Time for Philip - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 6:5-6,

"When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?' He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do."

Jesus used a very practical problem of logistics for Philip's benefit (and through John's accounting of it, all of us as well). Thousands began to show up to see Jesus, and I gather that on the far side of the sea on a mountainside, it may have been a somewhat remote area. These people would need to eat. Jesus turned to Philip and asked him where they should get food to feed all these people. 

Although by this time the disciples had experienced firsthand the miracles of Jesus, I have to think the last thought anyone would have would be the miracle Jesus was about to perform. Philip observed that it would take more than a half year's wages to give everyone just a bite of bread.

With five loaves of bread and two small fish, Jesus fed everyone with twelve baskets left over (with God there is always an abundance!) An endless supply of food!

The point of Jesus asking Philip the question was to help him grow in his faith and help him understand both the nature of who he was and what it was he came to do. It really is a touching view into the importance Jesus placed on developing his disciples. He never lost sight of caring for and facilitating the growth of his followers.

In the midst of what might have appeared to be a giant problem Jesus took the time and interest in Philip. And, so he does with us as well today. In what ways do you think he might be working in your life for your spiritual growth and faith in him?

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

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I'm Mentally Challenged - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 5:1-6,

"Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?'"

As the Son of God, Jesus had truly divine abilities. We read in Philippians 2:5-8 "... Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" From this we understand that the Son of God laid aside his prerogatives as a member of the Trinity for the purpose of coming to earth to provide redemption for mankind. In doing this he apparently set aside some of those divine abilities, at least at times.

I note in this account of the invalid at the pool, that Jesus "learned" the man had been an invalid for a long time. I'm sure in his deity, Jesus didn't necessarily have to "learn" it. Yet, that is the language John used in describing the event. Of course, the next thing Jesus did was to miraculously make the man whole. He used his divine abilities.

Far be it from me to understand the complexities of God becoming a man (while remaining fully God) and carrying out his redemptive purposes. Fully God, fully man. Theologians call him the "theanthropic (God-man) in hypostatic union." A real mouthful. 

A mouthful that presents a mental challenge for me (just like my understanding of the Trinity, or why God loves us so.) The circuit breakers in my head start to pop when I give it too much thought.

It makes my head hurt thinking about it. Where's my aspirin?

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 Gift Jesus Gives - Ruminating in the Word of God

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

"If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

A Samaritan woman questioned why Jesus would ask her for a drink of water from the well she came to draw from. This she did because Jews typically avoided any association with the half-breed Samaritans. Jesus responded that had she known who he was and God's gift that was available, he would have given her "living water." He went on to say, "Everyone who drinks this water [from the well] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:13-14.

If she asked, Jesus would give her the "gift of God". She was still confused over what Jesus was saying to her. She replied, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." Verse 15. Eventually both she and people from her town came to understand. The townspeople told her, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." Verse 42.

The thrust of the account is that God has a gift to give, and that gift comes through Jesus Christ. Some feel the gift God gives is instruction on how to live an ethical life, leading to a moral society. Some feel the gift God gives is hope that the kids will turn out alright, that a marriage can be salvaged, that a great job with a great salary will come. Some see only in shades of heath and wealth. God gives many kinds of gifts, but the gift Jesus spoke of to the Samaritan woman at the well was the gift of eternal life.

We read in Ephesians 2:8-9, "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." The gift of God is salvation, eternal life, freely given by God to those who choose to trust in him.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians,"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15.

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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Born Into Death - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 3:36,

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them."

These words of John the baptist point to a very precarious dilemma each and every one of us face when we are born into this world. When John said that those who reject Jesus Christ will not see life, it was because of God's wrath remaining on them. That "remaining" means God's wrath hangs over a person as a pre existing condition prior to any consideration of whether a person is fit for eternal life or not. We are born into death.

We are all born this way. It is something we all inherit from mankind's fall in the garden of Eden. I am reminded of Jesus' words in John 5:28, "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." Those who would seek eternal life need to cross over from death because they already own and possess eternal death from the moment of birth. A transition needs to take place for anyone to enter eternal life.

There is none of this business of a person holding a neutral position in the court of God until an evaluation is made of their choices and doings in life that warrant either judgement or the eternal reward of heaven. That is an issue that is already settled and in place for each and every one of us at birth. We are all born into a judgment of eternal death because of the sinful condition inherent within us.

This is why the gospel is such good news! Through faith in the Son of God we have the opportunity of crossing over from this death to eternal life! We start life in death and find eternal life through the wonderful provision God has made of his Son, Jesus Christ! He paid the death-penalty for us when he died on that cross. Now, all he asks is that we place our faith and trust in him, "everyone who believes may have eternal life in him". John 3:15.

He gives it freely to us! Where can you find a better deal than that?!

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

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"The Best" - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 2:10,

"Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

These are the words of the master of the banquet at the wedding in Cana that Jesus, his mother and brothers, and his disciples attended. John tells us this is the setting where Jesus performed the first of his miracles, "What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him." Verse 11.

As I am sure we all do, I often tend to think of the comparative nature of the wine Jesus created in this account. It was better than the wine served earlier. The master of the banquet pointed out to the bridegroom that he had served the inferior first and now what was "best" was being offered. (I'm sure we all understand that alcohol impairs the senses to a degree and so the point the master of the banquet was making and the practice is an obvious one.)

The terminology the translators used in quoting the master of the banquet captures my thinking this morning. He is quoted not as saying the better wine, the more flavorful wine, the wine with an improved nose or color or clarity or whatever. The master of the banquet said "you have saved the best till now". The best!

And so Jesus Christ is! Comparatively, he is not the better anything. He is the best of anything and everything. His majestic glory, the splendor of his many faceted perfections, the profound wonder his works inspire within us, all manifests the incomparable superiority of our wonderful Savior! Just as the wine he produced was the best, so it reflects the nature of the One who created it: he is the Best!

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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Just Who Is Jesus Christ? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 1:18,

"No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known."

Some say Jesus Christ was the greatest ethical teacher the world has ever known, a great religious leader. Some call him a Jewish preacher or rabbi. Some call him a prophet.

While all these things may be true, they all pale in comparison with what John 1:18 says about him, Jesus "is himself God". While the Scriptures call him many things, they are all consistent in identifying Jesus Christ as God. This gospel begins with that claim, "In the beginning was the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1.

C.S. Lewis claimed, "Either Jesus is the Son of God ; or a madman or worse. But His being just a great teacher? He's not left that open to us." He has not left that open to us because he himself claimed to be God, "'We [Jesus' Jewish opponents] are not stoning you for any good work,' they replied, 'but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.'" John 10:33.

Some other places in Scripture where Jesus Christ is identified as God:

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8.

"We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." 1 John 5:20.

"Theirs [the people of Israel] are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised!" Romans 9:5.

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ..." Titus 2:11-13.

"But about the Son [Jesus Christ] he says, 'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.'" Hebrews 1:8-9, (quoting Psalm 45:6,7.)

If Jesus Christ is God, what he says has to be important!

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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Fulness and Productivity In Life As We Follow Jesus - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 21:3-6,

"'I'm going out to fish,' Simon Peter told them [a half dozen of the other disciples of Jesus], and they said, 'We'll go with you.' So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, 'Friends, haven't you any fish?' 'No,' they answered. He said, 'Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.' When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish."

John tells us this is the account of the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples following the events of the empty tomb when Jesus appeared to Mary. The first two were in a locked room where the disciples were gathered together. This one took place on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The account of it demonstrates that Jesus was still teaching and developing his disciples for their upcoming work in the gospel even after he had been raised from the dead. It is an amazing account and it teaches us all that apart from Jesus Christ and following his lead, life is empty and unproductive. With Jesus, things are fruitful. Pastors will teach that the lesson here is that if the apostles were to be accomplished in their ministry of the gospel ("'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will send you out to fish for people.'" Matthew 4:19), they needed to listen and take direction from the Lord. We, likewise, need to do the same.

This account is certainly that and from my perspective, even more. It speaks to life itself, life for each one of us. The empty net, and then the full net at following Jesus' direction is a metaphor for life's outcomes if we follow the Lord. Fulfillment and satisfaction in life are found when we follow him, when we listen to him, when we take our cues from him.

It reminds me of Jesus' teaching of the vine. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." John 15:5-8.

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.