The Gospel: Removing Blindness - 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 Acts 26:17b-18, “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” As Paul recounts the confrontation by the Lord on the road to Damascus he tells Agrippa, Bernice and Festus the work assignment given him from the Lord. He is to open the eyes of the people, turn them from darkness to light and turn them from the power of Satan to God. All people who have not come to embrace Jesus Christ in faith live in darkness. A spiritual darkness that cloaks the things of God prevents them from acknowledging who God is, what he is like, why we are here, where we are going and what the purpose of life is all about. Even the best of theologians, students of the Bible and religious leaders persist in a darkness, blinded from the things of God if they have not embraced Jesus Christ in faith. This is exactly what we see with the religious leaders of the day that Jesus castigated in Matthew 23:16. “Woe to you, blind guides…” Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:10 when he speaks of the blinding of the hearts of men who have no faith, John 12:40. Paul tells us the “god of this age” blinds the minds of unbelievers, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6. But through the gospel message, when it is received in faith this blindness is lifted. Of the gospel Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” Romans 1:16-17. The gospel holds the power to remove our blindness, remove us from the power of Satan, bring us forgiveness and provide us a place among those who are made holy by faith in Jesus Christ! How wonderful is this gospel message! 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.

Amazing What God Does! - 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 Acts 26:16b-18, “I [Jesus] have appeared to you [Paul] to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” As I read the account of Paul’s commissioning by the Lord, I see the Lord will use Paul to: Reach Jews and Gentiles alike – everyone. Open their eyes – provide a new spiritual discernment that accompanies the gospel message. Turn them from darkness (lost in godlessness) to light (to God – Jesus said “I am the light of the world”) From the power of Satan to God (freedom from our enslavement to Satan!) Forgiveness of sins (freedom from the penalty of sin!) Membership in the community of those set apart (sanctified) for God! What the Lord did through this man Paul changed the world forever! It is just astonishing what the Lord did (and can do) with someone as hostile to him as Saul! 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.

A Consequential Question - 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 Acts 26:8, "Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?" As Paul gives his defense in front of King Agrippa, he asks this pregnant question. Pregnant because contained within the answer a man may give lay the certainty of one of two outcomes for his future: eternal life or eternal death – there exists no other outcome to the matter. If we consider resurrection (God raising the dead) “incredible” (meant here in the sense of “absurd”) we make God out to be a liar and remain in our sin, condemned to eternal death. However, if we consider the matter and embrace the truth and reality of resurrection, we find ourselves before our Heavenly Creator who is just as able to raise the dead as he had in bringing us into existence in the first place. I think a reasonable man would have to admit that it is more incredible that we find ourselves in existence in this life than that life continues following the death of our physical bodies leading to resurrection. And from this recognition of truth lies the potential to embrace Jesus Christ through faith, bringing eternal life! These thoughts bring to my mind how wonderful our creator God is in bringing each of us into existence, and beyond that, to make a way for us to eternal life in heaven with him through the sacrificial death of his Son on the cross. We turned our backs to God, rejected and rebelled against him. Yet in his boundless love for us he has made a way for us to eternal life with him: the resurrection of life! "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Romans 10:9-10. 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.

Jesus Makes It Possible! - 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 Acts 26:6-7, “It is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me.” The Jews of Paul’s day were “earnestly” serving God day and night in order to receive the promise of the resurrection of life. As Paul says, this was their hope they were looking for. But for the Jews, this would be a futile hope. Their earnest serving of God was based on the notion that the hope of the Jews was obtainable by works, not faith. Paul says 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.’” Our participation in the resurrection of life is available only through faith. It is the faith modeled by Abraham in the book of Genesis that brings a righteous standing with God. “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6. The type of faith that Abraham modeled for us all was the type that manifests itself in life choices we make to serve God. James provides a wonderful explanation of this in James 2:18-24, "But someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. How wonderful my participation in the resurrection of life is not dependent on my performance or I wouldn’t make it! It is my faith in the performance of Jesus Christ that brings the hope of that promise to fulfillment! What I do as a believer (my performance) manifests the saving kind of faith in my life that Abraham modeled for us. As Paul told King Agrippa, "I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds." How wonderful Jesus has made heaven possible 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! 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 Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Speaks Of What Is Coming - 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 Acts 25:18-19, “When his [Paul’s] accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I [Governor Festus] had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.” When King Agrippa and Bernice came to call on the newly appointed governor, Festus, to pay their respects, Festus told Agrippa about Paul’s case. In his summary of it he observed that the nature of it was a dispute among the Jews of their religion and “about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.” The dead man Jesus is alive! The world wants nothing to do with a dead man who is alive. If Jesus foretold his death and resurrection and if he did actually die and rise to life as he said he would, then all he taught is authenticated. It would mean that God’s coming judgment for sin is certain! For those who prefer to stay in the darkness because of their evil deeds, the resurrection of Jesus portends the certainty of a horrific future. On the other hand, for those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, his resurrection provides us every certainty of our own resurrection to a new life spent with God- in an eternity devoid of sin, sorrow, suffering and pain. Beyond the absence of these things is the promise of eternal pleasures, “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11b. This is certainly an exciting hope we have! But for the unbelieving Jews, the awareness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was something that had to be eradicated from the nation. Paul explains why in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16a, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” No wonder they wanted Paul put to death! 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 Resurrection Of Jesus Christ Speaks Of What Is Coming - 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 Acts 25:18-19, “When his [Paul’s] accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I [Governor Festus] had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.” When King Agrippa and Bernice came to call on the newly appointed governor, Festus, to pay their respects, Festus told Agrippa about Paul’s case. In his summary of it he observed that the nature of it was a dispute among the Jews of their religion and “about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.” The dead man Jesus who is alive! The world wants nothing to do with a dead man who is alive! If Jesus foretold his death and resurrection and if he did actually die and rise to life as he said he would, then all he taught is authenticated. It would mean that God’s coming judgment for sin is certain! For those who prefer to stay in the darkness because of their evil deeds, the resurrection of Jesus portends the certainty of a horrific future. On the other hand, for those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, his resurrection provides us every certainty of our own resurrection to a new life spent with God- in an eternity devoid of sin, sorrow, suffering and pain. Beyond the absence of these things is the promise of eternal pleasures, “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 16:11b. This is certainly an exciting hope we have! But for the unbelieving Jews, the awareness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was something that had to be eradicated from the nation. Paul explains why in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16a, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” No wonder they wanted Paul put to death! 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.

Jesus' Authenticating Resurrection - 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 Acts 25:18-19, “When his [Paul’s] accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.” When Governor Festus explained Paul’s case to King Agrippa, he told Agrippa he unexpectedly found that Paul’s accusers pointed to religious issues and “a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive” when they had brought their charges against him. As Christians we are very acquainted with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a truth that I have become familiar with and am used to hearing about, as well as speaking of myself. But stepping back to consider anew the ramifications of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I find it a startling authentication of all Jesus spoke of, lived out, and made promise of when here on planet earth. Imagine: someone coming back after being dead for three days and speaking of the Kingdom of God and the things to come! Realizing that this person who had died and come back to life was God in the flesh himself provides all the motivation I need to want to know all he has to say about this life, as well as the life to come. The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves the claims he made of himself, the judgment to come and the redemption from sin we can all have if we embrace him in faith. 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.

Jesus Christ: The Light Of The World! - 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 Acts 25:3, “They [the chief priests and Jewish leaders] urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.” The hostility toward Paul and the early church was intense, as we find in the book of Acts. In my mind the hostility springs from something Paul had to say about his evangelistic efforts, “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-16a. It is this stench of death that the gospel message brings to those who reject it, that, I believe, generates such hostility in their hearts. Jesus told Nicodemus that he was the light that came into the world and the reason people will reject the gospel message, those who have “not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” is that their deeds are evil and so they “loved darkness” fearing that their deeds will be exposed in the light, John 3:19-21. When the gospel message is rejected, it is done so on a calculated impulse. The desire to remain in sin overshadows the claims of the gospel message. I suspect the gospel is rarely rejected on the basis of someone being convinced its claims are spurious, but rather on a gamble that they can continue to live in darkness and somehow avoid the potential that God may exist and have to face his judgment. Nothing could be further from the truth and so when they encounter someone who has embraced the gospel it quite naturally engenders hostility as it impinges on the choice they themselves have made. And of course there is Satan who lashes out at God’s people through those who do his bidding… But the wonderful news is that Jesus Christ has overcome the world and the devil. Our inheritance is a certain thing in spite of the number of folks who are quite hostile toward the light our God has sent into the world. How wonderful it is he did send us his Son Jesus Christ! 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: Transcendent And Sovereign - 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 Acts 25:1-3, “Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.” The Jews of Paul's day are seen here plotting and scheming to do away with him, God’s man. God has his own agenda and here we have man busy about the task of attempting to thwart God’s intentions and desires. To be sure, many of the Jews undoubtedly thought they were even doing God’s will as they set themselves against the purposes and plans of God regarding Paul. How far removed from knowing the God that created them, the God that loved them, the God that sent his only Son as a sacrifice of atonement for their own sins! Our God is transcendent and sovereign, far above anyone’s ability to thwart his agenda! In Psalm 115:3 we read, “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.” Proverbs 21:30 tells us, “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.” Indeed, as we read of these plotting Jews I am reminded of Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.” Woe to the man who finds himself at odds with the plans and purposes of 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.

Escaping The Wrath Of God - 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 Acts 24:24-25, “Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.’” After Paul was imprisoned in Jerusalem, taken to Caesarea and had his trial before Governor Felix, Felix brought his wife, Drusilla and came to listen to Paul. Luke tells us that “Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come.” We read that Felix became afraid as he listened to Paul. Just what was it that Paul told the governor that caused this fear within him? What was it that Paul had to say about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come? The text doesn’t tell us but this is what I suspect Paul had to say given what he had said elsewhere. Paul talked about a holy and righteous God, the Creator of all things, to whom we must give an account of all we have thought, said or done. I think Paul told Felix that this Creator God is the judge of all mankind and will visit the fury of his wrath on all who have sinned. I think Paul spoke of the law and how it shows us just how sinful we are and subject to the wrath of God. As the Jews attempted to establish their own righteousness by keeping the law, they found in a very experiential way they were sinners who were incapable of living a godly life through their own self-control: they couldn’t keep the law! The domination of the sinful nature over someone who attempts to keep God’s law demonstrates they are hopeless and helpless before the wrath of God… except for one possibility… Jesus Christ! I’m sure Paul told Felix that God sent his own Son out of his love for man and visited his wrath on Jesus, taking our punishment and that if anyone embraces him in faith he can have Jesus’ payment for sin credited to his account with God. For anyone committed to what this world has to offer, this is a terrifying message. It is bad news followed with good news – certain judgment, but there is a way, only one way, Jesus Christ. For Felix to escape the certainty of God’s wrath he would have to do what Paul had done, give up life as he knew it and embrace Jesus Christ! What a message! No wonder Felix was fearful! All should be fearful as they consider facing the wrath of God Almighty! But what good news it is that Jesus Christ has paid for all our sins and that we can escape the wrath of God through 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! 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 Offers So Much More! - 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 Acts 24:24-26, “Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.’ At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.” How fascinating that Felix often sent for Paul, to speak with him, hoping Paul would offer him a bribe! Undoubtedly Felix had heard that Paul came to Jerusalem with a sizable gift from the Gentile church for the strapped brothers in Jerusalem and so probably thought Paul was a man with “deep pockets”. What Felix unsuccessfully sought from Paul paled in comparison to what Paul was trying to give him. Felix wanted money; Paul offered him all of the riches that are ours in the Kingdom of Heaven! Felix sought what money could buy; Paul offered him eternal pleasures at the right hand of God! Psalm 16:11. Felix sought a life of ease for the short term; Paul offered him eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord! Felix sought what money could buy him; Paul offered him an opportunity to become a child of God! Had Governor Felix only reached out and grasped what Paul offered him, what an incredible inheritance Felix would have had. Instead, he only looked for a simple bribe! It is staggering to think of what folks will pass up in order to obtain so little… 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.

Life Beyond The Grave! - 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 Acts 24:15, “I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” As Paul gives his defense while on trial before Felix, he declares the hope he has in Jesus Christ. There is life beyond the grave! There will be a resurrection for all mankind. Some to eternal death, but for those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, there will be a wonderful resurrection to eternal life with our Lord! Not just mere words or a theological concept but an amazing reality to plan for! 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.

Jesus Christ: Foretold In The Scriptures! - 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 Acts 24:14-16, “I [Paul] admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” Paul found Jesus Christ to be a fulfillment of what was written in the Law and the Prophets. I find it wonderful our Lord decided to reveal things to us through his word in the Scriptures. Foretold from the earliest writings of Moses to the many references in the Prophets, the Scriptures declare the coming of Jesus Christ. There are many references to the coming Messiah in our Old Testament and probably none more poignant than that in Isaiah 9:6-7, “For to us a child 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. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Another passage many of us are familiar with is Isaiah 53. Here is a snippet from that in verses 4-6, "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." As with the many accounts of Jesus Christ in the gospels, the fulfillment of prophecy that is represented in the person and work of Jesus Christ adds to the veracity and authenticity of all he had to say and teach us about himself, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus Christ] explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Luke 24:27. 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 Purposes Can Never Be Thwarted - 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 Acts 23:12-19, "The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, 'We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.' … But when the son of Paul's sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul… The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, 'What is it you want to tell me?'" Paul’s enemies were actually the Lord’s enemies - pawns in a spiritual conflict to stop the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles through Paul. All the leaders of the Jews, the Sanhedrin and forty conspirators taking an oath to terminate Paul’s work… but… one young man – Paul’s nephew! As the Lord says in Isaiah 55, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Working against the purposes of God and setting oneself against what the Lord intends to accomplish is futile. Vast armies could have been arrayed against the purposes of God in Paul’s ministry and yet all the Lord uses is one young man! We read in Proverbs 21:30, "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord." As it turns out, the Lord wanted the gospel proclaimed in Caesar’s court. Those participating against the purposes of God only found themselves facilitating what God wanted to carry out. You cannot succeed in opposing God's purposes, "The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." Psalm 33:10-11. As Paul proclaims in Romans, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 'Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?' 'Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” Romans 11:33-36. 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 Here In Our Time Of Need! - 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 Acts 23:11, “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.’” Here the Lord brings encouragement to Paul. Paul had been warned by the Holy Spirit repeatedly that hardships would face him when he got to Jerusalem. He had told the Ephesian elders on his way to Jerusalem, “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.” Acts 20:22-23. After arriving in Jerusalem and being falsely accused, “the whole city was aroused”, Acts 21:30, and they tried to kill him. He was arrested and eventually brought before the Sanhedrin where a violent dispute broke out over him. The Roman commander had to have Paul brought into the barracks for fear he would be “torn to pieces by them”, Acts 23:10 The following day the Jews formed a conspiracy to kill Paul and took an oath not to eat or drink anything until they carried out their plans. And it is just here I want to make a small observation that says so much about the heart of our wonderful Lord. Paul is a seasoned man and used to abuse, hardship and maltreatment for the cause of the gospel. In the midst of what Paul is experiencing at this time, here comes our Lord to Paul’s side, and, in a comforting way, tells him to take courage. Our Lord still has some things for Paul to do and he encourages him in the midst of all he is facing. To me, this expresses in a wonderful way how our Lord extends his kindness, love and compassion for us. He comes to us in our greatest times of need. Sometimes it may be a set of circumstances that come together that have his fingerprints all over them, or it may be a brother or sister he brings alongside of us to encourage us. In this instance it is the Lord himself who comes alongside Paul to encourage, and I’m sure, bring comfort to Paul. Our Lord truly has a wonderful heart! 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.

Our Wonderful Hope: The Resurrection! - 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 Acts 23:6b, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.” While this ploy of Paul was an amazing tactical move on his part, I am quite convinced, nevertheless, that Paul’s perspective of the value of his faith in Jesus Christ, his "hope", lay not nearly as much in this life but in the opportunity it provided for him to spend an eternity with the Lord - his participation in "the resurrection of the dead." For some suspicious reasons, the appeal made in many quarters of the church today for folks to turn to Jesus Christ is that, in him, our present life in this age can be so much more meaningful and that the Lord has many blessings for us today. While this is certainly true, it is emphasized so strongly at times that there seems little said about what is ours in the resurrection. We have to look no further than the notion promoted in the name of Jesus Christ that because God loves us he wants to make all believers wealthy and healthy in this life today. Absent is the teaching about believers from Paul in Romans 8:10, 23-25, “But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness… we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” It is in the resurrection that we find the fulfillment of the promises God has made to us through Abraham. This is the “hope” that Paul claimed he was on trial for. The only interest he had in this life was to be as productive as he could on the Lord's behalf while he was still here. However, he noted that it was “better by far” to leave this life to go be with the Lord, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” Philippians 1:21-24. I suspect my relationship with the Lord will become all that it should be and develop a much needed perspective if I conform my own views with what were Paul’s. My life should be driven by the “hope in the resurrection of the dead.” It is this very hope from which faith and love spring from, Colossians 1:5 and brings the motivation to “purify” myself, 1 John 3:3. How wonderful is the hope we have in the resurrection that the Lord has promised 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! 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 Gospel Message Is About A Person, Not A Theology - 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 Acts 23:6-8, “Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, ‘My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.’ When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)" Leave it up to theologians to get into a scrap amongst themselves when they all came together to railroad Paul with false accusations. Theologians seem to be able to find differences, distinctions, and nuances that allow them to gravitate to their own camps to sling it at the many other camps about them. Paul knew this and, as the crafty apostle he was, he manipulated the greatest minds of the day in Israel into a bickering squabble for his own purposes. While there was a legitimate point to be made by the Pharisees, who were correct in their view on resurrection, etc., Paul had his own agenda. He (and the Lord) used the squabble and his imprisonment to propel himself in front of the leaders of the day, both the Jewish leaders and the local representatives of the Roman domination of Palestine, eventually those in Rome and, hopefully, the emperor himself. Paul, himself, did not have a school of theology to present to people but a person: the Lord Jesus Christ. He made it his ambition to take the message of Jesus Christ to all he could and particularly to people and places of influence to persuade them. King Agrippa tells Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” For Paul, the resurrection was all about knowing Jesus Christ, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11. Good theology is, of course, important. But when the debate appears to lose focus on the Lord himself somehow, recapturing him and placing him in the center of our attention always becomes the top priority! The various eschatological squabbles of our day come to my mind here… 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.

Jesus Christ Transforms 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 Acts 22:4-5,19-20, "I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished"… "I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you [Jesus]. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him." Paul was an enemy of Jesus Christ and persecuted the church horribly when it was in its infancy. But this man had gone through a transformation! The man who once was raping the bride of Christ had now become Christ's servant! “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus." Acts 20:18-21. What a change! What brought this transformation? Jesus Christ! He has the ability to change us inside out! In Paul’s own words, we become a “new creation” when we become his, "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:16-17. What a change! What a Savior! 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 Speaks To 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 Acts 22:14-15, “The God of our fathers has chosen you [Paul] to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.” These are the words the Lord gave Ananias to speak to Paul. While he was persecuting the members of the early church, Paul had been confronted by the Lord on the road to Damascus and it turns out the Lord had some things for Paul to do. Ananias told Paul that God chose him to know his will, to see Jesus Christ and to hear words from his mouth. Paul was to testify to all of what he had seen and heard. We are told that the Son of God is the creative agent within the godhead. “Through him [the Word] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3. To think that our Creator God would speak to us is just an amazing thought to me. The Creator of the galaxies, the entire universe! The one who created all living things, including mankind, all plant life! He who created the fireball we call our sun and set all of the planets spinning in their appointed courses. This is the one speaking to Paul! This is the one who speaks to us through Paul! Paul wrote half of the New Testament books in thirteen letters. Jesus Christ has much to say to us in them, as well as the remaining fourteen books and the Old Testament. How astonishing we have a sacred library from God in the pages of the very Bibles that sit on our coffee tables! It makes you want to just pick it up and see what it has to say, doesn’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! 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 Can Use Anyone (Including You And Me) - 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 Acts 22:3-5, “I [Paul] am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.” Paul was a fulfillment of the words of Jesus, “They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.” John 16:2-3. Paul was a blasphemer and a violent man, as he confesses in 1 Timothy 1:12-14, but he was shown mercy and appointed to serve the Lord. "I [Paul] thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." Our Lord is able to use anyone. What I find fascinating about Paul’s life is that the Lord utilized Paul’s education and zeal for the law as an effective tool in Paul’s work as an apostle. Inspired by the Holy Spirit to draft a letter such as Romans that has served the church so effectively for millennia, Paul’s great training in the Scriptures under Gamaliel was invaluable. Certainly, while under the tutelage of Gamaliel, Paul had no idea that one day this training would provide for him a resource the Holy Spirit would use in his life as he reasoned and persuaded from the Scriptures from synagogue to synagogue throughout the Diaspora. I am sure much of just this kind of thing goes on today: the Lord prepares us all for the things he wants to do through us in ways we would never imagine! 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.

Our God Is Intolerant Of Any Other Path To Him! - 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 Acts 22:3, “Then Paul said: ‘I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.’” As Paul addressed the Jews who had attacked him at the temple, he began to explain himself. As he told them who he was, he explained to them that he was trained in the law under the great rabbi Gamaliel, and that he was “just as zealous for God as any of you are today.” As I consider what Paul says here, I am reminded of how skewed theology has become in many quarters. The notion that unsaved, unregenerate people never have any impulse or interest in the things of God betrays an ignorance of both the history provided us in the Scriptures and an awareness of the culture around us. Prior to Paul’s encounter with the Lord on the way to Damascus, Paul lived as one among many who were unsaved, unregenerate and yet very zealous for God. Likewise, today we live in a culture that strives to find spiritual truth and any evidence of God himself. With all of the “isms”, “schisms”, cults, eastern mysticism, New Age nonsense, etc. we acknowledge that many are very zealous in their quest for God. A danger here is that often, when someone is encountered who has not embraced Jesus Christ in faith but yet is searching for the things of God, that person may be considered close to finding the Lord and just needs a little time, etc. and will find their way to him. After all, he has a zeal for God, right? As Paul describes himself as an unregenerate, unsaved individual, zealous for God himself, we need to recognize that his zeal placed him no closer to God. It was Paul himself who said, “It is by grace you have been saved through faith”, Ephesians 2:8. He did not say, “it is by grace you have been saved through zeal”, or “your interest in God and the things of God.” We would be foolish to not recognize that there are a vast number of people existing under God’s condemnation and his judgment of the Lake of Fire even though they may have a zeal for God and the things of God. Many may have a zeal for God or an interest in the things of God, or a dedication to some path they may follow that they think leads to him, but God makes it very clear that he will only accept those who embrace Jesus Christ in faith. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. Peter said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. Our God is an intolerant God who will accept no other path to him. He will be found to be a wrathful God at the end of the age for all who do not embrace Jesus Christ, as we read of him in Revelation 19:11-16, “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 makes 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. Out of his mouth comes 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.” 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 gospel: Too Important To Squander - 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 Acts 21:20-24, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.” Following his missionary efforts, when Paul got to Jerusalem he met with James and the elders of the church and gave them a detailed account of his successful ministry among the Gentiles. After they praised God on the accounts Paul provided they made this statement to Paul. As we read the rest of the story we see that Paul complied the very next day. Paul apparently continued to live out his Jewish heritage when and where possible. Paul wrote to the Galatian believers, “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’ Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, ‘The man who does these things will live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” Galatians 3:10-14. Keep the law or not keep the law? Clearly Paul taught that righteousness is not obtained by keeping the law. The mission to the Jews was very active and highly successful as “many thousands” of Jews had believed in Jesus Christ. Jewish identity and culture was built around the law and the leaders of the early church wisely observed that the issue in coming to Christ for potential converts needed to be Jesus Christ himself, not in challenging cultural distinctives, including those of the Jews themselves. The message of Jesus Christ is too important to be squandered over peripheral issues. How wonderful it would be today if we observed the wisdom of the early church! 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.

To Be With Christ Is Better By Far! - 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 Acts 13-14, “Paul answered, ‘Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’ When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, ‘The Lord's will be done.’” Paul was ready and willing to give his life for the Lord. He knew some things about the Lord that provided him a perspective that lent itself to his outlook on leaving this world behind, to join the Lord. Paul told the Philippian church, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far…” Philippians 1:21-23. Possibly his perspective was shaped by the experiences he had with the Lord. He says of one occasion, “I know a man [Paul himself] in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.” 2 Corinthians 12:2-4. I suspect Paul shared the same understanding as David in Psalm 16:11, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” One thing is certain: Paul had such a heart for the Lord due to the Lord’s mercy, kindness and love he had expressed to him. Paul was willing to give all he had to the Lord, including life itself! After all, isn’t that exactly what the Lord gave up for him? It has a way of bringing things into perspective, doesn’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! 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 Holy Spirit Hand-Selects Those He Uses - 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 Acts 21:8-11, “Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, ‘The Holy Spirit says, “In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.” We find that after leaving Ptolemais, Paul and company stayed at Philip’s home in Caesarea. We earlier met Philip in Acts 6 where he was chosen to help oversee the distribution of food to widows in the church. He later was instrumental in taking the gospel to Samaria in Acts 8. Here we read that he had four unmarried daughters who were prophetesses and presumably lived with him, as they were unmarried, in the same house Paul was staying in. In this passage we also read of another prophet, Agabus, who came to Caesarea from Judea. It was this prophet who was used by the Holy Spirit to warn Paul of his impending arrest. Paul had previously been warned of this but at this time I note that rather than one of Philip’s daughters prophesying to Paul about it, or the Holy Spirit telling Paul directly, it was this man, Agabus, who prophesied to Paul about the matter. Why did the Holy Spirit send someone from Judea with this message? Why not just use someone already there in the house? I’m sure there are details that are not provided in Luke’s account, but one thing stands out to me: the Holy Spirit doesn’t just use anybody. He hand-selects certain individuals for specific tasks and uses them. I certainly can’t tell from the text why Agabus was used to bring the message to Paul, but I note that others, already there in the house, were available but not used. It brings to my mind that the Holy Spirit not only enables us to carry on his work through his special gifting, but he hand-selects specific individuals for specific tasks. And, it certainly doesn’t appear that efficiency or cost-savings are the top priority: the Holy Spirit has his reasons… 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 Word Can Provide An Inheritance - 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 Acts 20:32, “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” As Paul met with the Ephesian elders and let them know that he would not be seeing them again - this side of heaven - he committed them “to God and to the word of his grace”. Because he knows he is passing from the scene and will no longer be available as a resource for them as they face the “savage wolves” that will “come in among you and will not spare the flock” he commits them to what will be an even bigger resource for them: God and the word of his grace. Paul points out that the “word of his grace” can provide two things. It can give an inheritance and build up. In an earlier letter Paul had written to this church, he pointed out something wonderful about God’s word, “You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14. God’s word provides the opportunity for salvation into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, 1 Peter 1:4. God’s word can also build up believers, bringing them to maturity and keeping them from the damage of “savage wolves” that would seek to devour the flock of God. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we read, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We, as these Ephesian elders eventually did, live apart from the leadership of an apostle like Paul within our midst. And just as these Ephesians needed to be committed to God’s word, we do as well today. A too high estimation can never be placed on the role the Scriptures need to play in our lives today. In both bringing us to salvation and then for building us up in him, the Scriptures need to find their rightful place in our lives, in our schedules, in our priorities. How wonderful our God of grace has provided us with the “word of his grace”! May it be met with the enthusiasm and attention it rightly deserves in our lives 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! 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 Gives Us His Word - 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 Acts 20:32, "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” When Paul met with the elders from Ephesus in Miletus, he encouraged them and made this statement in his closing remarks to them. He committed them to God and his word. Paul comments that God’s word, “the word of his grace”, had the capability to build them up and bring them into an inheritance as heirs of God, Romans 8:17. Elsewhere in Romans Paul says he wasn’t ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe, Romans 1:16 He also told Timothy that Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that we might be fully equipped for every good work. God’s word is an amazing thing! In Isaiah 55:10-11 God says that his word will not return to him empty but accomplish what he desires and achieve the purpose for which he sent it. That God has given us his word, his powerful, effective, life-changing word is such a wonderful 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! 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 Reveals Himself - 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 Acts 20:25-27, “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.” As Paul met with the Ephesian elders for the last time, he reminded them he had proclaimed to them “the whole will of God.” Paul wanted to ensure that the church in Ephesus would have its very best prospect of success as he would no longer be available to them when he left. I suspect I shouldn’t make too much out of Paul’s phrase, “the whole will of God”, but I can’t help seeing in his choice of words that Paul did not hold back when he taught the church at Ephesus. Just as we do today, the early church in Ephesus needed the whole counsel of God. Enough can not be said about the need we have to be aware of who God is, what he is like, what his intentions are and what he is doing in the world. Amazing to me is that God has provided all of this for us. Every one of the sixty-six books in our Bibles are God-breathed, inspired by him, and contain within them all he intends for us to know about who he is, what he is like, his intentions toward us and what he is doing in the world. He has seen fit to inform us about himself. We find there, in pages of our Bibles, who God is (the Eternal One, Creator of heaven and earth) and what he is like (loving and just: both the Savior and the Judge of all humanity). He tells us what his disposition is (love and grace) for us today and what his intentions are (to save sinners and condemn those who reject him.) He tells us what he is doing (carrying out his program of redemption in a lost world through the church). What an opportunity we have to get to know God! As Paul taught the Ephesians “the whole will of God”, we receive that same education as we spend time in the pages of the Bible! What a wonderful God we have who has revealed himself in its pages! 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 Choice: It Is 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 Acts 20:20-21, “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” Paul recounts for the Ephesian elders his ministry among them. This will be his last meeting with them in this life and as he knows he is facing death he reminds them of his message to both Jews and Gentiles, to all men. All men must repent (have a change of heart, mind) from the current direction of their lives and “have faith in our Lord Jesus.” The issue of faith is strikingly clear in the pages of Scripture. God has made the effort in his revelation to us to tell us that it is faith he has decided will be the determining factor for anyone to come to him. God chose before the ages began that it will be those who embrace him in faith who will have an inheritance in him. When Adam and Eve capitulated to the temptation of the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, it was a clear lack of faith in what God had told them that resulted in their fall. Conversely, God introduces us to a man named Abraham who exhibited the kind of faith that will bring salvation. Abraham’s faith, which earned him a covenant with God, is that faith which, if we follow in his footsteps of faith, will bring us into a covenant relationship with God. “He [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Romans 4:20-24. Jesus Christ took our punishment for sin on himself but it is only “credited” to us when we embrace him in faith. It will not be by works, it will not be by comporting oneself in accord with an established set of moral standards and it will not be by the exercise of religious acts of piety that bring salvation. It is faith and faith alone. “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. How wonderful God has decided our salvation will be based on faith and not performance. If it depended on my behavior, I wouldn’t make it. If it depended on my observance of religious disciplines and piety I wouldn’t make it. What he has asked of me is that I simply embrace him in faith! How wonderful is that? It is truly a gift from him, a gift that came by the heavy lifting Jesus Christ did for me when he died that horrible death on that cross! 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 Has Invited Us Out Of This World Into His Kingdom! - 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 Acts 20:2-3, “He [Paul] traveled through that area [Macedonia], speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, where he stayed three months. Because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.” The world is a hostile place toward God and those who are his. Here we read of Jews plotting against Paul in Greece. Later in the chapter, Paul reminds the Ephesian elders of the plots of the Jews against him in that city. He also tells them that the Holy Spirit had warned him that prison and hardships faced him in Jerusalem where he was headed. Paul faced hostility where he had been, where he was and where he was going. Throughout the book of Acts we see hostility toward God’s people from Jews and Gentiles alike. In Paul’s previous life he participated in this hostility himself prior to his conversion to “the Way”. In Stephen’s words, just before he was stoned, “Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him”. Acts 7:52. Jesus taught, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” John 15:18-19. Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus Christ belong to God and as such we are hated by those who do not belong to him. They have made their choice and resent those of us who have embraced God. Many of us today may never face hostility as Paul did, but nonetheless we are despised because of our choice to join God’s kingdom, leaving them and the world behind. The reality is that those of us who have embraced God wish the others - who are hostile toward us - would embrace God as well. Of people of faith, the writer of Hebrews says, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:13-16. How wonderful the future we have in our Lord Jesus Christ! How wonderful he invited us to join him and leave the world behind! 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 Authenticates The Gospel - 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 Acts 19:11-12, “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” How wonderful that God provided authenticity and authority to the message that Paul took to Ephesus (and the many other places as well). The veracity of Paul’s message was confirmed in so many ways by God. Did God have to provide this additional stamp of authenticity to Paul’s message through various miracles as Paul helped to lay a foundation for the expansion of the church? For those folks with thick-headed skulls like mine over the ages, God demonstrates an undeserved compassion for those of us who are a little “slow”. And look at the stamp of authenticity he provides… compassion itself! Folks cured of illnesses and relieved of evil spirits! What a wonderful 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.

God's Offer To Sinners - 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 Acts 19:8-9a, “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them.” As we read in Acts 18:4 and Acts 26:28, Paul approached folks with the gospel message in an attempt to persuade them. Here we see Paul “arguing persuasively” about the kingdom of God. As all have a choice to make regarding the gospel when confronted with it, we are told that some in Ephesus “became obstinate” and that they “refused to believe”. A horrific choice they made given the consequences! Jesus confided in Nicodemus as to why folks would refuse the love of their Creator and opt for his judgment. He told him, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” John 3:19. This tells me a person’s theology is dictated by their morality. Men love darkness instead of light because of their own evil hearts so, they refuse to have a change of heart, a change of mind when confronted with the gospel! Nevertheless, Jesus Christ came to save these very sinners! If only all could be persuaded, but their lifestyles and heart condition holds them fast. Later John quotes Jesus as saying, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. How wonderful our Savior came for us! How wonderful he gave his life to ransom us from God’s judgment! What an expression of love, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us! This morning I thank God for his grace toward us that has made it possible for any of us to embrace 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! 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 Gives Us The Holy Spirit! - 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 Acts 18:1-7, “While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’ ‘John's baptism,’ they replied.” Paul said, ‘John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.” This is a fascinating account of something Paul encountered in Ephesus. These “disciples”, it turns out, were not acquainted with the Holy Spirit and had to be told about the need to put their faith in Jesus Christ. They had experienced John the Baptist’s ministry and had even been baptized into his “baptism of repentance” but they didn’t know the Lord yet, as evidenced by Paul having to introduce them to Jesus. This resulted in them experiencing their own “mini-Pentecost”. The account reveals that Paul ascertained who needed to hear the gospel message by whether a person had received the Holy Spirit, even if they appeared religious, e.g. to be a disciple. The foundation for this approach is given throughout the New Testament. In Romans 8:9 we read, “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.” In Ephesians 1:13-14 Paul says, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.” It is the presence of the Holy Spirit that evidences whether we in Jesus Christ, whether belong to God. He sends his Holy Spirit to dwell within us when we become his. We become a “new creation”, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and the Holy Spirit begins to change us from the inside out, Galatians 5:16-26. Being changed by the Holy Spirit is how we discern who a child of God is and who is not, 1 John 3:10: has a person’s life been impacted by the Holy Spirit? To me this is one of the mystical and wonderful things about our new life in Jesus Christ! God gives us his Holy Spirit and he begins his wondefful work 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! 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 Glorious Grace - 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 Acts 18:27, “When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.” As Luke provides the account of Apollos, his encounter with Priscilla and Aquila, and his trip to Achaia, Luke observes that Apollos “was of great help to those who by grace had believed.” What catches my eye this morning is the observation that it was by grace that the folks in Achaia believed. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sins. Why did he do that? Because we are told in John 3:16 that God loves all mankind and has provided a way for us to join him for an eternity. It is something we could not do for ourselves and so he sent his Son. This is what we call his grace, because Jesus paid the penalty himself and offers us salvation freely. "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." Ephesians 2:8-9. Luke mentions this disposition of God to give (his grace) that resulted in the folks in Achaia embracing him in faith. The message of the gospel is a message of grace from start to finish. Mankind has turned his back on God in sin and rebellion in the face of his own judgment, and yet God, in his grace, has made a way for us. God, in his grace, has provided us his gospel message. God, in his grace, has provided equipped evangelists who take this message out to others providing the opportunity for it to be heard and responded to. God, in his grace, has provided each of us a free will to respond to that message and in his grace has made it possible for us to cross over from death to life. God, in his grace, will provide all those who respond to it a wonderful life in the resurrection. All of the elements of life itself, the ability to hear the gospel message, the capacity to reason, the volition he has provided us, as well as the gospel message itself all speak to God’s wonderful disposition toward us: his matchless and glorious grace! 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 Communicates To Man! - 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 Acts 18:9-11, “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.’ So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.” As Paul was in Corinth and preaching the gospel message, the Lord spoke directly to him one night. I note the communication from the Lord, in a vision, is a verbal statement. Luke doesn’t mention if it was part of a two-way, broader conversation Paul had with the Lord or just simply this statement, but clearly this is not Paul having an “intuition” or “leading” or “feeling”. And, certainly not what passes today for "the Lord told me…", if you get my drift. This strikes me as something of an entirely different order. This is one person (the Lord) verbally speaking to another (Paul) just as any of us would have over the phone or face to face with another, in this case in a vision. I have never had the Lord speak directly to me like this. As many, I have had those moments where I feel the Lord has very distinctly laid something on my heart, and possibly even communicated to me in some fashion - but never where I could literally quote him word for word after the fact. He has never spoken to me in this way. I wonder what Paul’s reaction at the time was? I suspect that would be based on how often the Lord spoke to him. Was it just the few times we read of in Scripture, as on the road to Damascus and other times? Or was there an ongoing dialog that went on for years? Regardless, I find these comments very fascinating and wonderful as they represent a connection of the Lord with his people, a connection of heaven with planet earth. The great divide spanned between this lost and fallen world with its Creator, physical life in the here-and-now with the Eternal. A connection between life today and the resurrection to come! Awesome to think about 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! 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.

All We Need To Persuade Others - 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 Acts 18:4, “Every Sabbath he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” Luke tells us when Paul got to Corinth he reasoned with the folks at the synagogue. He tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks there with the gospel message. The way that Luke writes it, he gives me a distinct impression that Paul’s way was not to just inform folks of the gospel but to persuade, to convince, to bring folks to a point where they recognized the need they had for salvation, and that Jesus Christ was the way. In his appearance before Agrippa in Acts 26:28, Agrippa accused Paul of attempting to persuade him to be a Christian. Rather than denying it, Paul tells him it was his desire to convince everyone listening to him to become what he had become: a follower of Jesus Christ. This leaves me with a feeling that the issue of salvation for many who are around me today may depend on how persuasive I might be. What a sobering thought that is! But I am reminded that it is the gospel message itself that carries the power of salvation, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”, Romans 1:16. I am also reminded, as well, that it is the Holy Spirit that brings conviction, “When he [the Counselor] comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment”, John 16:8. In addition to the gospel message and the Holy Spirit, God equips each of us to be effective for him. It is his plan to use what he has revealed about himself to accomplish this, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17. God has decided it will be us, the church, that will carry on the evangelistic effort. But he has not left us alone with this responsibility. Together with the Holy Spirit, he has provided all we need to be effective and productive at 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.

God Has Provided Us A Toolbox: The Scriptures - 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 Acts 18:4,11,19b,28, “Every Sabbath he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.”... “So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God."… “He [Paul] himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.”… “He [Apollos] vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” In this chapter of Acts, we see that the method of evangelism employed by both Paul and Apollos was one of reasoning, and that from the Scriptures. In just this chapter alone the Scriptures are referred to four times. The Lord has provided our lives with purpose and meaning in his kingdom by employing us to further the gospel message and to build one another up. He has not left us without tools to do this with, as he has provided us his word. In this chapter I see two men and a married couple who were very effective in their work by reasoning from the Scriptures. The nature of the sacred library we call our Bible is a bit of a mystery to me, much as the dual nature of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God. Likewise, the Scriptures have their origin in a divinely crafted methodology. Peter puts it this way in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Clearly our Bible is from God and he used the agency of man to bring it into written form. As I recognize the unique nature of Scripture as being inspired by God, I also recognize it is to be used as a tool to aid us in our evangelistic efforts and to build one another up. Just think of what it would be like if God had not provided us with this wonderful collection of inspired writings! 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 Wants All! - 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 Acts 17:29-30, “Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” As Paul speaks to those at the Areopagus, he tells them that what they worshipped as something unknown, it is God who is the creator of the world and everything in it. And, where many had worshipped God as if he were made of gold, silver or stone and that in the past God overlooked such ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent. I note Paul says God commands all people everywhere - not some people in certain places. God wants us all to turn to him, to repent - every person. He wants us all! God has a big heart, a heart that encompasses all of mankind. The Bible says that God loves the whole world and everyone in it. He wants us all. As Paul speaks to Timothy about prayer in 1 Timothy 2:3-4, he says that this “pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” It is God’s will that all men be saved! He wants us all. Peter talks about the delay in Jesus Christ’s second coming. He says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. God wants every man, woman and child to turn to him! He has a heart for all mankind! My point here isn’t to get into a quibble over theology but to recognize the wonderful heart of love our God has for all mankind. He has a big heart! He sent his Son to die a horrible death to purchase us from his own wrath for our sins! Not just for some, but for all! It is important to note, that as the Scriptures clearly point out, even though it is God’s will we all be saved, he has chosen, decided, that only those who will embrace him in faith will be saved. He has left it in our hands. He wants us all, but he will only take those who will have him. What a big, wonderful heart our God has for each and every one 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! 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 Love Of Mankind - 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 Acts 17:26-28,

"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’"

 
In Paul’s address to the Areopagus we see that throughout the history of mankind, God has been instrumental in mankind’s affairs with the objective that “men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him.”

In another place, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, we read, “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

And as that familiar passage says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son… ", John 3:16.

God loves man! In spite of our sin, in spite of our rebellion and going our own way, our God loves us!

What an inscrutable heart and what a wonderful heart our God has!

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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