Rumination

Jesus, in a very striking statement to the people of Israel, says that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgement for the city of Sodom than for the people of Israel. Why would Jesus make such an incredible claim? In today's episode, we will find out what it takes to have right standing with God, and take a close look at the differentiation Jesus makes between the wicked people of Sodom and the religious people of Israel.

Jacob wrestled with God and would not let go until God blessed Him. In our comfortable culture, we have forgotten how to wrestle with God, and this has had a dramatic impact on the way we view our relationship with God. In today's episode, we get a clearer picture of what it looks like to wrestle with God and why it is so important.

We tithe because that is what we are commanded by God to do. Tithing is such an important part of our daily Christian living, yet we see in Genesis 28 that Jacob decided to tithe, to give ten percent of his wealth back to God as a result of a revelation of the goodness of God and the promise of God to always provide for Jacob. How much different would our lives and our relationship with God be if we tithed as a response to the majesty and love of God?

Genesis 27 is a very familiar story of Jacob's deceitful behavior earning a quick, temporary gain in life. Isaac blesses Jacob instead of Esau as a result of the schemes of Rebekah and Jacob, yet this blessing does not protect Jacob from the consequences of his deceit later on in life. The two thoughts we discuss in this episode are the brevity of life and the fulfillment of life in God.

Because we understand the present better than we understand the future, it is very easy for us to take what is satisfying, fulfilling, or enjoyable now, even if it means sacrificing what is coming in the future. For Esau, this was trading his birthright for a single meal. Though we would never trade a material inheritance for a bowl of stew, we trade our spiritual inheritance for so much less. And we do this every single day, probably without even thinking about it!

Everyone has faith. The depth of our faith is what changes things for us in life. I have faith that my alarm clock will wake me up, but do I have faith that I will get another day? I have faith that I will heal from a cold, but do I have faith that I will heal from a terminal illness? Regardless of how the situation seems to me, my faith should be just as deep, no matter what. The centurion in today's episode understood what faith is, and he demonstrated the deepest faith.

The teachings of Jesus had a far greater impact on the Jews than any of the teachings they had ever heard before. This is because there was something different behind Jesus's teachings. He taught as someone who had a special power or authority to teach. This same special something is available to us through the Holy Spirit. As we grow closer to God, we will deepen our understanding of the Bible as well as our understanding of God. This is what differentiated the teachings of the Jewish religious leaders and the teachings of Jesus.

God called Abraham to be blameless in order that a covenant would be established between them. Abraham bowed down before God, and God established that covenant. Yet we see as Genesis continues that God desired Abraham to continue to be blameless being blameless before God is not an event. Walking with God is not a temporary thing that we sometimes do, or only do when it is convenient or beneficial to us. Unfortunately, in the busyness of the world, we can fall into a rut of viewing God this way. We see in today's episode that this commitment is one that is meant to be eternal. Continually being blameless before God should be the foundation of our entire lives. God's promises are not one-time events. He desires to bless us continually, so we must be blameless before Him continually!

God calls us to be blameless, to be holy just as He is holy. We see God remind Abram of this in Genesis 17, yet Abram's actions are radically different in this chapter than in the previous chapters. Abram's behavior looked different here when God finally established His covenant with Abram, yet it was not Abram's actions that changed things; it was his heart! In today's episode, we come to a greater understanding of what it means to be blameless, and we also take a look at the relationship between our faith and our actions.

For this new season of Rumination, we will be studying a year-long Bible reading plan. This will help us gain a deeper understanding of the continuity of the Bible, as well as the all-encompassing nature of the Word and wisdom of God.

The world was created perfectly by God, yet sin has ruined that perfection. We struggle and fight and experience tragedy and hardship because of the results of sin. Throughout history, people have organized movements and causes to try to get the world back into its proper state of being, yet so many people don't have a clear understanding of what counts as the "proper" state of being for the world. In today's episode, we will look at one simply verse that proclaims the truth about God's relationship, desires, and love for His creation, and we will explore what that means for us as we work alongside God towards the redemption of the world.