God's Wonderful Love For Us All - 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 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, God 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 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. If God left it for himself, save for his justice, all mankind would be saved!

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!

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God: Our Great Deliverer! - 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 Acts 16:14b,18b, 25-26, 34

"The Lord opened her [Lydia's] heart to respond to Paul's message." … "'In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!' At that moment the spirit left her [the fortune-telling slave girl]." … "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose." … " The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family."

Paul and his companions (which included at a minimum, Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke) visited the city of Philippi on Paul's second missionary trip. This is the city in which Paul planted a church that he would later send a letter to, the New Testament book we call "Philippians". In this city the theme of deliverance is acted out by the Lord in every activity that is recorded by Luke. Paul and Silas were delivered from incarceration in the Philippian jail and a servant girl is delivered from "a spirit" that enabled her owners to make money by fortune-telling. Lydia and her household are delivered from God's judgment through the evangelistic efforts of Paul and company, as well as the Philippian jailor and his household.

God is our God of deliverance, he is our great deliverer! Enslaved to sin and the judgment it brings, living in a lost and fallen world our great God delivers us! Of our wonderful God, David says in Psalm 18:2, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."

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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Jesus has done all the heavy lifting! - 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 Acts 15:28-29,

"It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things."

The council of Jerusalem met to discuss a dispute between Paul (with Barnabas) and Christian Pharisees who had come to Antioch from Judea. The dispute was over whether Gentiles should be required to obey the law of Moses. It was an important event for the early church and has had its impact on the church throughout its history. The conclusion of the matter was that the Gentiles did not have to keep the law of Moses and were not required to be circumcised. In other words, the Gentiles did not have to convert to Judaism in order to become followers of Jesus Christ.

Paul tells us in Romans 7:6, "But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." He goes on to use the example of the tenth commandment, "Do not covet", to explain himself.

There are plenty of things the Lord could require of us as believers. In providing us with justification he could certainly turn and ask us to live by the law he gave Moses or any of a number of things to conform to a lifestyle that might reflect our covenant relationship with him. But as Jesus taught, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ is not reflected in law-keeping but in following the Holy Spirit, demonstrating that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, "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." Romans 8:9.

Jesus has done all the work. He offered himself as a sacrifice of atonement on the cross. I don't know about you, but I find this to be a wonderful reality. Faith is all God requires as Jesus has done all the heavy lifting on the cross and the Holy Spirit guiding us in our new life 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!

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 Blessings Express His Kindness! - 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 Acts 14:15b-17,

"We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."

As Paul and Barnabas preached the good news to the folks in Lystra, they pointed out something all can relate to. Life itself is evidence that God exists. The blessings people have as seen in the weather that makes food crops possible speaks to the existence of God and demonstrates his kindness. God is the source of the food we eat and the source of the joy we experience. That which is good in life, that which we consider to be blessing speaks to God's very existence and his kindness toward mankind.

Although mankind is not worthy of the kindness of God – only worthy of his wrath for sin and rebellion against him - he nevertheless leaves his fingerprints in the world on those things we enjoy in life.

For those who try hard at not finding evidence of God's existence, there is much they have to look past. For those who do not believe in God, one day they will find that God doesn't believe in them either (their delusion that is), as he has provided them plenty to consider. Not that he has had to… but in that he has, he further expresses his kindness to mankind.

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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God Manifests What He is Doing In How He Gifts Us! - 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 Acts 13:1,

"In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers…"

It is at this church in Antioch where disciples were first called "Christians", Acts 11:26. Barnabas was dispatched from Jerusalem when the believers there heard that "a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord" in Antioch. After arriving in Antioch Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Paul (still called Saul in the account in the book of Acts at this point.) After Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch we are told they taught the believers there for a year. At the time they had also been sent from this church back up to Jerusalem to take a gift to help the believers there who were experiencing a famine. When Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch they brought with them John Mark, the author of the gospel that bears his name.

As seen, there was a lot of activity taking place at Antioch and we read in Acts 13:1 that there were prophets and teachers within the fellowship there. God was on the move and it is from this fellowship we see Paul's missionary enterprise being launched. As we see God active at Antioch we see the Holy Spirit raise up gifted people to perform the work that needed to be done. There was a need for prophets and teachers, so the Holy Spirit gifted certain ones to fill the need.

Within the early church and throughout the centuries of church history we see God gifting individuals to carry out work that needs to be done. In Ephesians 4:11-13 we read, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

God gifts us all for participating in what he is doing in the church. "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good", 1 Corinthians 12:7. With these gifts he expects us to serve one another. In 1 Peter 4:10 we read, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." It is in this that I find the presence of God very active in the church. He gifts us all and raises up certain ones for specific tasks. He did in the early church and he still does so to this day. I find it fascinating to see how the Lord manifests what he is doing by looking at how he gifts his people.

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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God: Worthy to Suffer For - 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 Acts 12:1,

"It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them."

There are a variety of reasons why members of the Kingdom of Heaven may endure difficulty or suffering in this life. Living in a lost and fallen world that continues to struggle under its Creator's judgment is cause for difficulty or suffering for all mankind, whether they are God's children or not.

Some in the church suffer because of poor choices they might make, stumbling in sin, etc., as we reap what we sow. 

Others suffer for some purpose of God, as did the blind man who was born blind, not because of his own sin or the sin of his parents. Jesus told his disciples he was born blind that God's work might be displayed in his life, as he healed him miraculously to demonstrate his compassion and authenticate the message of the coming Kingdom of God, John 9:1-12. 

Others have been called by God to martyrdom as a testimony of their commitment to God, revealing what true faith looks like, "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered", Romans 8:36.

There is another cause for suffering that we see on display here as we read of King Herod's treatment of the church when he had the apostle James put to death, the first apostle martyred. His brother speaks of it in 1 John 3:12-13, "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you."

There may have been political reasons why Herod took the action he did against the church, but certainly he was also fueled by this dynamic we read of in the account of Cain's murder of Abel in Genesis 4. There are those of us who have thrown our lot into the Kingdom of Heaven and joined God in his tent. There are those who, for whatever reason (Jesus, in his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3 spoke of those who refuse to come into the light because their evil deeds would be exposed), have rejected God's offer, remain outside of God's tent and live in hostility toward those of us who are within.

How is it that God allowed the early church to suffer? The church willingly participated in God's agenda, working together with him to carry out his purposes. In this way the church very effectively communicated the greatness and glory of God as One who was worthy to suffer for. After all, wasn't God the one who harbored a love of unworthy mankind that prompted him to send his Son to suffer in mankind's place?

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 Magnificent Love Beckons Us! - 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 Acts 11:9,

"Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

This is such an amazing thing to me! Mankind, as a race, has turned his back on God, sinned and rebelled against him. The horrifying account in Genesis 3 tells us of our progenitors heeding the Serpent in the Garden of Eden and willfully choosing to reject their Creator in favor of a temptation.

Since that time we have collectively demonstrated the ensuing wickedness of our hearts – the development of a diabolical sin nature that stirs our every impulse to continue to reject God and pursue those things that are anti-God.

Given these circumstances, it is astonishing to me that God loves us, that he has a kind and merciful bent toward us to the point of sending his own Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. I guess the most astonishing thing to me of all is not just that God has extended his call to the Gentiles, but that he has any room in his heart for mankind at all!

What a heart this is!! A God-sized heart full of kindness, mercy and love for us! We all deserve his wrath for turning our backs on him and yet he holds his arms out to us, beckoning us to come to him! His invitation to all mankind speaks of a magnificent love and his willingness to forgive us all who have sinned against him, if we simply heed his call!

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.