The Ultimate Sacrifice

I couldn’t help but to compare the verse of scripture, that first came up on my Bible study program as it loaded on my laptop this morning, with the reason for our celebration of MEMORIAL DAY here in the United States.  In Romans 10:13 the Apostle Paul shared the crux of the Gospel Message declaring that, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (God’s Word ©)

When I read that verse, I immediately connected it with what is probably the most popular verse in the Bible in John 3:16 where Jesus stated “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (EMTV)

According to History.com “Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.”  It is a day set aside for all of us to remember those brave individuals who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives for the freedoms that you and I in the United States get to enjoy and participate in every day.

Therefore, my initial thought this morning as I sat at my desk in my study, was that just as we honor those who have given their lives for our freedom, so should we honor Jesus who gave His life for our freedom from eternal death and the bondages of Satan’s rule and dominion in this world.

I was thinking the other day, about Piper’s and my background and shared experiences in the Christian church and realized that over the years, we had gained a very unique and diversely well-rounded ecumenical experience.  In high school and Junior College, we led groups in the Baptist Church, in college we helped to lead Bible Studies with both Inter-Varsity and the Catholic on campus Newman Center.  Once married our hands-on experiences included different denominational churches, charismatic churches, Pentecostal and Word of Faith fellowships.

So, needless to say, we saw a wide variety of worship expression, traditions, styles and Biblical emphasis.  In all of these settings we observed those who were on-fire for the Lord, the strong and mature individuals and the new and/or baby Christians.  But I think the people that Piper and I were drawn to the most, were those Christians who were living way below their potential when seen in line with the available benefits of having the fulness of Christ in their lives. 

For many of these folks, it was as if they had settled to be happy and blessed in being saved from eternal death with the hope of a home in heaven waiting for them… but until then they would just muddle through life until their bodies finally succumbed to physical death… and that’s where Piper and I would come in to share that there is SO MUCH MORE that the Christian life has to offer… in the here and now on this earth!

In Romans 10:13 the idea of calling upon the name of the Lord is defined and experienced through the power, authority and excellence inherent in the name of Jesus!  Thayer’s says that the word “NAME” in this verse “is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.”

When one connects that knowledge with the full definition of the word “SAVED” at the end of the verse, you’ll discover everything that is offered and available to any of us who are called by that name (ie; Christian).  Strong’s tells us that the Greek meaning of the word “sozo” (saved) goes way beyond salvation from eternal death, but also incudes the ideas of “deliverance, protection, healing, preservation, the ability to do well and make whole.”  C.I. Scofield states that “Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes…” 

In John 17:17 Jesus prayed to the Father asking that He would set Christians apart from the world’s way of life by the truth that is the Word of God.  In 2 Corinthians 1:20 Paul further explained that “all of God’s promises find their “yes” of fulfillment in Jesus. And as his “yes” and our “amen” ascend to God, we bring him glory!  (The Passion Translation)  And then in Ephesians 1:22 we discover that “God has put everything under the control of Christ. He has made Christ the head of everything for the good (or benefit) of the church.” (God’s Word ©) 

So… it doesn’t take a Biblical scholar to see that God has provided the way for Christians to live a better, more fulfilling and satisfying life on this earth.  He has given us all the tools to live a life above the dictates of the daily news and thereby be an example to a hungry world that is looking for just what YOU’VE GOT… and when they ask… you can joyfully lead them into the everlasting Kingdom of God!

So… as you honor the brave Veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms you enjoy in the United States of America… also take a few moments to remember the ONE who also gave the ultimate sacrifice for your freedom from eternal death and provide an everlasting level of life that begins the moment you are Born-Again and will continue through eternity!

Have a great celebration of MEMORIAL DAY today, and as you do… keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life today!

Fake News!

In the midst of my personal study of heaven, I came across some information that helped to give me a greater understanding in a concurrent study that I have been doing on the 23^rd Psalm.  In this Psalm, David writes from what seems to be the pain in his heart, declaring “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (KJV) 

The idea of “the SHADOW of death” really caught my attention this last week.  The Hebrew phrase “of the SHADOW of death” is defined in Strong’s as “the shade of death or calamity”  In the Greek, “SHADOW” is described as “an image cast by an object and representing the form of that object, or an adumbration.” (Thayer’s)   Dictionary.com explains an adumbration as something that “produces a faint image or resemblance.”

As you can imagine, I have been studying this verse in reference to the passing of my wife and have felt as if David was thinking ahead in time and wrote of me when he penned this very vivid description of my current experience.  When I rolled this verse over in my head for what seemed like the umpteenth time, it suddenly dawned on me as to what David was really attempting to convey with the statement of “the SHADOW of death” and I shouted out declaring “IT’S FAKE NEWS!”  Death is FAKE NEWS!

In reference to Piper, and every other Christian who passes from this earthly realm into the heavenly realm, SHE DIDN’T DIE… She simply vacated her earth suit and the REAL PIPER, the REAL gal on the inside… her born-again, eternal spirit moved on to heaven!  The seemingly final event that occurred to her physical body here on earth was just a SHADOW… a faint image or resemblance of what we on this earth think of as death.  But remember… there is NO death, no deterioration and no decay in heaven.

And… from what I’ve been learning through my study of heaven itself… there are NO SHADOWS in heaven!  James 1:17 tells us that, “Every gift God freely gives us is good and perfect, streaming down from the Father of lights, who shines from the heavens with no hidden shadow or darkness and is never subject to change.” (TPT)  On this subject, the Apostle John described what he saw in heaven when he wrote in Revelation 21:23-25 saying, “The city has no need for the sun or moon to shine, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.  The people will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their wealth into it.  Its gates will never be shut by day—standing always open—because there is no night there.” (TPT)

Psalm 139:5 and many other verses like it, describe the presence of the Lord saying, “You are all around me-in front of me and in back of me. You lay your hand on me.” (God’s Word ©).  So, unlike the Sun that supplies our light here on the earth from its lofty position high above us and creates ever-shifting shadows caused by the movement of the earth… in heaven, Jesus’ presence, which is the source of light there, is all around everyone who abides there… therefore with His glory present from every angle, there is a noticeable absence of shadows.  Which was noted in more than one of the heavenly accounts I read about.

With my personal experience… I don’t know how anyone can face something that has been diagnosed as having no medical cure - without having the assurance that physical death is in reality, FAKE NEWS and that one’s born-again spirit will live on forever in the presence of the Lord, where as Ephesians 1:4 and Psalm 16:11 describes them as “Holy, Happy and Perfect!”

Sure, I miss Piper.  Sure, my heart is broken from the loss of her physical presence enhancing my life… but at the same time, I rest in peace and joy in KNOWING that everything that I ever desired for her is now being COMPLETELY met for eternity in heaven… and sooner than later, I will see her again! 

And from everything I’ve learned concerning heaven’s time and earthly time… what may be a 20-30 year wait for me… won’t be but about an 8-minute wait for Piper… She’ll probably look at me and casually say “Hi!” and act like I just came in from the front yard after getting the mail! (while I’ll be a basket case of emotion!)

So… Thanks to former President Trump… whenever I hear the now often used term FAKE NEWS -  I’m gonna Praise the Lord and thank Him that I and every other Christian I know… will NEVER DIE!  Our physical remains may stay on this earth… but our born-again spirits… the real you and me on the inside… will live on and on for eternity… with Jesus in heaven… where there are NO SHADOWS!

And in case you’re not sure of that happening to you… All it takes is for you to invite Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior and Lord.  The Bible in Romans 10:9-13 describes the process saying,

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.  For with the heart, one believes resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him shall not be put to shame.’  For there is no difference between Jew and Greek (Gentile or non-Jew), for the same Lord of all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For ‘whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.’” (EMTV)

So… Let me ask you the question… Do you know if what you read is FAKE NEWS or but a SHADOW of the truth?

Have a great weekend… and as you do, keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life!

Heaven

When Piper passed in September of 2018, I suddenly found myself taking a real shine to anything that I could get my hands on that had a description of heaven.  Since then, I have read numerous books, articles and YouTube videos relating the stories of individuals who supposedly went there via death and then returned to life or others who told of anointed dreams or visions, as the Apostle Paul wrote concerning his vision of heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:3 saying, “And I know that this man-- whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know; .” (KJV).  Then of course, there are the commentary books written by Biblical Scholars explaining their views of the scriptures that talk about heaven.

I never really thought much about heaven before Piper’s passing as I was always more concerned about our life and ministry in the here and now, than looking off to the future.  And like I said, Piper’s going there changed all that!  I used the word “supposedly” when talking about individual’s personal experiences with heaven because… well, let’s face it… How can they really prove that their story is true?  Many of the sources I read though, come from very reputable ministers of the gospel that Piper and I followed for years and have come to trust… so, I would tend to believe them based on their track record of integrity and honor in the ministry.

But what really caught my attention was the many similarities in their descriptions from the variety of sources I looked at.  I wrote in my last blog post about “happenstance” and I don’t think that all these unrelated people coming from a wide distribution of Christian denominations, with some living in different countries and separated by centuries of time, just “happened” to agree on some points of their stories.  I tend to think that God did that on purpose.

Yesterday I forced myself to sit down in the middle of the afternoon to finish Reverend Jesse Duplantis’ book concerning his experience with heaven that occurred in the 1980’s.  The book is entitled “Heaven, Close Encounters of the God Kind.”  His encounter with heaven is a very personal experience for him and over the time since, he has very seldom spoken about it.  It wasn’t until many years after the experience that he felt the freedom to write the book.

Piper and I had heard parts of the story back in the 1990’s.  I’m not quite sure where we heard it, but it very well could have been during the two Believer’s Conventions we took our family to at the convention center in Anaheim California (right across the street from Disneyland!) where Jesse was one of the speakers.  He has a very humorous and captivating style of preaching which we’ve enjoyed, and also comes from musical background having been a professional musician in his pre-Christ days. 

Both Piper and I were amazed at one of the Anaheim conventions when he sat down at the nine-foot grand piano they had on the stage and began to play and sing.  All I can say is “WOW!”  That guy can sure make those ivories sing!  He is from Louisiana and his musical style is a blend of soul, blues and jazz!

I still follow and support his ministry today and was happy to find out that he was going to give another presentation of his heaven story back on the evening of the 21^st of this month.  I was spellbound as I listened to his very humble explanation of the things he heard and saw.  He shared many private insights and feelings that were not in the book. 

His experiences answered many of the questions that I have been bringing before the Lord about heaven.  Without going into descriptions, let’s just say that I have had an abundance of questions about what Piper’s and my relationship will look like there, what the souls in heaven do, what is Piper looking at every day, who else will be there and what will happen when I get there… and many, many more questions.

What impressed me about his particular story was that he many times gave scripture verses that already were giving us an idea of what he was actually seeing.  One in particular jumped out at me when he gave reference to Revelation 4:1 where the Apostle John wrote what he saw Jesus presenting before him in his vision of heaven saying, “After these things I saw a door standing open in heaven. I heard the first voice like a trumpet speaking to me. It said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.’" (God’s Word ©)

That verse made me literally jump out of the leather chair that I was sitting in near the window in my study.  For you see… on the day that Piper passed, I was standing alone in the dining room of our home in North Carolina when… in my minds eye… I don’t know if you could call it a vision or a dream or just a thought… I saw myself pushing Piper in her wheelchair up to a DOOR in heaven’s gates.

I stopped posting current pictures of Piper on my blog as her condition worsened over the years because I wanted people to remember her as she was in her healthy years. But let’s just say that she didn’t look anything like her healthy self during the last few years and even worse… much worse… in the last 2 weeks of her life.  And it was that shell of her former self that I wheeled up to that door… that I just knew to be at heaven’s gate that day. 

Then in what I was seeing, I suddenly found myself on the other side of the gate, looking at the back of the closed door… when it opened and through the door walked a totally healthy, vibrant, smiling from ear-to-ear Piper, complete with that familiar little hop in her step that characterized her bubbling personality.  She didn’t seem to see me, but she walked right up to a group of family and friends that I recognized as having gone on before her, and joined right in with their laughter, smiles and excited conversations.  Next thing that I knew, was that I was standing next the table, alone in the dining room… but I couldn’t help but cry and smile and tell the Lord “Thank You” after that!

During the few months remaining in 2018, I saw that same play unfold on at least two other occasions.  Once in a dream and another time while I was getting dressed in the master bedroom in our home.  And although it gave me great peace and joy in seeing that she WAS healed, that our prayers WERE answered, I sometimes questioned the authenticity of it… up until yesterday!   You see, I didn’t recall any Biblical reference to getting into heaven through a door.  I had heard about the gate of pearls, and of passing through the veil… but a door?  Well, Praise the Lord, I feel like the Lord gave me personal confirmation through Revelation 4:1!

I have many more examples that I learned of scripture-based places and events in heaven that all my research on heaven have provided for me.  But this post is getting way too long!  So, I’ll have to bring this one to a close with my renewed excitement over the confirmations that God gives to me from time to time, concerning many of the various directions, leadings or words of wisdom that I believe that He has given me over the years. 

Funny though, as I thought about that this morning, I realized that many times my second response (after joyously thanking and praising Him) is to call anyone who doubted me when I told them that “the Lord had spoken to me” and they laughed or criticized me and say “SEE… I DID hear Him!”  But, in reality, what good would that do?  Besides, doesn’t the Bible say that we need to forgive and forget just as Jesus did in regard to our sins?  Like I said the other day… I’ve been in this Christian walk for close to 50 years… and I am still learning, growing and receiving His loving confirmations! 

How about You?

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do… keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life!

Advocate

 advocate

^{[ verb ad-vuh-keyt; noun ad-vuh-kit, -keyt ]}

·       a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc.*

 

I was reminded over the weekend of how most things don’t just occur out of happenstance… especially when it comes to the hand of God operating in our lives.  On at least three different occasions, I had a thought or an inkling to look up something online and each one of those seemingly random cognitive triggers eventually led me to three different preachers teaching on three – what looked like at first sight – unrelated subjects… which as I listened to them… turned out to be deeply intertwined with specific information that helped to answer some of the questions that I had been praying about for quite a while!

Did that happen just by chance?  Looking back now… I don’t think so!  Have you ever had that happen to you?  When I was taking care of Piper, I tried to keep myself well informed and up-to-date on as much current information about Alzheimer’s as I could.  But I must admit, that although I did do hours of research online, at the library, with her various doctors and with people who had gone through similar experiences as Piper and I, many times the best information was gained by a trigger that I received while watching TV, reading magazines or in unrelated conversations with people.

The answer to one of the more heart-wrenching decisions that I was pressed to make when we began to work with hospice in North Carolina came to me while watching a rerun of the TV show Hawaii Five-O… Go figure!

My point is… that as we stay sensitive to the clues and hints of the Holy Spirit, we can find His directions in almost all manner of things… many times in unexpected places and through unexpected people.  As I look back at the time before and after we finally received a correct diagnosis of Piper’s condition, I am always amazed when I consider all the different people that the Lord brought into our lives to act as an ADVOCATE on our behalf, at different times, in different places… but always just as we needed them!

One of those hints that I heard deep inside before we returned to California after Bible College, was to re-establish our network of family and friends.  What I didn’t understand was that it wasn’t to re-establish the old network… but to re-establish a brand new one that would be better suited for Piper’s quickly deteriorating situation!  Things had changed on the home front while we were gone and the old network had broken up, allegiances had shifted and I kind of found myself confused, frustrated and at a loss as to what to do. 

But then it was like people began to pop out of the woodwork.  Occasional friendships became strong regular connections, family on my side sort of shifted into high gear with support for Piper and I, and people associated with the benefit programs we applied for and were accepted into, went way out of their way to assist us… one of the owners of the little cluster house we were renting was a retired nurse and she even told us that we could call on her day and night if Piper needed help!

One of my major yard care clients who I really only knew by name previous to the job, was a mutual friend of Piper’s folks.  She quickly became our strongest advocate for Piper and I in support of my character and the course of faith that we felt led to follow.  She became our saving grace in our defense with those who were very vocal in their opposition to us.

Our Bibles in John 14:16-17 tell of another ADVOCATE whom Jesus Himself promised all believers upon His return to heaven when He declared, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another ADVOCATE, in order that he may be with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it does not see him or know him. You know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.” (Lexham English Bible) 

Jesus is, of course, referring to the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, Who comes to live in our hearts when we accept Jesus as personal Savior and Lord.  Acts 9:31 talks of the church “walking… in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.” (KJV)  I really like that thought, for the word “comfort” means “exhortation, encouragement and refreshment.” (Thayer’s)  The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary adds the ideas of “instruction, and the bringing of cheer, joy, gladness and enjoyment.”

Now that’s the kind of ADVOCATE I want… wouldn’t you?  One who is not only fun and enjoyable to be around, but also gives you good, sound advice and makes you laugh while doing it!  Is that the way that you see the Holy Spirit working in you?  

If I could narrow it down to one main reason that I miss my wife… & believe me there are countless heart-felt reasons why I miss her… I would say it was because through EVERYTHING we did together, through both the hard times and the enjoyable moments… she was just plain old FUN to be with!  She could ALWAYS make me laugh… and me her as well!

It was a very enjoyable, mutually rewarding union of two individuals who at times, acted as one!  And you know… I fully believe that that is EXACTLY the type of union that the Holy Spirit wants to have with you and me…

What do you think about that?

In that kind of relationship, each participant wants to spend as much time with the other as they can.  Each wants to bless and encourage the other… and for me… it makes it a whole bunch easier to humble myself and listen to His instruction and words of wisdom… even when I know that the truth is going to hurt a little bit!

After all… “God is love”**… So, why shouldn’t we have that kind of relationship with the Spirit of God living is us?

Have a great week… and as you do, keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life!

 

*https://www.dictionary.com/browse/advocate

** I John 4:8, 16 (KJV)

REAL LIFE

In my almost fifty-year Christian walk, I have seen and been the participant of countless blessings.  I have seen hundreds of lives positively changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, had the immense honor of teaching the gospel to children, youth, college-career age and adults in five different churches, write an encouraging blog that’s based on Christian principles for over ten years now, and see nature defying miracles where people stood up healed from the confines of their wheelchairs, broken bones healed, diseases disappear and financial needs met along with countless other physical, spiritual and emotional healings.

But in that time… because of stands I’ve taken for or based on my Christian faith… I have also been called naïve, stupid, reckless and irresponsible and at times, even spoken to as if I was the local village idiot sitting in the room… to name just a few!  I’ve told before of how Piper and I decided that we weren’t satisfied sitting in the stands in our Christian walk, but wanted to be actively playing in the game.

We committed to each other to take Jesus at His Word, and to the best of our ever- increasing knowledge and ability, to live our lives like the Word of God was just as true and powerful for us today as it had been in the days of the first church written of in the book of Acts.  I guess you could say that we wanted to be among those whose stories are being written about in the 29^th chapter of Acts… that is still being written today!

In I John 5:20 the Apostle John, nicknamed the Apostle of Love, wrote to the early church saying, “And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God's Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life.” (MSG) 

In many ways, this verse sums up the entire gospel message.  It tells us why Jesus came, who He is and what kind (or Whose kind) of life that we are to live once we’ve accepted His message of truth and redemption. But it would seem that there are forces in this world that don’t like it when Christians set out to live their lives with the understanding that Jesus is not only the TRUE GOD, but also the only way to living a REAL LIFE on this earth, and then continue in heaven.

The problem… or maybe better said, the challenge… for Christians is to understand that the miraculous nature of an all-powerful, loving and grace-filled, forgiving God does not fit in with the intellectual, scientific and so-called sophisticated ways of the world system.  Anything that doesn’t fit into their neat package of life with its constantly growing lists of Do’s and Don’ts is seen as total fantasy and many times as pure ignorance!

With that understanding in mind, it is easy to see why Moses emphatically told his successor Joshua to “Be strong and courageous! Don't tremble or be terrified, because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 God’s Word ©) just before Joshua led the Israelite people into the promised land, where they would face all kinds of physical, mental and emotional battles.  It’s kind of like the things that we face on a daily basis when we take a stand of faith based on the TRUTH of God’s Word… in defiance to the world’s definition of truth... or REAL LIFE! 

In speaking of the so-called sophisticated ways of the world, it is interesting to me that the definition of “Sophisticated” according to Dictionary.com, is “A person altered by education, experience, etc; so as to be worldly wise.”

Well… if that be true… then as a Christian, it would make perfect sense, that if we want to live the REAL LIFE spoken about within the pages of our Bibles, then we have to humble ourselves before the Lord so as to be taught and study the Word on our own, in order to ALTER ourselves (away from the world’s limiting standards) and thus become SPIRITUALLY wise and thereby set-free to live God’s REAL LIFE in the face of the crumbling world system!

I’ve often-times heard that the signs, wonders and miracles that Mark 16:17 speaks of, that are supposed to follow those of us who believe (in the gospel of Jesus Christ), act as a calling card (a floodlight, a Bat Signal in the sky) to the unbelievers in the world… to those who are caught up and bound by that system. 

If you’re anything like me, then you want to live the REAL LIFE that shines like the flood light in the sky that draws hungry souls to inquire about Christ and what He has done for you!  RIGHT?

So yeah… it’s kind of like the Dukes of Hazzard where you fight the system by living a life that defies the world and causes a blessing to all!  And with the way things are going in the world today… I believe that it is rapidly coming to the point where all of us are going to be forced to make a decision… to live bound by the world’s way of doing things… or living the REAL LIFE of Christ.

Which will you choose?

Have a great weekend, and as you do, keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life today!

How Much DO I Believe?

There is a particular commentator on one of the Fox News shows that I enjoy watching while cooking dinner, who really caught my attention yesterday evening.  This individual leans to the left in his political convictions and often makes statements that cause me to shake my head and laugh at what I think to be the utter absurdity of his thinking.  In one of the segments of discussion last night, the members of the panel were expressing their views concerning the current hostilities between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

I was heading into the kitchen when the commentator mentioned above was asked a question and began to state a very critical view of Israel and their policies.  It was then that I paused and found myself praying aloud, asking the Lord how this person, who openly declares himself to be a Christian, a devout Catholic and even recites a occasional verse of scripture, can take so many negative positions against Biblical standards and truth, and then face himself in the mirror every day?  It just doesn’t compute to me.

My first thought was that he probably doesn’t have much personal Biblical knowledge.  But then I looked at my own faith… during the time before I met Piper and began my personal journey of discovery of God and His Word… and realized that even though I didn’t know much about the Bible back then… as a good Catholic boy, who attended Parochial School for six years, church every Sunday and on Holy Days, and served as an Altar Boy… that I definitely knew the major tenants of the Catholic religion… which clearly stand in opposition to many of the comments and beliefs of this TV personality.

At that point, the sights and sounds emanating from my 65” TV faded from my consciousness and I began to have what I consider to be an open, audible conversation with God… which has become common place with me since Piper’s illness and subsequent passing.  As I dove into my questioning to God about how people can justify their belief in certain Biblical truths and at the same time, their adamant dis-belief about others… the Lord seemed to take ahold of my finger that was figuratively pointing to the individual on the screen and turn it back toward me… YIKES!

At that moment I heard that all-familiar statement that the good Lord seems to be asking me a lot more often in recent months, saying once again,

“Are you going to believe My Word or not?”

And my immediate response was to go on the defense and emphatically declare “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! You’re not going to put me in the same category as that person… are You?”  And His response was SILENCE!  Hummm… that wasn’t where I expected this conversation to go… so I put the discussion on the back burner and got dinner ready.

But obviously… God was wanting more conversation with me!  The next morning, as I reluctantly got up to take the dog out at 5:00 AM, I felt His presence and from deep inside heard Him asking me, “What if you got up this morning and lived your life like ALL of MY WORD REALLY WAS TRUE?  What, if anything would you change?  How differently would you live your daily life?

The thing that I almost immediately realized with that statement, was that I was not filled with condemnation… but with peaceful and almost joyful expectation and excitement!  I began to experience that same thrill that came upon Piper and I when we felt the Lord leading us to step out in faith for a new… bigger than before… faith project.

I know that this idea might scare off some individuals… but people who knew Piper and I, knew that we loved a challenge.  It was one of the first traits that I saw in Piper when I got to know her, and I am certain that she saw it in me as well!  Even in high school we loved taking on new projects that others may have thought of as too big or too complicated!  Therefore, when it came to matters of stretching our faith… we relished it!

So, for the last few days, that is all that I have been thinking about.  How would I THINK differently, how would I SPEAK differently and what would I DO differently… if I REALLY believed the entirety of God’s Word to be TRUE?  My two new favorite scriptures are found in Ephesians 4:21 where the Apostle Paul told his readers, “You have certainly heard his (Jesus’) message and have been taught his ways. The truth is in Jesus.” (God’s Word ©)  And in I John 5:20 where the Apostle John takes it one step further by declaring that “This Jesus is both True God and Real Life.” (The Message) 

Consider that as you think about the message in this post.  Most of us would probably nod our heads up and down in affirmation when asked if we believed the two Apostle’s words to be what we also believed.  But what about when the unexpected events of life come our way, when someone near and dear gets a devastating health report, or the mail comes in with some bills due that we hadn’t expected, or the IRS sends the dreaded audit letter (we got one of those in the past…), or the car or house needs repairs… and the list can go on and on…

Is our first reaction to FREAK OUT -or- jump for JOY, thanking the Lord that His unfailing Word of truth declares that “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus?” (Philippians 4:19 KJV)

The truth is found in Jesus… and in Him and His Word is REAL LIFE!”  Not some of the time… not part of the time… BUT… ALL OF THE TIME… when we put our faith 100% in Him!

Well… I’m working on it!  Over the years I’ve been able to trust Him for a lot of things, in a lot of different circumstances… BUT… it looks like I’ve still got a way to go so that I am able to THINK, SAY and DO according to the Word of God… in every circumstance… every time!

I want to be a good example to my family, friends and people around me.  I don’t want to give anyone an opportunity to ask the questions about me… that I found myself asking about someone on TV.  If God’s Word says that the truth is found in Jesus, and that real life is in Him… then I wholly desire my daily adventures to be an example of Him! 

I’m looking forward to the CHALLENGE to really believe His Word… 24/7!

How about you?

I hope that you’re having a terrific week and that you are continuing to EXPECT God’s best for your life!

Cravings

Have you ever woken up in the morning CRAVING something?  I spent the better part of the last two years CRAVING to wake up to the presence of my wife snuggled up next to me.  This may sound strange… but she had a certain distinct fragrance about her in the morning.  She didn’t like to be cold in bed, and except for the few warm nights we had in northern California, it wasn’t unusual for her to wear long sleeve, full length, flannel or cotton nightgowns. 

So, I’m thinking that it was the organic combination of the fabric and her skin in close contact, under the covers throughout the night, that gave her a morning scent that tended to remind me of a warm bowl of oatmeal with a cube of butter, melting in the middle of a puddle of honey.  Sweet, warm, friendly and very cozy!

She also had a very sweet tooth when we first got together.  I can remember her laughingly requesting to have dessert first on many occasions during our initial few years of marriage, as we sat around the little Formica table in the kitchen of our first apartment.  During her pregnancy with our first child, she developed a CRAVING for banana splits.  We had a Baskin Robbins practically around the block from us (a long block albeit), so it was easy for us to take a walk a couple of times a week, up to Fourth Street and down to the Baskin Robbins where my brother had worked a few years previous to that time.

Somewhere through the years though, she mastered some real self-control and could easily make a candy bar or even a piece of cake last a week!  The only weakness that persisted was her love for ice cream!  I recall that I had a strong CRAVING for steak during those same early years of marriage.  Piper always said that it was because I needed more protein in my diet.  So, we ate a lot of steaks… not the most tender of cuts… but steak none-the-less!

Psalm 34:10 declares, “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” (KJV)  According to Strong’s and Thayer’s, the phrase, “they that seek “ means “to frequent a place, to follow as to pursue or search, to CRAVE, to seek after carefully or diligently, to demand, to investigate, to practice or to study.”  The Passion Translation says this with great emotion by stating, “but those who passionately pursue the Lord will never lack any good thing.” 

I had to stop in the middle of a task the other day and sincerely ask myself, that with Piper gone… WHO or WHAT am I craving after, seeking after, or pursuing?  WHO or WHAT am I frequenting, studying or practicing?

I’m pretty sure that I already knew the answer to that question… but what really got me to thinking, was if I was diligently seeking after, studying and/or pursuing the Lord with as much zeal, effort and ENJOYMENT as I did with Piper?  Am I waking up today, CRAVING to be in His presence as much as I CRAVED after Piper in the mornings with her calming, peaceful and satisfying scent of warm oatmeal?

I’ve come a long way since she was promoted to the Major Leagues in heaven.  The strong, almost over-whelming CRAVING that dominated my emotions is slowly becoming more of a longing now… But have I filled that huge void totally with Him as of yet?

To be perfectly honest… NO! …but I am consistently working toward that goal.  How about you?  WHO or WHAT do you CRAVE?

WHO or WHAT takes precedence in your daily thoughts?  WHO or WHAT should have first place?  Can you have more than one person or thing in that number one spot?  I personally believe that in marriage, you can.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us that “Though one person may be overpowered by another, two people can resist one opponent. A triple-braided rope is not easily broken.” (God’s Word ©)

I can’t help but to think of the Lord when I think of Piper… or vise-versa!  The two of us, braided together in His love, made a fairly unbeatable force!  She introduced me to Him and together we grew in our knowledge and experience of Him by leaps and bounds.  I realized the other day that she went before me in her relationship with the Lord and brought me to Him at the start of our relationship… and now she’s doing it again, by going before me into heaven to prepare for my eventual trip home.  Pretty cool right?

So… for your homework tonight… I encourage you to think about the things that you CRAVE for… morning, noon and night.  Maybe there’s an adjustment that needs to be made and maybe not… only YOU can honestly answer that question.  Whatever YOUR answer is… look it over, check it out and then pray about whatever adjustments or fine-tuning needs to be made.  And then… Go For It!  But in doing so, remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day… these things can take some time, so, enjoy the process, enjoy each step and enjoy the ever-changing view along the way!

Have a great fresh, new week… and as you do, Keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life!

To PURSUE...

As I was preparing for my first in-class sermon in my preaching class during my final year in Bible school back in 2008, the Lord began to liken different aspects of His love and care for Piper and I, to hers and my relationship throughout our time together.  At that point, we had some initial test results, but as of yet, nothing conclusive to what was happening with Piper’s health.  So, we did not really have any idea of the difficult road ahead… but as it turns out… God did and was preparing the way for us.

Little did I realize that my first sermon on our EXPECTATIONS of God’s Word working in, for and through us, and a later one on the intimate closeness and depth of GOD’S LOVE for each of us personally, would prove to be two of the big keys that would help to propel me through some of the darkest of days that we faced. 

And to liken it to Piper’s and my love, commitment, trust and intimate knowledge of each other’s makeup, in just about any regard, be it physically, spiritually, emotionally or intellectually, was an act of genius on His behalf!

When thoughts of doubt, frustration or anger would pop into my head, or I’d begin to toy with the idea of questioning God’s love and faithfulness, He would repeatedly draw my attention to my relationship with Piper… and how His with us, was just as intimate, just as faithful, just as unsinkable and just as fail-proof as we knew our relationship to be. 

When He talked to me, through that small-still-voice inside of me, along these lines… I could not argue with Him.  I knew that if He loved Piper and I as much as we did each other… then He would be true to His Word and always faithful to us.  Which He was back then and continues to be for you and me today.

While continuing on with my in-depth study of the 23^rd Psalm a couple of days ago, I was a little stumped when I read the last verse in The Passion Translation.  Here the Psalmist concludes his uplifting words of trust in the Lord, by saying, “So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life. Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!” (Psalm 23:6) 

It was the idea of God pursuing us that caught my attention in this verse.  In my way of thinking and Christian training, we are the ones that are supposed to be pursing Him… not the other way around… RIGHT?   Other verses like Psalm 34:10 tell us, “…those who passionately pursue the Lord will never lack any good thing.” (TPT) Paul in his New Testament writings declared, “But those who live by the impulses of the Holy Spirit are motivated to pursue spiritual realities.” (Romans 8:5 TPT)

But then there is Psalm 63:8… and as I read this verse, I had a famous Jim Berruto “DUH!” moment… followed by a forehead smacking thought of “Why, of course!”  Just as the Lord began to liken His love and care for us, to Piper and mine for each other back in 2008… I could almost see Him smiling at me and could have sworn I heard Him say… “You see Jim… it’s a two-way street” which the idioms section of the freedictionary.com describes as “a situation or relationship between two people or groups in which action is required from both parties; something that works both ways.”

The Psalmist emotionally writes in Psalm 63:8 “With passion I pursue and cling to you. Because I feel your grip on my life, I keep my soul close to your heart.”   In a recent conversation with my cousin a week or so ago, I told her that Piper and I tended to pursue each other throughout our relationship. 

To pursue or “shall follow” after someone as the King James puts it, means to “attend closely upon” or “to aim eagerly to secure.” (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions) The Oxford Online Dictionaries defines pursue as “to continue or proceed along a (specified) path or route.”  While Dictionary.com says it means “to chase after someone or something.” 

In the case of a marriage or a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to pursue would entail what each of you did in the early days of your relationship… and then continue doing whatever you did to win your partners affections, throughout your entire marriage or as a Christian… until you enter through those pearly gates!

So as far as Piper and I went, that meant that we did not stop doing nice things for each other… not because we had to… but because we GOT to and wanted to!  We quickly discovered that it was the thought that counted more than the cost.  We had a Walgreens on the way home from both my job at Hewlett Packard/Agilent and from our church.  It made for an easy way to stop and surprise Piper with something like an (inexpensive) single, long stem rose that they had fresh daily, or a small four-piece box of Russell Stover candy.  No, it wasn’t much, but it assured her of the fact that I was head over heels for her.

She would many times, sneak a special treat into my daily lunch bag, or write a short love note on my napkin or simply leave a mark of her kiss in her signature red lipstick on my napkin.  It’s not something that we did daily or necessarily weekly, but often enough  to know that each of us were still important enough for the other to go out of their way to pursue them and our relationship.

And when it comes to our Christian relationship, we should be thinking of God along the same lines that we do as we love our spouses.  Show him that you care.  Spend time with Him in His Word, in prayer, in worship, or just being quiet before Him.  Then the fun really starts as He begins to show you just how loved and special you are to him. 

I can’t come close to telling you all the times God had blessed Piper and I and our family with special treats that we never thought possible.  I spent the first year at our new house in North Carolina regularly finding little extras in the house like, extra fan lights, built in ironing center, and a new custom master bath and spa tub.  Then there was the car we bought soon after moving there. 

I never stopped discovering all the added accessories that came on that showroom quality Mustang GT convertible we “just happened” to find on a specialty car lot in Virginia.  The transport driver told us that it was, by far, the nicest car on the lot… which had numerous classic Corvettes for sale.  As I began to do research on the car after we bought it, I found out that it was originally ordered as a show car for Ford Executives and was totally loaded with just about every extra available!

After what I’ve seen… you can’t tell me that any of those many blessings were simply a coincidence!  I firmly believe that God knows exactly what He is doing and He wants to do it for you!  When Piper got sick, she never blinked an eye or ever asked if I was going to take care of her… She JUST KNEW that I would do it!  She EXPECTED it… as I would have absolutely NO DOUBT that she would have done the same for me if the roles were reversed.

God showed me all of this back in 2008 because I believe that He knew that I needed irrefutable evidence of His goodness, love and faithfulness in order to successfully weather the coming storm.  And I believe that He wants you to know the same thing!  He wants you to have irrefutable evidence that His Word is true for you in the midst of ANY situation that you may face in your life.

Do you believe that?  How well do you know and PURSUE Him?

Have a great rest of the week and as you do… Keep EXPECTING His best for your life!

 

KITT

Alright, alright… I admit that I am a diehard Knight Rider fan!  Back in the 1980’s when the original show was broadcast, it was definitely on our list of “must watch” TV shows.  You could almost say that our two older kids were weened on that program… and the younger two received the same experience through the marvel of DVD’s in the 1990’s!

In 1983 when Piper and I set our faith to purchase her a new car for her, we almost immediately set our sights on a new black (of course) Pontiac Firebird.  We looked around for months and finally talked to a car salesman friend of Piper’s Dad.  They did not have a black one on the lot, so the salesman said he would put our some inquires at other Pontiac dealers. 

We left the dealership that day with great expectations.  Soon after though, things seemed to hit a snag and the more we thought about it, the more we realized that a Firebird was probably not the best car for a Mom with 2 kids in baby seats!  But thanks-be-to-God, a few weeks later we discovered a brand-new 1983 maroon Pontiac Bonneville wagon that had just been driven off the transport onto the lot in front of the local Cadillac/Pontiac dealership… and the rest is history!

I was not a fan of the multiple spin-offs following the original Knight Rider… until… the 2008 TV movie and resulting series which had direct involvement from David Hasselhoff  - the original Michael Knight!  I now own both series on DVD and still enjoy watching them… and while I never got to have a Firebird, I did end up years later with a like new 1980's Camaro and after that a Mustang GT that was a year newer than the customized Mustang used in the 2008 series!

I thought of one of the episodes from the newer series this morning as I was reading Paul’s words in I Corinthians chapter five.  In this chapter the Apostle is showing some tough love as he was attempting to help the church in Corinth deal with some problems that they were experiencing.  While discussing how to treat Christians who tended to live as Non-Christians, he used the analogy of the effects of using yeast in the making of unleavened bread… which he clearly stated… doesn’t work!  In I Corinthians 5:6, he summed up his correction by stating, “Do you not know that a little yeast corrupts the whole of the dough?” (Weymouth) 

In other words, the addition of the wrong ingredient can mess up the results of the finished product.  In mathematical terms one could also say that an incorrect factor introduced into an equation will result in an incorrect answer.  In the 2008 Knight Rider TV series episode that I mentioned, one of FLAG’s genius team members was attempting to figure out a difficult equation/clue that was left at a kidnapped boy’s home, while Michael Knight and KITT (the Knight Industries Three Thousand) were out on the road following other clues.

Billy (a slightly out-of-step genius with multiple doctorates) finally deduces that the equation is actually a set of geographic coordinates that point to the location of both the kidnapped boy and the financial treasure that the bad guys were seeking.  Billy quickly runs through the numbers in the equation and announces to the team over their comms, that the location is in a different country on the other side of the world.  This news frustrates everyone until KITT (with the voice of the super-car) declares that Billy accidently inserted an incorrect number into one side of the equation and that the location was actually very close to where Michael and KITT were.

So, needless to say, Michael pushes some buttons on KITT’s complex dashboard, the car instantly morphs into super-pursuit mode and blasts down the road arriving at the correct destination in the nick of time for Michael and KITT to save the day!  One of the many things that I appreciated about this show, was that you could always be assured, that by the end of the program, that the good guys always won!

I’ve also come to appreciate that as we follow the plan of God in our lives, stay obedient to Him and His Word and be aware of inserting the correct factors into the equations of our stands of faith… that God always plans for us… His kids (His good guys) to also win!

As I was thinking on all of this the other morning while taking Fiver for a walk, it suddenly dawned on me, why some folks had such a difficult time supporting us in our stand of faith during Piper’s final eight years.  As we walked on that crisp, windy morning, I began to picture a white board before me with two almost identical sets of equations.  The deeper I looked, I realized that Piper’s and my name were written across the top of one of the equations while the names of the other folks headed the other equation.

While closely observing and comparing each equation, line by line, word by word, I suddenly saw that they were not identical.  I won’t divulge specifically what the difference was, but just say that the side with the other names had included a personal, natural factor, while ours was noticeably void of any factor with dependence on the natural world.  And I have to admit… that it hit me pretty hard as I realized that their equation couldn’t work the way it was written… no wonder they were so despondent!

That reality instantly brought me back to today, and got me wondering if there might be some incorrect factors… factors in the equations of the things that I am believing for right now, that work to destroy my faith rather than strengthen or propel it toward its excepted result?  Is there even a little bit of yeast that is corrupting my faith?

I think that this is a good question for each of us to ask ourselves on a regular basis. Wouldn’t you agree? 

With everything going on in our world today… I NEED my faith to work for me!  I don’t want to put in all kinds of hard work only to end up with failure… simply because I had one wrong number or ingredient, or thought, or activity or incorrect understanding that caused me to fall short of the mark.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Have a great week, check the factors in the equations of your stands of faith… and keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life!