A Time To Ponder

A TIME TO PONDER 

This word "ponder" comes from a Greek word that means "placing together for comparison". It is used in (Luke 2:19) "But Mary keep all these things and pondered them in her heart". Just try to image how many things she would have to ponder about, since she met Gabriel the Archangel, one of the three highest created beings who shared the rule of the Kingdom of God with Father. It would seem that his responsibility was in the area of "Communications" between God and man, for example Daniel in the OT, and both Mary and Joseph in regard to the birth of Jesus the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the whole world, (Matt 1:20-21). Read the account of Gabriel coming to Daniel in response to the prayer of (Dan 9:20-28) and assuring him that his prayer had been heard and that he had been sent to give Daniel the answer to his prayer. Then of course the many incidents in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus must have left lots of things in her mind to "ponder".

As we consider the complete story of Jesus Christ the Son of God who left His position in heaven with the Father to come down to our sin-cursed earth to become the "Last Adam", or "Agape incarnate", or "Immanuel" (God with us), we can really appreciate His Self Sacrifice. He paid the supreme sacrifice of giving His life for a world that hated Him, "The Lamb of God" who died for the sins of humanity. We often hear discussions about who killed Jesus? Some blame the Jews, some say the Romans etc. but the truth is that no one "Killed Jesus", He gave up His life freely for all of us because of the Agape love of the Father, Son and Spirit. This was all in accordance with the cosmic plan revealed by God to Paul and expressed in (Eph 1:1-8) this was accomplished on the "old Rugged Cross" outside Jerusalem where He shed His blood for you and me. The true Gospel of the Kingdom that Paul preached and described so well in (1 Cor 15:3-6) explains the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as the real core of the gospel that has not been clearly understood by many people. Certain church doctrines have made the "gospel" to be something other than the true thing. We hear of the "social gospel", the "prosperity gospel", the "Feel good gospel" etc. but be assured they are not the real thing. There is only one true Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus mentions in (Matt 24:14), and anything else that claims to be "the gospel" is a counterfeit. There seems to be many of these counterfeits showing up in church circles lately, as we were told!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                          04/08/13