Rumination Journal

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." --Matthew 5:13-16, NASB In the Jordan Rift Valley, with Israel to the west and Judea and Samaria to the east, lies the Dead Sea, one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. At 33.7 percent salinity, the Dead Sea is 8.6 times saltier than the world's oceans. From the deep blue sky overhead, the constant sun beats down on the lapping water and its surreal white shoreline. The rocks are thickly encrusted with many layers of salt and minerals, glittering...

The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. --Lamentations 3:22-23 NASB The most significant thing about this wonderful passage is where we find it in the Bible. The Book of Lamentations tells of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which took place over 587 and 586 BC when Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar overran the city. The surviving inhabitants either fled to other countries, were carried away to Babylon as slaves or remained under the brutal rule of an occupying force. Lamentations does not name its author, but it is generally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. For many years Jeremiah had warned the people and their leaders about their unfaithfulness to God. Jeremiah knew that being chosen by God did not translate to a free pass. He knew that actions had consequences. If God's people were not faithful to God's instructions, bad things would happen. But even...

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. --Isaiah 55:11 NASB In Isaiah 55 the prophet explains to us that we cannot truly understand the mind or the methods of God. After all, we are not God. That being said, Isaiah assures us that God is faithful and He will accomplish what He determines to do. A key point is in verse eleven, the Hebrew word transliterated shalach (pronounced "shaw-LAKH"). The word means to cast away or throw away, much like a fisher would cast a net, or like a farmer would cast seeds. At the proper time, the fisher will draw in the net and the farmer will reap the harvest. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are instructed to bear witness to the Word of God through our words and through our actions. But to what end? We may have a general idea. We know that our goal is to lead others to God through Christ, and we...