John 15:7, where someone might ask whether we can ask for whatever we want, "No. It is impossible to pray correctly apart from knowing and believing Jesus' teachings. As long as we remain in him and his words remain in us, our desires will be consistent with his will. Praying in [Jesus'] name (v. 16) refers to requests in line with who Jesus is and what will advance his work. Such prayers reflect total dependence on him."

If we have been frustrated with the outcomes of our prayers, we just might want to revisit these thoughts.

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 reply and let me know.

It's All About the Joy! - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 15:10-11,

"If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Jesus said if we kept his commands his joy would be in us. Imagine that! We can bring joy to the Son of God! In the very next verse Jesus told his followers what his command is, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." Verse 15. We are to love one another just as Jesus Christ loves us.

This makes our level of joy a barometer in our lives. If we seem to be lacking joy, we might want to look at how well we are keeping this command of his.

I believe joy is something that should be an evident characteristic in our lives. Joy should be the "natural state" of our disposition when we are right with God. Peter talks about joy in the believer's life, "Though you have not seen him [Jesus Christ], you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:8-9.

Paul points out that among other things, the kingdom of God is about joy, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval." Romans 14:17-18. Joy should be the standard condition of the believer's life.

We are told to rejoice in the Lord! "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Paul says, "Rejoice always..."

How is our level of joy today?

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

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Heaven Bound And God's Spirit Within! - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John  14:16-19,

"I [Jesus] will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live."

As Jesus prepared his disciples for his coming death, he encouraged them by talking about our eternal abode in heaven, verses 1-14 of this chapter, and about the Holy Spirit that was to come to the believers and to dwell among and within them, verses 16-19.

In John 7:37-38 Jesus told the crowd at the temple in Jerusalem during the Festival of Tabernacles, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." In the following verse John explains, "By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."

Now, however, in John 14 Jesus told his followers that he would send the Holy Spirit to come and dwell within believers. This was accomplished on the following Pentecost after Jesus' death, burial, resurrection and ascension to heaven. In Acts 2:1-4 we read, "When the day of Pentecost came, they [the followers of Jesus] were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

We today continue to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit when we embrace Jesus Christ in faith. In 1 Corinthians 12:7 we read, "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

How amazing is that?!! This has to be cause for a great joy within us!

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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Judas: Necessary Yet Troubling - 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 13:21,

"After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, 'Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.'"

This comes from the account of the Last Supper when Jesus told his followers that one of them would betray him into the hands of the Jews who wanted to kill him. At Peter's prompting, John asked Jesus who it was that was going to commit this act of treachery. Jesus responded, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Verse 26.

Jesus gave the piece of bread to Judas Iscariot. The Pulpit Commentary describes Judas, "Matthew (Matthew 26:14-16) shows that at this very moment Judas had so far given way to his avarice, impatience, disappointment, and innate pride and selfishness, as to be simply seeking his opportunity to betray his Master in the absence of the multitude. He had his price; he was meditating treachery."

We read in John 13:26-27, "Then, dipping the piece of bread, he [Jesus] gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him." I may be reading a bit into the text, but it appears to me the action of Jesus giving the bread to Judas was a handing over of Judas to Satan to carry out his treachery. I am reminded of Jesus' prayer to the Father, "While I was with them [his disciples], I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled." John 17:12.

While it is often thought that Jesus was troubled because of Judas' contemplation of treachery, I have another possible thought. Without, hopefully, going too far afield, it appears to me the statement that "Jesus was troubled in spirit" was due to his handing over of Judas to Satan. Jesus knew all about Judas' avarice, theft, and those other qualities as mentioned by the Pulpit Commentary, and yet I can see he might have been troubled at the prospect of turning Judas over to Satan.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our Savior, his purpose is to save us. He loved us so much he died on that cross to pay our penalty. All he asks is that we embrace him in faith. Judas has not been the only sinner who did horrible things. We are all sinners. I have to think it was, in a way, antithetical to his purposes to give anyone up.

Judas, culpable for his own sins, including treachery against Jesus Christ, was part of the plan that led to Jesus Christ sacrificing himself for us. I have to think the handing over of Judas to Satan (if that is the way it played out) was a difficult, yet necessary part of Jesus' accomplishments in bringing about the atonement for our sins.

I have often thought that judgment day for all mankind, when those who reject Jesus Christ are thrown into that fiery lake of burning sulfur (see Revelation 20:11-15), will be both a joyful vindication of the justice of God as well as a sorrowful event for our God who, "so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17.

Such is the wonderful heart of our Lord!

Judas was the perfect candidate to play the part intended for him, yet it does not preclude the love of Jesus Christ for sinners, including Judas. Afterall, Jesus paid the penalty for any number of people who oppose him and seek to undo his plan of redemption for us all.

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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Praise From 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in John 12:42-43,

"Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God."

The Pharisees had the people under their thumb. Here was a group who were consumed with controlling others thoughts and actions. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around the desire to control all that people say and do. Obviously there is always a need to curb lawless and deranged behavior to protect others, but this goes way beyond that.

God gives mankind a free will, but many among mankind seek to take away that which God has given.

John appears here to be critical of those believers controlled by the Pharisees. He points out they would not openly acknowledge their faith in Jesus Christ out of their fear of the Pharisees. They "loved human praise more than praise from God." Perhaps loving the human praise of the Pharisees is another way of saying they didn't want the retribution the Pharisees might bring against them were they to acknowledge their faith in Jesus Christ.

In any event, not publicly expressing their faith in Jesus Christ appears to be an attitude that precludes praise from God, "they loved human praise more than praise from God." These believers embraced the former to the exclusion of the latter.

And, of course, I ask myself this morning, are there those occasions or relationships where I am somewhat reluctant to acknowledge my faith in Jesus Christ? On the positive side, do I express my faith in him to others that would bring me praise from 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 reply and let me know.