Practical Faith pt2

Yesterday marked 7 months since Piper packed up and moved into her new abode in the glories of heaven.  Well, to be truthful here… she really didn’t pack up ANYTHING!  The fact is that she left everything here for me to deal with!  Every-so-often I’ll look around the house and in particular in our bedroom, and I’ll think about how strange it is to have all of her belongings… but not her!

Recently I was praying out loud in the house and began to thank God for the 48 incredibly blessed years that I had with Piper when for some reason, I suddenly began to laugh and cry as I pictured her bright and engaging smile and that patented Piper gleam in her eyes.  Then I spoke aloud, most likely to the dog and exclaimed that “Piper never lost that smile in her eyes until she left us… and took it with her!”

I clearly remember when I awoke on that fateful morning after spending the whole night holding her hand and looking closely into those eyes and just couldn’t keep my eyes open any more… and turned to look at her and immediately noticed that the gleam, the light and the smile in her pretty brown eyes was gone.  All I could happily say was “Oh Piper, you’ve gone home!”

I also remember a lot of other happy times when her actions taught me many life lessons that I still practice up through this day!  One of those lessons was the practical ways in which she lived her faith.  I’ve told on many occasions of how Piper lived her Christianity.  Of how it was just an integrated part of who she was.  I saw her do this throughout the five years that we dated before our marriage, but I never learned her method until after our wedding and we began our life together under the same roof.

She had a simple faith.  A childlike belief in the goodness and love of God and a no-questions-asked acceptance of the truth of his written Word.  Colossians 3:16 tells us to, “Let Christ's word with all its wisdom and richness live in you. Use psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to teach and instruct yourselves about God's kindness. Sing to God in your hearts.” (God’s Word ©)

That verse perfectly summarizes Piper.  She believed and had a deep respect with an ever-increasing understanding of His Word.  When we moved into that first apartment in July of 1975, I used to watch her with rapt attention as she sought out the truth in His Word.  She would pour over her New American Standard Bible on a daily basis.  And whether she actually knew what she was doing or not… she had a process that she pretty rigidly followed.

Once she grabbed hold of a scripture, she would read it, study it in context to the verses around it, look it up in other translations and write it out for days in a row.  Then as her understanding grew, she would regularly confess it, use it in her daily conversations and work it until it simply became a part of her life.  That is how she automatically seemed to always have a relevant scripture for almost any situation in life.  And most times… it would take those around her by complete surprise as she would suddenly mention a scripture that could help them with what they were dealing with… and I’m talking here about anything in life… no matter how unusual it sounded!

I can vividly remember many occasions when we’d be sitting around the table at her folk’s house or on one of their coastal vacations that we went on with them, when we adults would be talking about someone or some situation when Piper, with her sweet disposition, would suddenly pop in a scripture as an antidote to the need at hand. 

In response to her suggestion, everyone would laugh while Piper and I just sat there with a smile on our faces.  And I am sure that she was probably thinking the same thing as me when I’d think “Wait for it… Wait for it…” and then they would suddenly stop laughing and realize that she was quite serious!  Over the years I had seen that same reaction over and over again whether we were chatting with people at church, with friends or even when ministering to the youth and kids.

You see, to me, that is what the practical application of your faith is all about.  Piper believed that God was bigger than ANY need or situation and depended on HIS Word to be the solution or a major part of the fix that people needed in the situations that occurred within their daily lives.

What do you think about that?  I’ll share some more examples next time, but until then, think about how you could incorporate the Word of God and the answers that He has packed within the pages of your Bible into your daily needs, activities and overall lives.  Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting to put God’s Word to work in my daily life… today!”