Are We Growing In 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 1 Corinthians 3:1-3,

"Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?"

In this passage Paul calls out members of the church in Corinth. He calls them "Brothers and sisters" because they are, in fact, believers. These are ones who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, they have been redeemed, they have had all of their sins forgiven and they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. However, they are living in an aberrant state: as though they were still a part of the world. They are not a part of the world but you wouldn't know it by looking at them. Paul claims they are "still worldly."

As Paul does so, he points to the dissension within the fellowship, something that should never take place there. He says, "For when one says, 'I follow Paul,' and another, 'I follow Apollos,' are you not mere human beings?" Verse 4. He also points out that he has had to address them as "infants in Christ" since at this time they are "still worldly" and having to be fed like an infant that lives on milk, not ready yet for solid food. They are immature believers, retarded in their growth in Jesus Christ.

The writer of Hebrews makes a similar observation about his readers, "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:12-14.

The Lord has an expectation of us that we grow and mature as his people. We come out of the world, with its ways of thinking and doing and being, and once born again, are expected to grow out of that "worldliness" into a spiritual maturity he has designed for us. Paul describes that in Romans 8:29 as he speaks of what God has in mind for us, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." Living in dissention is not what that looks like.

A good picture of what that does look like is found in Colossians 3:12-14, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

It is incumbent upon me to ensure I am on that path of being conformed to the image of God's 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!

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Two Spirits - 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 1 Corinthians 2:12,

"What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us."

I read of two spirits in this verse, "the spirit of the world" and the "Spirit who is from God". I note the first "spirit" is named with a lowercase "s" and the second is capitalized - an uppercase "S". That is because the first is a thing, the second a proper noun, a name, a person. The "Spirit" in this verse refers to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The verse also tells me that believers receive one of these, and it is not "the spirit of the world." We don't receive that spirit because we are born into it and partake of the spirit of the world as we live our lives. However, for those who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, that "spirit of the world" has been overtaken by the Holy Spirit. We are no longer of the world as we have received the Holy Spirit.

Paul talks about this in Romans 8:8-11 where he considers the impact in a believer's life when receiving the Holy Spirit. There he addresses "the realm of the flesh" as the existence of those who partake of the spirit of the world, "Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you."

This reality explains why there are two differing influences among mankind. There are those who are influenced by the spirit of the world and order their lives accordingly, and there are those who are influenced by the Holy Spirit and order their lives accordingly. The difference is stark and informs our positions on things, our understanding of things, our viewpoints, our thoughts, our cares and our concerns.

This creates a palpable tension among people. Those who are influenced by the world cannot understand or accept the perspectives of those who are influenced by the Holy Spirit. Those who are influenced by the Holy Spirit reject the perspectives of those who are influenced by the spirit of the world.

The whole discussion Jesus had with the unbelieving Jews in chapter 8 of John's gospel illuminates the reality of two (and only two) influences among mankind. In verse 47 he said, "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." A person manifests either one or the other of these influences based on whether they are "in the world" or "in the Spirit."

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.

An Amazingly Powerful Message! - 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 1 Corinthians 1:18,

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

The "message of the cross", the gospel message, is something that is thought foolish by those who do not respond to it. That is the point of it. God looks for those who will respond to it through embracing its message. Those who don't remain in their sin and will face eternal death following this life.

We all exist in this age with its primary purpose of the sifting out of mankind. God is building his kingdom and looks for all who desire him enough to change the trajectory of their lives, and so become a part of it. The people the Lord welcomes into his kingdom are those who, upon hearing the message of redemption, that God the Father has provided his Son to pay for our sins and credits that payment to our account with him, embrace the message while recognizing how powerful it is.

In Romans 1:16 we read, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile." The power of the message is embedded in Paul's words in Romans 10:17, "faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." The message of the gospel is what prompts and inspires faith within the hearts of all those the message appeals to.

Many have a mistaken notion of how to enter God's kingdom. They view the approach as something akin to a ledger of credits and debits in how they live their lives. If there are more "credits" (from being good and doing good things) than "debits" (being bad and doing bad things) then they can enter God's kingdom. That is not the gospel message and there is no power there because that notion cannot transform us and it gets us nowhere. Paul tells us, "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.

As Paul reminded his Corinthian readers, "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you." 1 Corinthians 15:1-2.

This is the most powerful message, a message that transfers us from God's looming judgment into his kingdom-- into eternal life!

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

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The Journey Of Knowing God's Word - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 16:17-19,

"I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."

It seems to me that today we have many that fall into that group of "those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned." With all the divisions, the --isms and schisms among those who refer to themselves as "Christian", many are those that are the culprits Paul speaks of here. How is it that what Paul warned of has exactly happened?

The writer of Hebrews admonished his readers of their culpability in their ignorance of the teachings in Scripture, "We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:11-14.

It is only by knowing God's word that we can protect ourselves from being deceived by others. There are those who have the appetite to lead us astray. We need to know God's truth to enable us to distinguish who those people are and to distinguish good from evil. I would not follow anyone, including me, without verifying what is said by comparing it to the Scriptures. Paul told his protege, Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

We must know the Scriptures or we will become fodder for the appetites of those who would lead us astray. We need to pick up that Bible off our coffee table, dust it off and study it well. If you don't know where to start, try the Gospel of John or the book of Ephesians. There are a number of great places to dive into to start the journey of knowing God's word.

Learning God's word really is more of a journey than a destination. Where do we find ourselves on that journey? As long as we are on that journey, it really doesn't matter how far we have made it so far, just that we are making that journey.

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.

Giving Ourselves For Others - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 15:1-2,

"We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up."

We have no problem in the giving of ourselves to the people we love. We are happy to be there for them, do things for them, at times to provide for them. However, in this passage, Paul tells us to bear with the shortcomings, the failings and weaknesses of those beyond the circle of loved ones, those within the fellowship who lie outside that smaller group of loved ones, anyone that might be called "neighbor."

Paul's admonition here goes beyond bearing with these others, but in fact to "please" them for their own good (not necessarily ours). Obviously, the point could be made that when we please others to build them up for their good, it ultimately redounds to our good as we serve them and thereby please the Lord in doing so. Nevertheless, our building up of others is to be a choice from our hearts to benefit others beyond ourselves.

Paul goes on to say, in verses 5-7, "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." The attitude of mind Jesus Christ has for us should be the standard for which we care for others, including those we may regard as "weak". And, we all know how much of himself he was willing to give!

We might think in terms of a weak brother as not simply a newer Christian, but someone who just may not be the easiest to love because they are, in fact, spiritually stunted or difficult within the fellowship. I suspect Paul may have had just such a believer in mind, and I'll wager he had plenty of occasions in his own life to live out his admonition to us here.

So, my thoughts this morning have to do with how I measure up in this regard...

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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Differing Opinions - 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 14:1,

"Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters."

It seems to me we would have fewer denominations and ecclesiastical institutions if we were to follow Paul's admonition here. Not a smaller universal church but a more unified one. In his own prayer to the Father, Jesus prayed for unity within the church, "I have given them [believers] the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:22-23. His purpose in church (the true church) unity is that the world be impacted positively for the gospel.

However, what we do, when we get to know another brother or sister, is to share the things of the Lord as we develop in our fellowship. This is great until we find where we have a difference of opinion on some matter, a "disputable matter." Then things go sideways. We dive into fellowship, share with one another, and when we inevitably find that point of disagreement we part ways.

Paul says don't do that. Recognize the difference and continue to accept one another. The caveat here is in defining what is a "disputable" matter versus one which is not. We each have to search our hearts and pray about those things. Clearly there are some things that force a break in fellowship: denying the resurrection, denying the deity of Jesus Christ, denying the inspiration of the Scriptures, you can build that list for yourself.

Psalm 133 is appropriate to think about in this regard,
"How good and pleasant it is
    when God's people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head,
    running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
    down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
    were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
    even life forevermore."

Paul says later in the chapter, "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." Verse 19.

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.

Taxes And Civil Authority - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Romans 13:6-7,

"This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."

Paul tells us that civil authority is established by God. Love it or hate it, the authorities are used by God for continuing his redemptive purposes. Civil authority maintains human existence in some form of order as the Lord accomplishes his will in building his kingdom. Some civil authorities are great and some not so much.

For the believer, it raises a lot of questions. What about when an official is dishonest and may be plundering through the authority he holds? What if an authority himself or herself breaks the law? What if the civil authority attempts to establish wickedness through their position of power (abortion comes to mind here)? What if those in power pursue that which I vehemently oppose because of my relationship to Jesus Christ? What if they try to force me to do something I cannot do in good conscience because of my faith in Jesus Christ (the owners of cake stores come to mind here)?

There are all kinds of questions we can ask and debate, but Paul's admonition is that we submit ourselves to the authorities. One very helpful guideline is to follow Jesus' famous teaching, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Matthew 22:21.

For me, I have to approach Paul's admonition as something directed to me personally. I need to obey the police, stop if they order me to and follow their directions. A lot of people these days would have fared much better if they adopted that as a wise guideline. Bad things happen when you don't, as Paul says, "rulers do not bear the sword for no reason", verse 4.

Likewise, I may not like the rate at which I am taxed and I may strongly disagree with the things tax dollars are spent on. That is not my responsibility. I'm responsible for obeying the law and paying my taxes (and not cheating on them).

There certainly is a case to be made that believers should be active in bringing God's principles to the public debate persuasively. The attempt to quiet Christians because they shouldn't be "pushing their Christianity" on others is simply a ruse from the dark side to keep us quiet as they attempt to enforce their agenda on us. And while our civil structures may ebb and flow in regard to godly principles, I need to follow Paul's direction here.

Good things to think about this tax season.

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.