How To Know God's Will - Ruminating in the Word of God

Note: I will be out of town for the next couple of weeks. Have a wonderful fortnight and we'll get back together then.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 12:2,

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Have you ever listened to someone tell you of a decision they have made that sounded goofy, off-the-wall, foolish, lacking "common sense" and then end their telling of it with "It is God's will for me." You are left with a feeling that they, too, know it sounds reckless or wacky and need to validate it, or avoid being challenged on it, by playing what they feel is a trump card - its God's will! Who can argue with that? Meanwhile you can think of passages of Scripture, principles and truths within its pages this someone is going to run against, all in the name of "God's will." Over the years there have been countless times I've witnessed that very thing.

Additionally, how many times have you prayed in a group where someone is sincerely seeking the Lord's will in a matter or, you alone before the Lord, seek his will on something? And, how often, there appears to be less than pristine clarity when the time comes to plunge ahead on whatever the issue was? Did we find God's will? If so, why the nagging thought of uncertainty on it? Maybe you haven't had the experience, but I know I have - on more than one occasion.

Why so much uncertainty in seeking the Lord's will on a matter? Why the confusion, why the many opinions on God's will in a matter? Paul provides us very direct counsel on it here in this Romans passage. If we turn from the ways of the world, "the pattern of this world" for something else: being transformed by the renewing of our minds by the Holy Spirit, we will be able to "test and approve" God's good, pleasing and perfect will. Not until we put the ways of this world behind us to seek him do we begin to understand and know our God. Only by knowing our God do we understand his desires.

If we maintain our distance, if we fail to draw near him, if we snub what we know he desires for us in other areas, to think we will receive a special message from him on something that will give us advantage, we are most likely fooling ourselves. I am reminded of James 4:8, "Come near to God and he will come near to you." I am persuaded God wants us to know his desires and I am persuaded that is obtainable for us… but not from a distance. How can we know God's will on anything if we know so little of him? It seems to me the more I know of him by drawing close to him, leaving this world's ways behind me, the more I will know of his will.

Just a thought. What do you think?

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 Tragedy Of Rejecting Jesus Christ - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 11:2b-5,

"Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 'Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me'? And what was God's answer to him? 'I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.' So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace."

One of the challenges Paul faced as he took the gospel to the Gentiles was the authenticity and veracity of the gospel message being questioned due to Israel's rejection of Jesus Christ as a nation. After all, if those of whom Paul acknowledged, "Theirs is the adoption [by God] as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!" (Romans 9:4-5), if they rejected Jesus Christ, doesn't that bring into question Paul's proclamation that Jesus Christ is God's Son, the Savior?

As part of his argument, Paul shows that historically Israel had been on the wrong side of things in the past. His point is that it is not surprising the nation of Israel would reject God's Son he had sent, as the nation had a history of rejecting those God had sent, just as in Elijah's day. Don't place any stock in Israel's rejection of Jesus Christ as a cause to question Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Given Israel's history, it might even be expected.

The sad reality in Paul's point is the truth that so many reject the only means to eternal life beyond the doorway of death. When here Jesus Christ said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.

Once in his ministry Jesus was asked, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" His response was frightening, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evil doers!' There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out." Luke 13:23-28. Tragically and horrifically, many will not enter into eternal life!

Jesus said, "make every effort" to enter into that narrow door. How difficult an effort is required? We are told that God offers his salvation freely, as a gift to anyone who will take it. The only effort the Lord asks is that we embrace him in trust and faith. "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9. Most people, as in Paul's day with the nation of Israel, refuse to do so. "For many are invited, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14. God has chosen only those who will embrace him in faith.

Salvation is simply by faith. "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9. Don't believe anyone who says you have to be good enough to earn it. Don't believe anyone who says salvation is by appointment. Don't believe anyone who says they are the custodians of God's grace, so you have to come to them. Just believe in Jesus Christ! He is the way, the truth and the 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!

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.

God Gave The Law To Point Me To His Son - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 10:1-4,

"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes."

The contemporary challenge of the day for Paul was to provide an explanation as to why his own people, the Israelites, as a nation, did not embrace the gospel message he championed. As he points out in the previous chapter, "Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!" Romans 9:4-5. Certainly, this people of all peoples should have embraced the gospel message if it were authentic and true. However, as a people they did not.

Here in chapter ten, Paul points to the zeal with which his countrymen who rejected Jesus Christ pursued God. Many in our day maintain that unsaved man will not ever take an interest in the things of God, will not pursue God. I find this a baffling position to take, but when there is need to shore up an incoherent theology, what is one to do? The truth is people always hunger for the spiritual. One doesn't have to look far to see that most folks pursue God in a variety of ways. Some look to the mystical, some to the occult. Some go on spiritual pilgrimages, some seek the spiritual elites of our day. All the religions of our day, all the cults and -isms point to the intensity of interest and fascination many are drawn to. While most appear to reject the gospel message of Jesus Christ, it does not mean they are not hungry for God. In this passage Paul points out that the problem wasn't the unsaved in his day didn't pursue God, but that they pursued him in ignorance. Rather than accepting God's forgiveness, they sought to establish their own right standing.

God gave the Ten Commands and the rest of the law to demonstrate how unlike him we are. God commanded these be kept and the conclusion God intended was for mankind to recognize his sinfulness and seek the redemption he provides. Paul says earlier in this letter, "I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'Do not covet.' But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death." Romans 7:7-11.

This thought is brought to a conclusion offered by Paul in Galatians 3:24, "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith." Somehow the Israelites of Paul's day missed this conclusion and rather than embracing the redemption Jesus Christ wrought on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins, they "doubled-down" attempting to establish their own righteousness in a hopeless and misguided effort to keep laws that, were they to succeed, would establish themselves on a par with God himself.

What grips my heart in this is all that God has done. He has taken steps to ensure we recognize our sinfulness, he has sent his Son as a propitiation for our sins, and he reaches out to us, imploring us to avail ourselves of the forgiveness he offers. As for the Israelites of his day, Paul points to God's posture toward them by quoting from Isaiah 65:2, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people." Romans 10:21.

Was there anything God didn't do to draw us to himself?!

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.

Salvation By Faith! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 9:30-33,

"What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the 'stumbling stone.' As it is written: 'See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'"
 
I love this passage. Not that it speaks of the predicament of those who have set about to "earn" God's approval through religion and law-keeping, but because it makes it so clear that our participation in the resurrection of life will be based on our faith in God and not on all kinds of "qualifying work" that the Lord could have required from us.

Anyone can embrace Jesus Christ through faith when the gospel is shared! This is one of the many reasons it is "good news"! How wonderful our loving God determined we would not have to "earn" our salvation – rather, the Son of God paid for it on the cross!

I am reminded of Ephesians 2:8-10, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." It is not by what we do to get into heaven, but by what we place our faith and trust in. That faith and trust is manifested by what we do!

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!

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.

No Condemnation! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 8:1-4,

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.  And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit."

In Jude's beautiful doxology he declares, "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy..." Jude 24. Just what is the source of that "great joy"? It is the very thing Paul tells us in Romans 8:1-4. "There is therefore now no condemnation..." Christ Jesus has set us free from the condemnation brought us by the law of sin and death. It will be in this state we will stand before God in the resurrection!

Paul tells us that it is through Jesus Christ that we can find freedom from what has beguiled mankind for ages. There is simply something wrong with us, we know it intuitively. We all struggle with a sinful nature that permeates our very being. "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9.

In this wonderful passage that portrays all three members of the Trinity working together on our behalf, we see God the Father has sent his Son to be a sin offering for us! This means all the sinfulness of our lives has been paid for in God's courtroom by Jesus Christ. We read in Ephesians 1:3-4, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."

We now have been freed from sin and live according to God's Holy Spirit! There is no longer any indictment that stands against us. No condemnation! We can look forward to coming into God's presence free from guilt - undefiled!

Just how can it possibly get any better than this?! This truly is "good news"!

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.

God's Indescribable Gift! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 7:4-6,

"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code."

Paul makes a wonderful point here about the Ten Commandments. In the previous chapter he said, "Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:3-4. In this chapter he points out that our "death" - our rebirth - results in our belonging to Jesus Christ instead of the law. Those who have not embraced Jesus Christ in faith belong to the law and will be judged by it. Since all sin, all who do not belong to Jesus Christ will die an eternal death in a fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 20:14-15

Since we died to the law and have been united with Jesus Christ, we are no longer under it. We serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the old way of law-keeping, the Ten Commandments and the other commands contained in Moses' writings. Paul goes on to use the tenth commandment as an example of how the Lord uses the commandments to bring us to Christ. These laws show we are sinners and in need of salvation. Now that salvation has come we serve in the new way of the Spirit.

Our God is not a moral principle, an impersonal and unhappy taskmaster. He gave us the law to show how corrupt sin has made us and show us our need for righteousness, a righteousness not available by law-keeping but freely given in Jesus Christ through faith in him.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

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.

God Makes A New Creation Of Us! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 6:6,7,14,18,22,

"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin… For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace… You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness… But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."
 
Along with these verses above from Romans 6, we also read in Romans 8:9,13,14, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ… For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."
 
At times we hear that the "Christian life" is something we all strive for, press ahead on, and don't expect to arrive at until the day of resurrection: being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. I agree with that thought as I read the pages of Scripture and experience in my own life both the presence of something that was new to me when I first became a believer in Jesus Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and the presence of something that has been old, that sin nature that resides in me.
 
There is a struggle here between the two. But what I have found in my life and seen in the lives of others verifies what we are told in the Scriptures: we are a new creation in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us and he bears fruit in our lives that attests to that reality. It is those "who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."
 
The sin nature has no control over us as believers (per the Scriptures I quoted above). And so I find I have a bit of a problem with the thought that the "Christian Life" is something we all hope to achieve some day but don't really expect to get very far with. It is a question of proportion, or weight. Yes, that sin nature is still there, but at times I think we are all a little too convinced that growing into the likeness of Jesus Christ is beyond reach. I am reminded of the writer of Hebrews 5:12, "…by this time you ought to be…" I suspect the issue for many of us is that we fail to come near to God and so experience in our lives him coming near to us, James 4:8.
 
Today I worship my God who has set us free from the law, set us free from sin, placed his Holy Spirit within us, making a new creation of each of us, and bears fruit in our lives. We are not only legally "righteous", there is something more… a practical thing God brings our way, we participate in a new community of life that reveals the presence of something divine within each of us, the indwelling Holy Spirit! 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!

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.