Plainfield Ponderings - Scripture Meditations

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Ponder with me the final two temptations from Satan in Matthew 4. They are all about shortcuts. The shortcut to show everyone Jesus is the true Messiah, and the shortcut of God's promise to Christ of all the nations (Psalm 2). Satan is all about quick fixes and short cutting the sacrifice of true love. Praise God that Jesus has had enough - be gone! To God be the glory!

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Ponder with me some applications to some very big topics - loving our neighbor as ourselves and the brevity of life. It may seem silly to ponder such big things in one lesson, but James gives them in back-to-back paragraphs. Hint - it all has to do with the context of our previous four lessons from James - peaceable relationships and worldliness. To God be the glory!

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Ponder the spiritual warfare in the wilderness between Christ and Satan, from Matthew 4. Christ, as our High Priest, is showing the way to fight temptation. Let's get into the mind of the devil, while also getting into the mind of Jesus. These temptations have so many layers to them, and it is all things we face today. I hope you'll join me - to God be the glory!

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Ponder with me about how Christ helps us in our temptations. Although I don't know all the details, Hebrews is quite clear that Jesus is available and ready to help us in our temptations. The reason He is able to do so is because He was tempted in all things...which must be why the Holy Spirit was so adamant about sending Him into the wilderness to be tempted. To God be the glory!

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Let's ponder worldliness a bit more. This is a bit of a continuation of the last episode. If I did not quite convince you that worldliness is idolatry, wait till you see the passages that speak of God's jealousy. Our love of the world has incited His jealousy, but that always has a specific context in the Old Testament. This lesson won't end negatively though, I promise. To God be the glory!

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Let's ponder the strong language James has about worldliness. He calls it spiritual adultery (4:4). That might not be as shocking on the surface, but when you compare it to how Scripture speaks of spiritual adultery in other places, you'll find it very compelling. I sure did. Ponder with me how worldliness might be more an affront to God than we might think. To God be the glory!

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Ponder the deaths of Nadab and Abihu with me. They were Aaron's sons and died by the hand of God in Leviticus 10 because they offered unauthorized fire. First, what does this say about God's commands? Secondly - what does this say about how we view God? Moses' comment to Aarron following the death of his boys is quite interesting. To God be the glory!

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Ponder another aspect of heavenly wisdom - being open to reason. This Greek term in James 3:17 is a super deep word! It's translated differently in almost every English translation. How does this wisdom show up in our everyday lives? We'll go to two examples in the O.T. to see it in action and then we'll apply it lastly in its original context - peace among believers. To God be the glory!

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Ponder what wisdom from above is all about. Heavenly wisdom shows itself in many ways, but one vital one that James brings to our attention is in peaceable relationships. What do our relationships in the church have to do with wisdom? Ponder it with me. To God be the glory!

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Let's ponder the raging debate within our society about free speech and hate speech. One of the results from Charlie Kirk's assassination has been this ongoing debate. Both sides of the political isle are saying that the rhetoric needs to calm down. We need to stop the hate-speech. But how? Is it just a matter of reigning in words or does the issue of speech involve something deeper? Please listen in and let's grow together. To God be the glory!

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