Our Majestic Lord! - 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 Isaiah 6:1-4,

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke."

This begins the account of Isaiah's commision as a prophet. It is certainly a dramatic vision which portrays the Lord in his heavenly temple in stark contrast to sinful man. Isaiah was most certainly an honorable man who had caught the Lord's attention as being well-equipped for the ministry he was called for. And, yet, not quite.

Upon seeing this vision of the Lord in his glorious splendor, Isaiah recoiled in frightful horror. As he exclaims, "'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.'" This required the intervention of one of the seraphim who brought relief for Isaiah as a sinful man who needed his sins atoned for. "Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.'"

What captures my attention this morning, which the contrast of sinful man's (Isaiah's) condition only adds to, is the splendor, the brilliancy and magnificence of the Lord's glorious presence. This view of the grandeur of majesty and resplendency reminds me of how exalted our Lord is! How far beyond mankind is his Creator 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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God Planted A Vineyard - 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 Isaiah 5:1b-3,

"My loved one had a vineyard
    on a fertile hillside.
He dug it up and cleared it of stones
    and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it
    and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
    but it yielded only bad fruit.
'Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
    judge between me and my vineyard.'"

I have had a subscription to Biblical Archeology Review for decades. I don't find much of anything within its pages that is necessarily edifying to my faith or my understanding of God's Word. It is just that I enjoy reading about the current events in that field of study and the finds that take place. The reason I find little within its pages is that there are not many contributors (if any??) that are true believers in Jesus Christ and embrace the concept of the inspiration of the Scriptures.

Most all of them have this view that the origin of the Jewish nation is that of a nomadic people that simply borrowed religious ideas and materials from various other nations they had contact with that led to their establishing their own concepts of God, of temple worship, the priesthood, the Mosaic law and the Scriptures, the religious calendar with its feasts and festivals, ect. Not lost on them is the uniqueness of the monotheistic outlook of the Jews, but they do not see a unique people planted in Palestine by God. They simply see Israel as a small nomadic people that settled in Palestine that never attained the status we read of with David, Solomon and the exploits we read of in our Bibles.

In the above verses, Isaiah speaks of how God, his "loved one" planted Israel as his vineyard. Israel, as a nation, was not a people that simply bubbled up from humanity and became a nation, but was the object of a plan executed by God himself to create a vehicle through which he would bring his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to pursue his redemption of mankind. We read of the beginnings of the nation of Israel as God's own hand-crafted people through the accounts of Abraham in the book of Genesis.

In order to make Israel the vehicle he needed for his Son (not a perfect people - but a people suitable for bringing his Son into the world -- the perfected people would come from the outcome of bringing his Son into the world), he had to make course corrections to their sinful predilections they shared with all mankind. Here Isaiah brings God's indictment against the nation.

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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Where Arrogance Leads - 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 Isaiah 4:1,

"In that day seven women will take hold of one man and say, 'We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!'"

In Isaiah 3:25 we read, "Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle." So horrific will be the judgment of God upon his people that there will be few men left. In 4:1 the prophet tells us the women of Israel will be so desperate, they will beg what few men are available to take away their disgrace of being single. In that culture, remaining unmarried was looked down on.

So desperate these women will be that they promise to be no burden whatsoever to the few men they can find - if they would but take them and remove the stigma and disgrace of spinsterhood. What a far cry from the arrogance Judah and Jerusalem had toward the Lord! "The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled)," Isaiah 2:12.

In their arrogance, "They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him." Isaiah 1:4b.

Here is a great quote from John N. Oswalt in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament, "The situation would become so desperate that the ratio of men to women would be one to seven. No longer would there be any dependence upon flirtation and allure to 'catch.' Now the women would not even ask for support if they could only have some legal and social identity. Here is the final end of our desire to avoid dependence. We will become dependent in the most degrading and disadvantageous ways. Instead of the exaltation and building-up which comes from glad submission to God and one another (60:1–62:12), our drive to be sufficient in ourselves brings only humiliation, despair, and bondage."

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

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God's Righteousness Brings His 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 today and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 3:8-9,

"Jerusalem staggers, Judah is falling; their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves."

An easy way to think of the term "righteous" is that, whatever is consistent with God's character and nature is "righteous". When we say God is righteous ("The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does." Psalm 145:17), what we are saying is that God is consistent with himself at all times. He never changes.

Here in Isaiah 3:8-9, the observation is made of Jerusalem and Judah that has brought the Lord's judgment of them. While the Lord has differing purposes for various nations, like the United States versus Israel in Isaiah's day, nevertheless, God's judgment is something that should be expected to be consistent, and especially consistent with his intentions.

Given that, how comfortable do you feel America's prospects are with the slaughter of over 62 million babies since the nation embraced abortion in 1973? Seeing how God dealt with Israel, particularly in "defying his glorious presence", how will America fair with the "gay pride" celebrations and parades, the changing cultural views on gender fluidity, the rejection of God's presence from our nation? How about the move from "In God We Trust" to the embrace of Marxism in Critical Race Theory and the Black Lives Matter movement? How about the lawlessness embraced through the acceptance of rioting, destruction, looting and the "defund the police" movement?

God's righteousness brings his judgment where mankind's rebellion offends him. "They have brought disaster upon themselves."

Be prepared!

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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Woe To The Deluded - 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 Isaiah 2:21,

"Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?"

As the Lord brings his indictment against "the descendants of Jacob", verse 6, he takes note of their pride and arrogance. He warns them a day is coming when they will be humbled, "The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled)", verse 12.

The Lord tells them, "Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?"

I would argue we suffer from the very same malady today. As we look about, it can't be helped but to notice that God has been dethroned in the eyes of many and mankind has displaced him there.

The Scriptures declare that life comes from God and is therefore sacred; mankind claims they will decide who lives and dies through the practice of abortion. The Scriptures declare that God has created mankind as male and female; mankind claims gender is fluid and they will decide whatever they want to be. The Scriptures declare that the Son of God created the world (John 1:3) and maintains it all (Hebrews 1:2-3); mankind claims the ability to restructure weather patterns, the ocean levels, etc. and that they are the sole custodians of Mother Earth. The Scriptures declare the righteousness of God to be the sole origin and source of morality and virtue; mankind declares his own perverse, twisted and ever-changing rules for living.

You get the drift here. Mankind's delusion of displacing God will be forever destroyed when the Son of God returns on a day he has in store. "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16.

Woe to all the deluded who think they have displaced God on his throne!

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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Israel At Odds With the Lord - 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 Isaiah 1:2-3,

"Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!
    For the Lord has spoken:
'I reared children and brought them up,
    but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows its master,
    the donkey its owner's manger,
but Israel does not know,
    my people do not understand.'"

God elected to bring into his family all mankind who would embrace him in faith. He found Abraham as a man who expressed that kind of faith he desired in people, so he made a covenant with Abraham that he would make a great nation of him. Initially this nation would be comprised of his own physical offspring. (Eventually it would include all people who emulate the faith of Abraham, his "spiritual offspring". See Romans 9:6-8; 30-33) His specific purpose for that nation, Israel, was to be the vehicle through whom he would bring his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to pay for the sins for all mankind.

When God called Isaiah to his prophetic ministry, sometime around 740 B.C., Israel was in great need of a course correction, hence the need for Isaiah's ministry. In the verses above we see the Lord as very unhappy with his people. They were on a trajectory that would preclude them as profitable for his purposes (bringing Jesus Christ into the world). He sent Isaiah as a warning, and as things worked out, it was a formidable and horrific change in direction God charted for them. God's will and his purposes would not be thwarted.

I have to ask myself this morning: am I useful to God for what he intends of me? Am I due a course correction in my life? I would hate to find myself in the predicament Israel placed herself in.

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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Glorifying the Lord - 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 21:18-19,

"'Very truly I [Jesus] tell you [Peter], when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.' Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God."

This passage is found in the closing chapter of John's gospel just after Jesus told Peter to feed his sheep. John says Jesus indicated here the "kind of death by which Peter would glorify God." How would, or how could Peter's death glorify God?

Paul alludes to this same theme in Philippians 1:20, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." Here Paul says he hopes his courage will lead to the exaltation of Jesus Christ by either his living or dying. To exalt is to glorify and that is precisely what Paul longed to do for the Lord and did.

We express our praise, our exaltation of the Lord by giving ourselves to him. We are communicating we value him so highly, and that he is worthy of that height, by the giving of ourselves to him. As we think of our lives here on earth, we do that by living for him, sacrificing what others won't on his behalf. And, were we given the opportunity to give our lives on his behalf, we exalt him in our death.

Jesus was willing to give himself for us. Are we willing to give ourselves to him, whether by living for him or dying for 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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John's Pause - 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 20:1-8,

"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. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple [John, the author of this gospel], the one Jesus loved, and said, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!' So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed."

John writes in his gospel his memory of that morning when it was discovered that Jesus was raised from the dead. He says that although he outran Peter to get to the tomb when Mary reported to them that Jesus' body was missing, he stopped (the pause) and didn't go in the tomb until Peter caught up with him and went in ahead of him.

Why did John pause? It may seem a trivial detail, but I have found there are no trivial details in Scripture. Everything we read within the pages of our Bibles is there for a reason. What is the reason for John's account of his pause?

In March of 2005, Christopher M. Rossomondo wrote an excellent article on John's pause. It is found at a Roman Catholic website:  https://oldarchive.godspy.com/reviews/The-Pause.cfm.htm Rossomondo provides three reasons he has considered. It is a great article until you get to the third reason, which you can just skip if you want (it is a reflection on the primacy of the first pope to enter the empty tomb before anyone else, so John had to wait - something most of us would reject out of hand.) Outside of that it is a great article. Here is a snippet:

"But what if St. John was afraid of the Empty Tomb because he realized what that would truly mean? What if in that moment St. John became aware of the reality of the Resurrection? His pause may have been the instant when he first grasped the possibility that Christ had been raised from the dead. Entering the tomb and finding it empty would mean that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and that his promises—all of his promises—would be fulfilled. The weight of that reality at once understood would give any of us pause."

Why do you think John paused?

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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"Where, Jesus, do you come from?". - 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 19:7-9,

"The Jewish leaders insisted, 'We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he [Jesus] claimed to be the Son of God.' When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. 'Where do you come from?' he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer."

It appears Pontious Pilate had no stomach for putting Jesus to death. We read he became more fearful as he heard additional details of the complaints from the Jewish leaders. Upon hearing from the Jews that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, Pilate asked Jesus where he was from. Jesus didn't answer. His purpose was to be put to death to provide payment for the sins of mankind.

It truly is a question for the ages, "Where, Jesus, do you come from?"

Some might say he was born in Bethlehem. Some might say he came out of Egypt. Most would say he was a Galilean from Nazareth. While all these may have some reference in fact, they fail miserably to inform us where Jesus Christ actually came from.

In Jesus' own prayer in John 17:5, Jesus tells the Father, "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." Jesus came from the Father! He is from the heavenly realms and existed there as God the Son before the world began! In verse 3 of his prayer we learn that the Father had sent Jesus, and in verse 4, that he was to complete the work the Father had given him.

In John 17:8, Jesus told the Father that his disciples knew where he had come from, "They [Jesus' disciples] knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me." Jesus acknowledged the Father had sent him into the world, "As you sent me into the world..." John 17:18. He went on to pray that the disciples would be brought into unity such that it would result in the world recognizing the Father had sent the Son into the world, John 17:23.

Given that Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, came from the Father and died for our sins, what might that mean to each of 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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Reconciliation and Reinstatement - 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 18:26-27,

"One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, 'Didn't I see you with him in the garden?' Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow."

The account of Peter boastfully declaring he would lay down his life for the Lord, and Jesus prophesying that, to the contrary, he would disown him three times that very night is insightful. We read of the boast and the prophecy in John 13:37-38. Peter's disowning of Jesus the three times is found in John 18:17, 25 and here in John 18:26-27. The account is one that is captured in all four gospels.

The story finds its conclusion at the end of John's gospel, where many of us see Jesus reinstating Peter to his important ministry which will soon begin, John 21:15-17. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loved him and with Peter's affirmation with each, Jesus commands him to care for his lambs, his sheep.

It is an intimate account of something very personal between Jesus and Peter and yet it is captured in Scripture for us all to read throughout the age. It seems to me it is a helpful account for those of us who, during a time of weakness may disappoint the Lord, disappoint ourselves and disappoint others.

The thrust of the story to me is not so much the lesson to not boast (a good lesson) but one of healing and reconciliation when we have run off the rails, reinstatement by our Lord who loves us, forgives us, and inexplicably chooses to use us for our own fulfillment, sense of purposefulness and satisfaction in life.

It really is quite an amazing account. How wonderful the Lord has had it provided for 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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Is It A Roster Or What? - 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."

In Jesus' prayer to the Father, he speaks of those the Father has given to him. In this passage it is a group that comes from among all mankind. Earlier in this chapter he speaks of these, "For you [Father] granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him." Verse 2. Likewise here in verse 24 it is apparent he is speaking of the same group. This we see from verse 20 where he shifts his focus to all who would come to embrace him through the apostolic message.

However, in verses 6-8, as he speaks of those the Father had given him, his focus is on his disciples that are with him at the time, "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me." We know the names on this roster: Peter, James, John, Andrew, Nathanael, James the lesser, Thaddeus (Jude), Matthew, Philip, Simon the Zealot, Thomas (Judas Iscariot, one of the 12, didn't make the cut, so we're looking at 11 here at the time of Jesus' prayer).

So, who is in the much bigger group of all those the Father gave the Son? Did the Father give the Son a list of names on a roster? No. What he did was to give the Son all those of mankind who would embrace him in faith. Jesus' death paid for the sins of all people, "He [Jesus Christ] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2. However, that payment is only credited to the account of those who embrace Jesus Christ in faith, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12.

The Scriptures speak of this as God's election, God's choice. God decided, he chose (he elected) that only those who embrace him in faith will cross over from death to life. "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24. "The elect" are all those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith because they are the ones the Father gave the Son.

It is a big issue in the Scriptures because many have felt that we enter into God's kingdom by being "good enough." That is not God's decision - his decision is based on whether we embrace him in faith.

Anyone can become a part of God's elect. The only way that happens is when someone responds to him in faith. Any of us can choose to do so. Unfortunately, too many choose to cling to their sin.

I am obviously at odds with some of the current popular theology being passed around these days... (and, no, I am not Arminian.)

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 Has Much More To Say - 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 16:12,

"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear."

Jesus told his disciples he would be providing them with things beyond what he had told them so far, things he wanted them to know. This he would do later as they were not yet equipped to bear it at this point.

That equipping would come in the form of the Holy Spirit that would indwell each of them later. This took place on the Pentecost following Jesus' ascension to heaven. We read of it in Acts 2. When the Holy Spirit came to them, it gave birth to the church;, launched the world-wide gospel enterprise and enabled the production of the New Testament books we now have in our Bibles.

Jesus' statement, that he had "much more" to say to his disciples speaks to me of something beyond just the volume, the amount of teaching Jesus determined his followers needed. It seems to me he was saying there were important things that were vital for them to know, but that those things would have to wait for the chain of events that were to unfold.

I am confident the material we have in the twenty-seven books of our New Testaments accounts for much of what Jesus told his followers they would need, and through them to all the rest of us who follow Jesus Christ.

If Jesus has "much more to say to you", I read it as he has "much more to say to me". This establishes the vital importance of what our Scriptures have to say to us. Lord have mercy on me if I ever let it lie in dusty condition on my coffee table!

"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. "And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe." 1 Thessalonians 2:13. "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12.

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.  

Getting Pruned - 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 15:1-2,

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

Jesus used the picture of a vineyard: the Father is the gardener, Jesus is the true vine and people are branches of the vine. If branches don't bear fruit, they are cut off for the burn pile. Those branches that do bear fruit get "pruned" by the gardener so they produce even more fruit.

About those branches that are removed, he said, "If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." Verse 6.

I see two outcomes here for us as branches. If we don't bear fruit because we don't find life's sustenance in Jesus Christ as the vine, we go into the burn pile. If we do bear fruit, we get pruned so that we bear even more fruit. A simple binary outcome based on what we produce (or don't produce) in our lives.

It's one outcome or the other: burned or pruned!

I don't know if branches scream when they are being pruned, but I do know that when the Lord works in our lives to produce fruit it can be painful. A go-to passage for me on this is found in Hebrews 12:7-11 where a different simile is used, that of a disciplining father raising children. "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

I don't know why some preach that becoming a Christian is nothing but a bed of roses, all things wonderful and easy, just a blissful existence in this life. Somehow or other, I missed that boat. I find myself getting pruned all the time. Who knows? Maybe those who preach the "bed of roses" life that should be ours are already producing baskets full of fruit! No need for pruning!

As I say, I find myself getting pruned, and I wouldn't have it any other way! How about you?

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

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Jesus Christ Brings Life! - 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 14.19b,

"Because I [Jesus Christ] live, you also will live."

Here is the wonderful promise of our Savior! Because he lives, we will live! Because he has life within himself, so we also have life within ourselves!

Following the arrest of the apostles by the high priest, an angel of the Lord freed them in the middle of the night. He told them "Go, stand in the temple courts,... and tell the people all about this new life." This they did as we read in Acts 5:20. "This new life"! Paul reminded his readers, "God ... gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." Romans 4:17. In the following chapter he says that "those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!" Romans 5:17. Reign in life!

Life is the gift of God, eternal life! Romans 6:23. It is the Spirit who gives life, Romans 8;10. In 1 Corinthians 15:45 we read that the last Adam [Jesus Christ] is a life-giving spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:4 says that while we are burdened by our coming physical death, we look forward "to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life."

Paul tells Timothy to command rich people to do the right thing, to "do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." The result of this is, "In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." 1 Timothy 6:18-19. "Life that is truly life"!

This life is promised to us in Jesus Christ, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus..." 2 Timothy 1:1.

We read in 2 Timothy 1:9-10, "This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and immortality!

Jesus Christ brings life!

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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Servanthood - 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 13:3-5,

"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him."

When Jesus removed his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around himself to wash his disciples feet, he assumed the role of a servant. Later, he asked them to do the same with one another, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." Verses 14-17.

Jesus' entire earthly ministry, to provide redemption for mankind, was one of servanthood, "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; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8.

Serving one another is the perspective we should have as followers of Jesus Christ. In Galatians 5:13 Paul says, "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."

In 1 Peter 4:10, Peter exhorts us, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."

Additionally, of course, to serving one another, we are to serve God, "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" Hebrews 9:14.

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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Need Some Assurance Or A Wake-Up Call? - 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 12:26,

"Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."

Jesus said this as a follow-on to his observation that those who indulge themselves with the things of their earthly life ("loves" their earthly life) will lose it, but anyone who subordinates the things of this life ("hates" their earthly life) has eternal life. His point is the subjugation of the pleasures of this life to pursue eternal life. This is done by following what he said in the verse above, we will serve and follow Jesus if we are his.

It appears to me that Jesus is talking about a measurement here. How do we know we have embraced Jesus Christ in faith for certain? Here is a measure of that: we serve Jesus Christ and follow him (to the exclusion of exploiting the pleasures of this life where appropriate.) In his first letter, John observes, "We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands." 1 John 2:3. In the following verse he says, "Whoever says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person."

We are saved by embracing Jesus Christ in faith and not by doing "good works." However, a changed life helps us recognize we have done so. Placing our faith in Jesus Christ is a subjective thing, and it just may be that we want some assurance from time to time. The way to do that is to look at our lives. Do we live as though we are followers of Jesus Christ? How was that demonstrated during, say, the previous week?

In 1 John 2:29 we read, "If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him." Again, it is a measure, a yardstick for our lives to recognize the reality of our faith in Jesus Christ.

We see this also in 1 John 3:10, "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God's child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister." Again, in 1 John 3:14 we read, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death."

Years ago, I counted some 30 plus statements by John in his first letter that tell us how we can know we have embraced Jesus Christ in faith. It really is a good place to go when we may feel we need a little assurance, or, on the other hand, in great need of a wake-up call.

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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Witnessing The Glory of God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 11:40,

"Then Jesus said, 'Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?'"

Just at the time Jesus was going to raise his friend, Lazarus, from the dead, he told Martha (as well as possibly all who were there) that if she believed in him she would see the glory of God. Having made this statement he called to Lazarus to come out of the tomb -- which he did!

What exactly does it mean to "see the glory of God"? In this case it meant to witness a reversal of the natural order of things. When people die, their body begins the process of putrefaction. The body decomposes into the natural elements it consisted of. This is the natural course of events and the way God has ordained things.

Not so with Lazarus. He had died and his body had undergone the process of putrefaction for four days. Jesus reversed that natural course of events and called Lazarus back to life.

The veil that shrouds our view of God on his heavenly throne and the existence of the heavenly realm itself has been penetrated a precious few times that allowed a select audience a view. Seeing the Creator God reverse the natural order of things, as in the raising of Lazarus, is a glimpse of this. It is a limited view of the massive power and authority God has over all things.

Witnessing the glory of God has taken different forms and different views to differing degrees for those fortunate enough (and unfortunately enough!) for those who have had the experience. We can think of examples of this, such as Moses and the "burning" bush, John and the revelation given him in the last book of our Bibles.

One view of the glory of God that has always attracted my attention is the commissioning of Isaiah as prophet to Israel. We read of it in Isaiah 6. Here is a fascinating portion from that chapter: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I [Isaiah] saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.' At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.'" Isaiah 6:1-5.

Notice Isaiah's reaction to witnessing the glory of God!

On another level, many of us look around at what we can see naturally, and recognize the glory of God embedded within his creation as well.

What additional examples from Scripture can you think 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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Looking At Deeds and Words - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 10:19-21,

"The Jews who heard these words were again divided. Many of them said, 'He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?' But others said, 'These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?'"

We read here that there was a divided response to Jesus among the Jews. The one group, pointing to what Jesus had to say, rejected him, claiming he was demon-possessed and a raving lunatic. Think about that for a minute... the Son of God, appearing before this group was unrecognizable to them. They were in such a spiritual darkness they could not see anything at all of the things of God. They were entirely and utterly lost in this spiritual darkness just as so many are today.

The second group, pointing to the things Jesus had done (opened the eyes of the blind) argued that Jesus was who he claimed to be. The rejecting group was looking at what Jesus said, and the embracing group looked at what Jesus had done. That second group was legitimate in looking at the miracles of Jesus as the basis for their faith. In verses 36-38 Jesus said, "Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."

I suspect the reason the former group pointed to the things Jesus was saying (as opposed to looking at his miracles) was that Jesus left them with nothing they could question concerning his miracles. All they were left with was the attempt to misrepresent and mislead others on the things Jesus was saying.

Such is spiritual blindness, spiritual darkness. People prefer that darkness in their effort to obfuscate on who Jesus Christ is. I am reminded of what we read in John 3:19-20, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed."

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.