Plainfield Ponderings - Scripture Meditations

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Ponder the kindness and severity of God.  Paul says to do this very thing in Romans 11:22, "note then the kindness and severity of God".  Let's do that through the book of Amos.  God was so good to Israel!  He reminds them of that at the beginning of Amos.  He wasn't just good in their past, but He had been good to them even under Jeroboam II.  However, God's options are limited when dealing with rock-hard hearts.  Which is why we need His severity at times.  To God be the glory!

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Let's ponder the way we say things.  This truly matters.  The way we come across is just as powerful as the content of the message.  When food is seasoned with salt, the food content doesn't change.  It's just more palatable.  And oftentimes, the content of what we say doesn't need to change, but how we say it needs a little work.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder about how to help each other thrive with our manner of life.  We normally think of moral issues when thinking about our manner of life, but when Paul mentions it in Philippians, he has our relationship to the church on his mind.  Our relationship to the church says as much about our manner of life as morals do.  How should our relationship with the church be defined?  As usual, the answer is about Christ.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder with me again about the new birth.  Last episode we begin thinking about what it means to be born again.  The first episode was about being born of water and this episode we think about the second half of that, which is born of the Spirit.  Jesus expects Nicodemus to be familiar with these ideas from the O.T.  What O.T. passages give us the idea that we'll be NEW (born again) from His Spirit?  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the blessing of being able to speak.  It is something I have taken for granted all of my life.  Slowly though, I am becoming more appreciative of it because of my nephew Jack.  He is mute but is incredibly intelligent!  He has learned to communicate through spelling on a letter board.  Watching his progress and seeing his desire to speak has touched me.  With the blessing of the gospel, we have most amazing gift to talk about and many of us having the ability to talk about it.  It would be tragic if we didn't.  Think through this with me, please.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the new birth with me!  One of the most popular and debated statements from Jesus is about being born again.  He defines that as being born of water and the Spirit.  This episode will focus on being born of water.  Jesus expects Nicodemus to understand this from the O.T.  What information from the O.T. would have pre-figured baptism?  To God be the glory!

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Ponder what it means to lose faith.  When I think of losing faith it's normally associated with full on atheism, idolatry, etc.  Jesus challenges us to think about a loss of faith as quitting on prayer.  Right after telling a parable about persistent prayer, He asks about whether faith will be found on earth when He comes again.  In other words -- when Jesus is teaching about prayer, He's really teaching about faith.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder God's character with me!  Is there anything more foundational to our faith than knowing the God we serve?  Jonah's view of God is quite heart-warming, and yet he cannot stand how God has acted with Nineveh.  What's the deal here?  Is Jonah correct in his assessment of God's character?  Is it a common feeling to be upset at Him like this?  Let's think through it together.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the art of the parable with me.  Why did Jesus teach in parables?  He was asked that question in Matthew 13.  His response is fascinating, and it says something to us about how to deal with people who are dull of hearing (spiritually).  Have you ever wondered about someone who had almost NO religious or biblical background - where do I start with this person?  This conversation in Matthew 13 may give us some insight.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder reconciling brothers again with me.  The last lesson we did (released on January 5th) was mainly from the perspective of Onesimus...that if we have wronged others, we must go out of our way to address that.  In this lesson we look more from the perspective of being wronged.  Are we wanting to put people on probation, or forgive them?  To God be the glory!

Please email me any comments or questions at [email protected]