The Heart 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 Romans 16:25-27,

"Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the
proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known
through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so
that all nations might believe and obey him— to the only wise God be
glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen."

Paul's wonderful doxology at the end of Romans identifies why God is
due glory. By the way, doxologies should never be thought of as simply
dismissals from church services. Although a wonderful way to end
worship, doxologies are best expressed throughout a worship gathering.
After all, doxologies are the essence of worship - a statement
expressing God's glory. Paul's example in this letter has him
expressing doxologies throughout this letter, as in Romans 11:33-36.
But, I digress.

Paul points to the wonderful and generous heart of our God as cause
for glorifying him. It is God who establishes us by his gospel. It is
God who works, through his revelation, his prophetic writings, "so
that all nations might believe and obey him…" Why does God do this?
Earlier in this letter Paul says, "God demonstrates his own love for
us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans
5:8. God loves us and has done what needed to be done to provide us a
way into his family. It is his desire that all people join him in his
kingdom, in his family. As Jesus told Nicodemus, "For God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son…" God has stipulated that we
only trust in him.

Surprisingly, many won't. It isn't because God has not provided all we
need. As John puts it, "He [Jesus] 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. The heart of God is bigger than I could ever comprehend.
As Paul told Timothy, God "wants all men to be saved and to come to a
knowledge of the truth." 2 Timothy 2:4.

Sadly, many believers today will not embrace God as he has revealed
himself in his fullness, and fail to recognize the full breadth of
God's love for all mankind. It minimizes the glory due God for the
massive love he has for the lost. It crushes my heart when I hear them
attempt to minimize our understanding of the full extent of God's love
for all mankind. I find it distressing when I hear folks try to
convince the rest of us that Jesus Christ didn't bear the sins of all
mankind- only a few. The love of my God is much broader than that, his
heart much bigger.

I worship God just the way he has presented himself in the pages of
Scripture and I exult in his love for all of us! I marvel at the
length he has gone to bring us into his family! I am humbled and
astonished at the price Jesus was willing to pay, joyfully, to die on
that cross for me! Hebrews 12:2. I want to know my God in his
fullness, not just a shallow image presented in a dry and dusty
theology! God's love is overwhelming and his heart beats for you and
for me!

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

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