Worship For Today

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

The Value of Jesus Christ - 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 Galatians 5:2,

"Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all."

As Paul continues to point to the uselessness of turning from the gospel of grace to the law, he warns his hearers: if you do this "Christ will be of no value to you at all." This causes me to think of the value Jesus Christ holds in my own life.

Certainly the chief value of Jesus Christ to anyone is that we can obtain a right standing with God as our judge through him. He died for the sins of mankind and so his value is inestimable to any one of us.

Other things that hold value: bank accounts, possessions, retirement (at my advanced age...), family, children and grandchildren are all things that are important. My wife, marriage, our home, friends and relatives all hold value. The value of any of these things is defined by what I invest in any one of them. My time, my resources, my talents, whatever it is God has given me, help express what holds value in my life by how much I invest those things in what I deem of value to me.

In a very self-centered way, I can say that what holds value to me does so because of what it represents to me, what it brings me, how it affects my life. All I have listed here holds obvious value to me for the likewise obvious reasons. But what about Jesus Christ? Of what value is he to me? Here is someone who loves me, for no apparent reason whatsoever. Given all of my faults, my shortcomings and sins, all of the blemishes in my own character and nature, he nevertheless loves me. He loves me so much that he was willing to take my sins on himself and die a miserable death on that cross. He loves me so much, he made a way for me to become a co-heir with him of all our Heavenly Father gives him. He loves me so much he sent someone to me with the gospel message, that I might hear of him and all he has done for me. He loves me so much he sent the Holy Spirit to be my constant companion, that my life might begin to bear the fruit of what defines his character and nature. Jesus Christ has sealed me, guaranteeing my place at his Father's table, providing me eternal and abundant life!

To contemplate rendering Jesus Christ of no value to me is beyond comprehension. He is of the greatest possible value to me and certainly worthy of investing all I have for what he desires.

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.

Monday, September 11, 2023

Jesus Christ Brings Joy! - Ruminating in the Word of God

"Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!... What has happened to all your joy?"

Paul's indictment against the Galatian believers was that they were turning from the faith that brought them into a relationship with God back to the religious principles they clung to before they came to know God through the gospel message Paul preached. They were placing themselves in slavery under "those who by nature are not gods." and "weak and miserable principles".

What captures my eye this morning is that as the Galatians began to turn from the true faith, they began to lose their joy! Paul asks them, "What has happened to all your joy?" This points to the fact that having a right relationship with God brings great joy!

Joy is a word that has somehow lost popular circulation in our day, except at Christmas time. Possibly this is a reflection of the pull of our society away from the things of God these days. Joy is a natural outflow of our relationship with God. For those of us who know God, we are convinced of the wonders headed our way in the resurrection! Paul tells us the kingdom of God is not a matter of splitting hairs over every doctrinal issue that can develop within the church, "the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" Romans 14:17. Righteousness, peace and joy! In the next chapter Paul tells us joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, Galatians 5:22. Because of this we should find ourselves always joyful, 1 Thessalonians 5:16. We know that God's angels live in the presence of the Lord and therefore are described as those who are in "joyful assembly", Hebrews 12:22.

The one passage that sticks out in my mind relative to the joy that is ours in Jesus Christ is what Peter has to say about believers, 1 Peter 1:8-9, "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls." Here is the appointed disposition of those who are eagerly awaiting the return of our wonderful Lord from heaven: joy!

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.

Friday, September 8, 2023

God's Salvation: I Rest In Him - Ruminating in the Word of God

"I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"

The question Paul confronted the Galatian churches with pointed to a contradiction the Galatians were pursuing. As today, there were folks in the early church who were unable to rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ and felt they had to do things, beyond their faith, to maintain God's love and acceptance of them. At that time folks were teaching these new churches that even though salvation is by faith, the members of these new churches needed to be maintaining God's acceptance of them by keeping the law. Gentile converts needed to be circumcised according to the Mosaic law, and all had to keep the law in order to maintain their relationship with God.

In this letter Paul points out that as you are born again through faith, you continue in that faith. Jesus Christ did all the work and there is nothing we need to do to maintain God's love and acceptance of us. Paul will say in other places that our new life in Jesus Christ will bring about lifestyle changes, as in Galatians 5:16-26 (the acts of the sinful nature versus the fruit of the Holy Spirit). But these changes take place because we become a "new creation" in him, 2 Corinthians 5:17, not because we are required to earn or maintain God's love and acceptance by doing things.

Today there are all kinds of things folks tell us we need to do in order to maintain God's love and acceptance of us as believers. The law of Moses may be exchanged for newer things (and often it is the law of Moses that some still say is required) but it is the same old issue. Faith is not enough for some folks to feel comfortable with God's love and acceptance of them so they engage in all sorts of spiritual disciplines, requirements, rules and regulations. They insist on it for themselves and everyone else.

Not for me. The writer of Hebrews tells me I have entered into his rest. When I placed my faith in Jesus Christ, I believed that it was what he did on the cross that made me acceptable to God. There is nothing I can do to add to it. It was a perfect work and entirely effective to bring about my eternal acceptance by God and as such was God's manifestation of his great love for me - just as I am.

"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." Hebrews 4:9-11. That disobedience was displacing faith for works.

Thursday, September 7, 2023

All I Need! - Ruminating in the Word of God

"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ."

Paul tells his hearers, it is faith in Jesus Christ that brings justification. Justification is where my sins, my offenses, my violations of God's law are not held against me. It is a legal term indicating that in God's court I am not guilty of any sin. The guilt has been paid for! Therefore I am qualified and will participate in the resurrection of life. All others who do not place their faith in Jesus Christ will spend an eternity in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Faith in Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is all I need! I don't need rosaries, I don't need mantras. I don't need T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyers or Joel Olsteen. I only need Jesus Christ. I don't need the Baptists or the Budhists. I don't need the pope or a priest. I don't need a book, a purpose, a seminar or a conference. I only need Jesus Christ. I don't need John Calvin and I don't need Jacob Arminius. I don't need chakras and I don't need the Dalai Lama. I only need Jesus Christ. I don't need a religion, a denomination, the right political party and I don't need my immunization record current. I only need Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ and his apostles are the ones I listen to. The words written by those who were carried along by the "Spirit of Christ" are the ones I listen to. It is Jesus Christ I love! It is Jesus Christ I follow! It is Jesus Christ that holds me spell-bound with the splendor of his many-faceted perfections! Jesus Christ is the one I am awestruck by! It is Jesus Christ that I worship, that I adore, that I find meaning and purpose in life in! It is Jesus Christ who loved me. It is Jesus Christ who came and died a horrible death for me! It is Jesus Christ who guarantees me abundant eternal life! It is Jesus Christ who will share his inheritance with me!

How could I possibly need anything else when I have this wonderful person, Jesus Christ?!

Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Paul's Curse - Ruminating in the Word of God

"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"

As Paul sets the record straight for the Galatian believers, after they had a visit from some folks that attempted to pervert the message of the gospel by adding to the message a requirement of having to be circumcised for salvation, Paul calls for a curse on anyone who would alter the gospel message. "Let him be eternally condemned!"

Is this merely colorful language to adorn Paul's oratory? Or is there a serious threat here from Paul? As God's messenger, sent by Jesus Christ and God the Father, do we have a threat here from God himself, since Paul was speaking on God's behalf? I firmly believe so. Paul's credentials, unlike so many self-appointed folks these days, are impeccable. He clearly was sent by God with the gospel message as he tells us in this first chapter of Galatians. And he wasn't sent empty handed. God gave him the gospel message to bring to the Gentile world and now, having been opposed by others who attempted to pervert the simple message of salvation by faith, Paul calls anathema on them. God's curse. My perspective is this would be all it would take for someone to be found confined to the fiery lake of burning sulfur for an eternity.

Paul's ability to bring a curse on someone and have God's certain judgment fall on them is amply demonstrated by the occasion of Paul's first missionary trip. When he and Barnabas arrived on Cyprus a sorcerer named Elymas attempted to turn the proconsul from the faith. Through Paul he was struck with blindness.

Does an apostolic curse remain active only during the lifespan of the apostle? Was Paul's curse on those who would pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ only a temporary thing - only for those who troubled the Galatian believers? I would not want to be in the shoes of those who, today, pervert the gospel. Today we see all sorts of theologies, denominations, religions supposedly based on Jesus Christ, isms and schisms. Certainly, there are many who have squarely placed themselves in the cross-hairs of Paul's curse. Woe to them!

Our God is not to be trifled with…

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

"Only For The Truth" - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Corinthians 13:8,

"For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth."

Paul asks his readers to examine themselves, to test themselves to see if they are "in the faith", verse 5. As he does so he invites them to test him and his apostolic team to "discover" that they do not fail that test, verse 6. This forms the background for reflecting on making choices, for doing "what is wrong" versus doing "what is right", verse 7.

Paul then presents his clarion call for determining the difference based on what had driven him and his team: "we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth."

Truth seems in short supply, particularly in the culture of our day. Our culture is swiftly devolving into a morass where transcendent fundamental realities are rejected in favor of anything that comports with truth. And, sadly, many churches and denominations are riding on the backs of those who lead the way.

How can anyone possibly follow Paul's lead when he says, "we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth"? As Pilate asked Jesus in his retort to him, "What is truth?" John 18:38.

Our Creator is well aware of the deceitful condition of the heart of man. And, out of his great love for us, he has provided everything we need in order to know absolute truth, and to know it absolutely. In Jesus' own prayer to the Father he said, "your word is truth." John 17:17. He also told his followers, "I am the way and the truth and the life." John 14:6.

We live in a day where we have a Supreme Court justice who cannot tell us what a woman is or when an individual "becomes" a person (when do the protections of the law apply?). We have people who pretend there are many genders and that we can be fluid between them all. We have churches who have no idea that God finds homosexuality detestable (Deuteronomy 18:22) and that no one can enter into the kingdom of God as a homosexual (1 Corinthians 6:9).

You get the drift... humanity is set adrift on falsehood. How wonderful our God provides us all we need to act according to truth. However, as pointed out above, only in Jesus Christ can we know truth, because he is truth. Only by knowing, reading, studying, immersing ourselves in the Scriptures can we know truth.

May we all find our way to Jesus Christ and avail ourselves of God's word today!

By the way, the next time someone tries to tell you there is no absolute truth, that we all have our "own truth", just ask them if that is an absolute truth. (I couldn't help myself...)

Monday, September 4, 2023

What Lays Beyond the Grave... Breathtaking! - Ruminating in the Word of God

"Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man 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."

As Paul speaks of experiences he had some fourteen years earlier he talks of being caught up to paradise, to heaven. He experienced visions and revelations. He says when he was caught up to heaven he heard inexpressible things, things he was not permitted to tell.

As I'm sure with most folks, I find this fascinating. Here is a man whom many of us have spent hours with in his writings, who has seen and experienced "the other side". Creation has been designed such that normative experience never provides opportunity to look out beyond the scope of the creation we live in and are a part of. And although all of us will see and experience this dimension in one way or the other after death, while in this life we cannot see beyond. Only a precious few have seen or experienced heaven before death. Paul was one (John was another), and following these visions and revelations from the Lord he spent some 25 years or so communicating with all who would listen. He still speaks today in his writings.

The "inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell" fascinate me. What were they? What did Paul see? What did he hear? What did he feel as he was transported to heaven? What a perspective this man had! Here is one man who was able to live out the thought, "If I had only known, I would have lived my life differently". He did know and he did live his life differently.

Just a few rambling thoughts again, but for me they point to the mystical reality of what lies beyond a heartbeat for each one of us. What we experience within this creation is only the beginning of our lives. What comes next seems to me to be sweeping, breath-taking and enchanting! Such are the things of our God!