Plainfield Ponderings - Scripture Meditations

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Ponder the faith of Abraham, seen in the Ninevites.  Jonah 3 is the story of Nineveh's repentance.  There is a unique phrase in Jonah 3 about their faith that only appears positively in a couple other instances, Abraham's faith being one of them!  What is saving faith, and do we have it?  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the dragnet parable with me.  Matt. 13:47-50.  It's not a feel-good parable.  It's a parable of realism.  The kingdom of heaven, on earth, isn't always what it should be.  As much as we would like to get rid of all the ungodly influences within the church and be as holy and pure as God wants us to be, we cannot fully do so.  Some sins are rather hidden, but not from God.  When the dragnet comes in though, all will be the way it should be.  In the meantime, don't be discouraged!  It's a tool of the devil to use the fact that God's kingdom isn't always what it should be, as discouragement.  Hang in there!  You'll be glad you did, post dragnet.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the reconciliation of humans with me.  It is one of the intentions of the gospel that I haven't thought enough about.  God wants peace with Him, but also peace between humans.  The gospel should be a conduit of healing relationships.  Jesus treated this subject with the utmost seriousness.  Let's give it that kind of attention too.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the new year with me!  Happy new year to everyone.  While there is not a new year's celebration in the New Testament, what did the new year look like to an Israelite?  God changed their calendar based on their salvation from slavery.  Let's think through that and the first major holiday that followed.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the belly of the fish with me.  God prepared a trial, and a pretty harsh one at that, for Jonah.  A near death experience (or worse?) is what Jonah needed to snap out of his hypocrisy and apathy.  What do you need?  God loves us enough to give us the trials we need to realize that sin isn't what it's cracked up to be.  Sin always disappoints...always lies...always brings death.  When will I learn that?  Perhaps, like Jonah, after a harsh trial.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the hideous effects that hypocrisy and apathy have on others.  Sin always works its way into the lives of others.  Always.  It's why Jesus called hypocrisy the leaven of the Pharisees.  It always has a horrendous impact.  When we are hypocritical and apathetic, someone around us is suffering.  If we're asleep spiritually (as Jonah was physically and spiritually), God may have to do something drastic to help rouse us.  He loves us too much not to try.  To God be the glory!

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Let's ponder Jonah together!  This will be the beginning of a new series on Jonah.  I hope it's as challenging for you as it is for me.  In Jonah, I see a Pharisee.  He ends up grumpy about the mercy the Gentiles in Nineveh receive, but also, he conveniently was okay with living the Tarshish-dream although they were as wicked as Nineveh (albeit in a different way).  Are we more like this Pharisaical prophet than we'd like to admit?  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the solstice with me.  The winter solstice is just around the corner.  It's December 21st, the shortest day of the year.  This has made me think about Jesus being compared to the Dawn, or as He calls Himself in Revelation 22:16, "the bright morning star".  Let's think through this and why Jesus would be referring to Himself as this, at the very end of Revelation.  Perhaps we need this one last reminder too.  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the stench of Christ with me.  We'll play off of the story from the last episode about Mary from Bethany's anointing of perfume.  The perfume was to cover up the stench of death.  How did Christ's death smell to God?  How does it smell to you?  Will you carry that stench with you always, in everyday life?  And finally, how will the world perceive the odor?  To God be the glory!

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Ponder the anointing of perfume from Mary of Bethany with me.  Jesus said wherever the gospel is proclaimed in all the world, it would be told in memory of her.  Let's remember her together.  Her faith in what Jesus was saying about His death is remarkable, especially when you consider the refusal of others to believe it.  When people all around us won't believe the simple teachings of Jesus, will we imitate Mary's faith?  To God be the glory!

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