The Fear Of The Lord - 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 2 Corinthians 11:13-16,

"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve."

Paul spoke these words about those who were preaching "a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached", who brought "a different spirit from the one you received" and came with "a different gospel from the one you accepted".

It is not difficult to see, and you don't have to look far, to know that those who do such things as these are here among us and very active these days. Just turn on the television, the radio or visit a church just around the block from you and there they are. Denying the deity of Jesus Christ or performing fake miracles or dispensing what they think passes for the Holy Spirit (whatever it is, there is nothing "holy" about it) or denying the gospel message of salvation by faith or simply inventing strange and foreign doctrines and theologies through a twisting of the Scriptures.

These folks were around in Paul's day and, as nothing has changed, they are around today with millions following them. The following they garner provides an appearance of acceptability, they engage in all kinds of "good works", feeding the children, helping in disasters and all, but make no mistake about it, "Their end will be what their actions deserve." It is all, very simply, evil. They have perverted the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is what strikes my heart this morning. The writer of Hebrews tells us that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Hebrews 10:31.

Where these folks have brought in multitudes of followers, have filled their ministry's bank accounts, have taken their message across the nation and to other countries, they will nevertheless face the wrath of God Almighty. God has chosen to allow these people to pursue their activities in this life, just as he did in Paul's day, but their judgment is coming.

How frightful is that? Far be it for any of us to find ourselves on the business end of God's wrath. Although these folks appear to be doing "the Lord's work" they will be facing the wrath of his anger and receiving what their actions deserve.

Whatever happened to the concept of the fear of the Lord? As I watch these folks and think of what is coming their way, the dominant thought that comes to my mind is, don't they realize what they are bringing on themselves? Fame and fortune may be theirs in this life, but how short sided that is! An eternity is awaiting us all. Paradise or a fiery lake of burning sulfur…

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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Paul: A True Apostle And Guide - 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 2 Corinthians 11:4,

"If someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough."

This is a sobering observation. "Super-apostles", "false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.", verse 13, had come to Corinth and Paul had found the Corinthians accepting them in his absence!

In the previous letter he called these Corinthian believers "still worldly-mere infants in Christ" 1 Corinthians 3:1. Yet, they were well endowed with gifting from the Holy Spirit, "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.", 1 Corinthians 1:7.

In spite of the activity of the Holy Spirit within their lives, and in spite of their earlier commitment to the gospel Paul preached to them, they were guilty of embracing false teachers and  false apostles within their midst.

Paul points to his credentials as a genuine apostle for the Lord as key to their understanding of who was genuine and who was false, who would lead them in the right path and who would lead them astray. In a key verse Paul said, "We have been speaking in the sight of God as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends, is for your strengthening." 2 Corinthians 12:19b.

I find that verse to be a good direction for me. All we have to do is look around at all the differing "expressions" of Christianity to understand that many false leaders have led the church astray in many directions.

I'll follow Paul as a true apostle of the Lord to help me stay on the right track.

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.

The Lord Is The Arbiter Of Commendation - 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 2 Corinthians 10:18,

"It is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends."

Paul learned there were those who came after him that attempted to draw the church in Corinth he established away from him and his gospel message to themselves.

Apparently these "false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ", 2 Corinthians 11:13, attempted to establish their credentials with this church by comparing themselves as superior to Paul. Paul says in verse 12, that they were not wise "when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves". Later in verse 17 he quotes Jeremiah 9:23-24.

The passage Paul quotes in Jeremiah reads this way, "'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord."

Kind of sobering, isn't it? Any person claiming to be something special, or gifted, or whatever pales before our transcendent and lofty God!

As a part of Paul's perspective, he sweeps away any boastful claim by observing this truth: "It is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends."

This speaks to me of the stature our God holds before all. In his majestic splendor, the perfections of his character and nature overshadow any claim anyone might attempt for himself.

Our holy and righteous God is the arbiter of commendation. He determines what is to happen and through whom he will do 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!

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.

On Boasting - 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 2 Corinthians 10:17,

"Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord."

Due to the correspondence from Corinth, Paul felt it necessary to defend his ministry. As he did so, he pointed out that there could be much to boast about. However, he refused to compare himself with others. He said, "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." Verse 12.

There are a lot of folks who find their meaning in life by comparing themselves against others. There certainly is nothing wrong with competition in sports, or taking encouragement within ourselves to improve by observing others who do well. However, boasting in ourselves, particularly by comparing how we are better than so-and-so, just isn't good at all. We read in Proverbs 27:2, "Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips." The boaster is the only one who is impressed with himself.

When it comes to boasting, Paul quoted Jeremiah 9:24. There the Lord says "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight." Jeremiah 9:23-24.

It is always appropriate to boast about the Lord… but about ourselves? Maybe not so much.

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 Provides Us Purpose In His Plans - 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 2 Corinthians 10:13,

"We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you."
 
I find in this verse an intentional plan God used for Paul to accomplish.

I find this fascinating as it speaks to me of God being intentional and strategic, moving in ways where he uses folks he has gifted to accomplish his purposes.

The ways of God are both mysterious and fascinating at the same time. His effort to reach the lost speaks of his tremendous love for the lost. His desire to use us in this effort speaks to his kindness toward us in providing us with purpose that has as its reward the highest of fulfillment and satisfaction in life – seeing new brothers and sisters brought into the family of God!

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.