Respect

Respect

[rəˈspekt]

NOUN

1.     a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

"the director had a lot of respect for Douglas as an actor"

synonyms:

esteem · regard · high regard · high opinion · acclaim · admiration · 

 

2.     due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others.

"young people's lack of respect for their parents"

synonyms:

consideration · thoughtfulness · attentiveness · politeness · courtesy · civility · deference

 

When I sat down at my desk in my study early this morning, I recalled that I had a few more points that I wanted to continue with from yesterday’s Bible study time.  The temperature had gotten down to the low sixties in the house overnight, so I had turned on the heater, made a hot cup of coffee and settled down in the front room for a crisp beginning to my day!

I had originally chosen that room for my study because it faced the cul-de-sac and golf course and had the largest window in the house!  The window affords great views and lots of light… but unfortunately, also makes it to be the coldest room in the house during the winter months and oppositely, the warmest during the summer!  So, with that said, it is not unusual for me to wear a heavy hoodie as well as an insulated vest until the room warms up a bit in the morning… and today's hot cup of Caramel Pecan java also helped to make it quite civilized within a short period of time!

Once I was ready and settled into my chair, I grabbed Piper’s old “The Way” paperback Living Bible Illustrated from the filing cabinet to the left of my desk and read from where it was already opened in Psalm119:37-38 where the Psalmist prayed,

“Turn me away from wanting any other plan than Yours (O Lord).  Revive my heart toward You.  Continue to reassure me that Your promises are for me, for I trust and revere You.”

The word or idea of “revere” in this scripture caught my attention so I looked up the verses in my digital King James Bible that is keyed to multiple Hebrew/Greek dictionaries.  In this older translation (originally published in 1611) the word “fear” is used instead of “revere”.  In this Hebrew usage “fear” is defined as “the fear of God” in the manner of “respect and reverence.” (Brown-Driver Briggs)  One of the Greek definitions of “fear” likened it to a portion of Paul’s discussion of the marriage relationship in Ephesians 5:33 where he taught the church saying,

“every husband must love his wife as he loves himself, and wives should respect their husbands.” (God’s Word ©)

Paul’s discussion in Ephesians about the marriage relationship is one of the most-often misunderstood teachings in the entire New Testament.  Many abuses in spousal interactions have occurred because people (mainly the husbands) will incorrectly emphasize certain parts of it while ignoring other vital instructions.  But you have to read the entire ten verse teaching that begins with Ephesians 5:22.  I have personally seen too many marriages where the husband runs the family like a tyrant without allowing for equal input from his wife.

It is sort of like the two-party system that we have in our American government.  The two parties are meant to work together in bringing to light their differing views and balance out each other’s stands and or beliefs, with the resulting legislation that best meets the needs of the people from all over our very diverse country.  When it works, it proves to the best form of government in the world… but when responsibilities get out-of-whack… like it is amongst the Democrats and Republicans today… the citizens of the country (ie; the family) suffers with an uncomfortable and unsuitable standard of living from coast to coast.

Ephesians 5:33 is the perfect summary of Paul’s teaching on the responsibilities of the husband and wife… and while I whole-heartedly agree that the husband has the ultimate responsibility to care for his wife and family… the key to a successful marriage is found in Ephesians 5:25 where Paul definitively declares that,

“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.”  (God’s Word ©)

It is actually a pretty simple solution or direction to having a great marriage.  It may not always be easy to do… but if a husband loved his wife and ministered to her needs and concerns in the same manner as Christ does toward His church, then it would be a lot easier for the wife to honor and respect her husband and together flow in balance with each other through the ins and outs and the good times and the bad times in life!

I had to smile at Ephesians 5:33 this morning, in reminiscence of Piper’s and my very close relationship.  She most definitely respected me as her husband… as I likewise did toward her as my best friend and wife.  And we proved it by our words and actions towards each other… in public or private, in each other’s presence or not!

I also noticed as I looked up the different usages of “respect” throughout the Bible, that Jesus talked about it a lot!  It seems that “respect” is an important characteristic to Him.  Jesus taught about “respect” in reference to His Father God, in reference to our interactions with our fellow men and women, between children and their parents, as well as in reference to husbands and wives and with our bosses at work and in business dealings!

So, you can see that “respect” comes out in many different conversations, situations, sizes, shapes, words and actions!  It touches just about every facet of our lives.  With our spouses and loved ones, at church, at work and all-about town!  It also interacts with the way we talk and walk in our personal relationship to God… both publicly and privately!

I know that writing this post sure opened up my eyes when it came to some personal thoughts and actions of mine that might not always be respectful to my heavenly Father!

How about you? 

How would you rate yourself… your words, your thoughts and your actions when it comes to the RESPECT department of your daily life?  I would imagine that we all have some areas in which we might need to rearrange a few things!  Wouldn’t you agree?

Have a great week as we plunge full-force into the Holiday Season 2021!  …and as you do… keep expecting God’s best in your lives!

Upbeat!

I’ve always considered myself to be an upbeat person.  I think that it was one of the many reasons that Piper and I were drawn to each other in high school… because we were so much alike in so many ways!  The saying that “opposites attract” surely didn’t work in our relationship!  The biggest potential problem… at least from our parent’s point of view, was my Catholic background verses Piper’s Protestant/Baptist upbringing.

I remember Piper telling me after our engagement announcement, that her dad’s only concern was that I was a Catholic.  Which was a little weird now that I think about it… as she and I had been seriously dating for over three years by then and I had been regularly attending their church.  Piper and I were leaders in the College-Career group and I was well known and accepted in the church, from the Pastor, to the various church boards, to the members of the congregation.

My family’s most difficult dilemma with Piper was the way she openly and honestly lived her faith.  Everyone in both the family and extended family loved her encouraging smile and loving personality but… some were not comfortable with her talking about Jesus.  It wasn’t as if she was trying to get everyone saved, for as I continually mention, her faith was just a natural part of who she was.  Jesus’ name just sort of popped out of her mouth in her every day, normal conversation.

But as good Catholics… we had been taught that our faith was a very private thing and one never mentioned the name of Jesus without some sign of reverence… which was something that my mom repeatedly reminded me of during Piper’s and my dating and early marriage days.  I still vividly recall the priests around the church or the nuns that were our teachers in Parochial School making the sign of the cross, bowing their heads or even genuflecting when His name was spoken.

I though, was hungry for more of God and was thoroughly captivated by Piper’s relationship with Christ and her overall Christian faith… and I wanted the same thing that she had!  The way she excitedly talked about Jesus… you could say in modern vernacular… “blew me away” in a most positive way.  Obviously, I had the total opposite reaction to Piper’s open faith than did some others in my family. 

The funniest thing about our family’s early concerns was that in the later years of our marriage, the tables began to turn with the way they demonstrated their faith.  As the symptoms of Alzheimer’s progressed in Piper, it was the members of my immediate family as well as extended family members that I depended on for their agreement in faith, spiritual support and encouragement.

With our upbeat personalities, Piper and I never had much dealings in our personal lives with depression.  I’m not saying that we weren’t tempted at times, but we learned early on to depend more on what God’s Word said about our situation and to trust in His solutions than waste time in allowing ourselves to be depressed.  And believe me when I say, that I have had plenty of opportunities to give in to its destructive suggestions since Piper’s homegoing three years ago.

I’ve always believed that depression is driven by fear and fear is one thing that Piper and I honed our spiritual sensors over the years to spot and quickly repel before it has any entrance into our lives.  After all, the scripture does tell us, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2Timothy 1:7 – KJV) 

When depression tries to push its way into my life, I’ve trained myself to speak out and believe for the soundness of mind that God offers me and command the confusing, fear infused lies that the enemy of my faith… and of my life for that matter… is trying to get me to agree with… to depart for me!

During similar situations and temptations in life, the Psalmist prayed to the Lord, “Help me turn my eyes away from illusions so that I pursue only that which is true; drench my soul with life as I walk in your paths.” (Psalm 119:37 - The Passion Translation) 

The Apostolic Bible Polyglot Greek-English Interlinear Bible states this verse as, “Turn my eyes to not behold folly! (other translations say “worthless things”, “vanity” or “foolish desires”)  Enliven me in Your way.”  According to Thayer’s, the word “enliven” means “to enjoy real life, active and blessed, endless in the kingdom of God (or within His way of doing things), to be full of vigor, fresh, strong and efficient.”

I’m sure that all of us have seen or have personal experience with people who were in the throes of depression… and they tend to exhibit none of the above descriptions… do they?  The above scriptures give us some very viable tools to employ when the attacks of depression knock on our front (or back) doors.  They tell us to take our eyes off of the lying illusions or worthless things that lead us into fear, resulting in worry or anxiety and instead… and to “drench” our souls with life, as we focus on the truth of God’s Word… which tell of His ways!

I’ll take God’s upbeat, enlivened, fresh, strong and full of vigor ways for my life over anything that attempts to depress me.  HOW ABOUT YOU?

I pray that the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend celebrations are filling you with so much of His joy and peace… that they splash liberally on to others!

 

Relationships...

Hopefully this doesn’t sound too strange… but, in my adult life, I have spent a lot of time in empty churches.  Let me explain…

Being as my wife and I spent over 35 years in ministry and in particular, in the areas of music, College-Career, Youth and Children’s Ministry, I spent many hours each week preparing for services, programs and/or for special events.  For most of those years I felt like I was in creative heaven writing and putting together, probably hundreds of skits, programs and performances, Family Fun Nights, curriculum and songs.

And many… if not most times, it meant spending time in the empty sanctuary or Children and Youth centers, physically measuring, mentally assessing the space for whatever we were planning, setting up or tearing down props, equipment, tables and chairs or just sitting in an empty chair or on the floor letting my imagination go wild while I was praying, dreaming, and envisioning the event….

Ah! Fun times and I enjoyed every second of it!  My youngest daughter also has fond memories of her and I or with other members of our family being there in the midst of such activities.  She said that she always felt close to me during those special times!

For me, there was always a great sense of awe at being in the presence of God when alone in the quiet of the large sanctuary.  I think that comes from my Catholic background.  As a youngster attending church or Parochial school, I was taught a quiet reverence for the church building and especially inside the sanctuary.  That was one thing that surprised me when I began to attend my wife’s (girlfriend at the time) Baptist Church.

The sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Santa Rosa, California was gorgeous back then.  There have been some changes since we left, so I can’t attest to how it looks today.  But with its rich wood walls and pews, the deep maroon carpet and stained-glass windows, it immediately felt like home to me… until Sunday mornings, when the kids would run around the sanctuary before service and everyone coming in kept loudly talking until the service started.  To their compliment, the Pastor was always reminding the parents to not let their kids run in the sanctuary!

That subtle difference between the Catholics and Protestant view of the church building was consistent with every other Charismatic, Pentecostal church that we attended.  And while I understand that they have differing views concerning the presence of the Spirit in the building… I still miss the reverence that I always felt in Catholic Services.  I was glad that Piper got to experience Catholic services for a prolonged period while we were in college and in her attendance with me during the many events that we were invited to attend by my folks throughout the years.

So… being alone in the quiet sanctuary always made me thankful for my Catholic beginnings and caused me to enjoy the reverence that I felt in the quiet of the church building.  I was always amazed during the few times that our classes would have a prayer service in Bible School when we went into the church sanctuary and were able to quietly and freely roam around the huge, 250,000 square foot auditorium of Rhema Bible Church while we prayed.  You talk about a strong sense of awe and reverence… WOW!

I have always tended to feel and/or sense that awe and reverence when I pray to God… but when Piper got sick, the Lord and I entered into an entirely new depth in our personal relationship with each other.  I’ve written many times of the Lord’s revelation to me way back in 2007 when the initial results of Piper’s first MRI were being discussed, and how He led me to one of Paul’s prayers in Ephesians 3 where Paul was praying that we would be able,

“to understand how wide, long, high, and deep Christ’s love is” in such a way that “we will KNOW Christ's love, which goes far beyond any knowledge…”    (Ephesians 3:18-19 God’s Word ©)

With the caveat being the word “KNOW” likened (as per Thayer’s Greek Definitions) to a husband and wife’s most intimate act of marriage together.  So that in my most difficult times in the ensuing eleven years, when my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual abilities were being stretched beyond the limit, that I would always come back to Him softly and sweetly reminding me of how His love was just like… and even stronger and deeper than mine was for my sweet Piper… and therefore He would always be true to His Word toward us!

I was listening to one of my favorite evangelist’s Father’s Day sermons yesterday afternoon and had my curiosity peeked when he stated that “the strength and power behind Christianity is the personality of Jesus Christ.”  He went on to explain that when Jesus walked this earth, that He attracted people to Himself and NOT to a set of doctrine!

The evangelist, who has a worldwide ministry with thousands of partners (myself included) went on to say that the reason people follow any minister of the Gospel (whether they have a worldwide ministry or pastor a local church) is because they like the minister.  They can connect with his or her personality.  They trust him or her.  They feel comfortable in their presence and respect and honor their integrity, character, faithfulness and trustworthiness.

He then went on to discuss how this is the same way that we should understand our relationship with Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.  I can look back at my relationship with Jesus before Piper got sick and clearly see that it was a close and meaningful one… but nowhere near as deeply personal and intimate as it is today! 

When I think of Him knowing and loving me in the same intimate ways that I loved and physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally “KNEW” Piper… Well… I can’t help but want to know Him even better each and every day, to please Him, to spend time with Him and to include Him in every decision that I face throughout my daily life!  It also inspires, challenges and empowers me to be the light of Jesus to non-believers who haven’t yet met Him!

I am reminded of Mark 14:37 when Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane just before the ordeal of His crucifixion was to begin and He emotionally calls out declaring,

“Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” (KJV) 

Jesus’ use of the term “ABBA” is only used in two other places in the New Testament and it was by Paul when he was also expressing his personal relationship with our heavenly Father.  John Gill explains in his “Exposition of the Bible” that Jesus used the Syriac word “Abba” in addition to the more formal Greek word “Father” in order “to express the vehemency of his affection, and his strong confidence in God, as his Father, amidst his distress…”

I’ve personally experienced a taste of that kind of closeness in my personal relationship with Jesus. 

How about You?

Just how deeply personal and intimate is your relationship with Jesus.  Is He one with whom you only reverence and respect at or in your church?  Or is He an intimate partner in life that you take everywhere with you.  One with whom you include in every decision and conversation.  One Who is so close to you… that you just can’t imagine ever being without Him… never distant from your presence.  Always strengthening your faith, visual in your mental, emotional, physical and spiritual acuity and ever-increasing in your heart!

As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day weekend here in the USA, remember to draw close to Him and personally THANK Him for His presence in your daily lives...  and while you’re at it… enjoy a turkey thigh, smothered in gravy, just for me… I am sooo looking forward to the leftovers!

SPOTS!

I found myself following a rabbit trail when studying a particular line of thought yesterday morning during my Bible study time.  I was looking through some of the various translations that I have and when I finished looking at the NASB in a stack of Bibles next to my desk, I reached for the next one under it and pulled out Piper’s TLB Illustrated paperback version and began to thumb through the Old Testament on the way to the New Testament verse that I was hunting for.

Once again, I found myself captivated by all the verses that she had circled and underlined, as well as the hand written notes in the margins.  Each one seemed to be a harbinger of a special memory, a footnote in time or a vivid picture outlining the heart of my wife.  When I finally completed my journey to the end of Hebrews 10 and the beginning verses of Hebrews 11, I was drawn to a large and heavily inked asterisk next to a totally underlined Hebrews 10:23 where the writer of the book stated,

“Now we can look forward to the salvation God has promised us.  There is no longer any room for doubt and we can tell others that salvation is ours, for there is no question that He will do what He says.” 

When I finished reading this especially marked verse of hers, I suddenly gasped for a breath of air and spoke aloud with great wonder saying “WOW!  Piper wrote these notes and circled and underlined these scriptures some 40 years ago… and NOW… she is ACTUALLY LIVING THEM, with The ONE who inspired those words… together, in her new heavenly abode!”

I am not sure how that thought hits you, but it sure got me excited… especially for her!  You see, the vast majority of our life’s goals were centered around and led by our faith.  Without a doubt, it is something we talked about every day.  It governed the way we thought, talked and acted.  It wasn’t something that we ever took a vacation from… even when we were on vacation.  We didn’t necessarily find a church to attend when camping over the years, but we always planned and actively participated in our own family service. 

And now… Piper is in total peace and joy… Ephesians 1:4 and Psalms 16:11 describes her as being “Holy, Happy and Perfect in His presence.  Where she is living eternally in the home of the One she loved and served for 65 years.  Can you imagine the smile that must be radiating from her face today?

When I finished reading the verse that I was looking for in the first place, I continued to thumb through the rest of Piper’s Bible to see what other treasures I might just find.  Well, I got about four books past my original stop and burst out laughing at a footnote that she had written, as I remembered the bit of history that it brought back to my mind.  The notation read, “God, help me to love (her first boss).”  It was written next to I John 2:10 where John wrote,

“But whoever loves his fellow man is ‘walking in the light’ and can see his way without stumbling around in darkness and sin.”

Let me explain… You see… As I’ve told before, Piper was a very joy-filled, spontaneous and creative gal who learned to temper her enthusiasm over the years, in order to best fit in with the various personality types that she interacted with.  Her new boss, on the other hand was an older lady who, although she was very nice, was very reserved and some might say… "ridged" in the way she ran things.  As a twenty-two-year-old, bursting with ideas and energy, Piper and her boss… well let’s just say that they tended to butt heads a lot!

It wasn’t something that provoked anger, but was, I’m sure, very frustrating to both of them!  Piper would definitely come home at times feeling frustrated and confused.  She really loved the gal and wanted to please her.  The kid’s adored Piper (as was evidenced by the multitude of Christmas gifts that her students gave her each year!) and she was well liked by the rest of the teaching staff.  

I laughed because of the memories of all our conversations that it brought back.  At the time, I had felt like Piper was really doing her best to meet the gal’s desires but got more and more discontented as the years went by.  But… through it all and however difficult it became… Piper was determined to love her boss with the love of the Lord and let her Christian light shine bright! 

As it turned out… at the end of three years, the two met and mutually decided that it would be best for all if Piper didn’t return for another year.  Which actually turned out to be a blessing for us, as she started a job right after that, working in an office at the Santa Rosa Junior College making a lot higher wage than she had before… and from there ended up at Hewlett Packard where both of our long-term relationships with that company (and the births of our four kids) began!

As I thought about all of this this morning, I couldn’t help but to see a resemblance (in an opposite type of order) between Piper’s personal example and the results of the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict and the way the mainstream media covered the case.  My overall thought was the saying that “You can’t change a leopard’s spots!”

From what I could see, the prosecution’s entire case seemed to be based solely on a line of thought or ideology and not on the facts of the case… which was the same ideology from which the mainstream media manufactured their coverage.  Then… even though the truth came out… as the prosecution’s star witness also collaborated the case for the defense… and the jury deliberated... and the clearly correct verdict was announced…

The mainstream media networks still continued to spread their false and untruthful narrative… now proven to be completely invalid and false.  Like I said, “You can’t change a leopard’s spots!”  It would seem that for certain groups of people, the truth doesn’t matter… only the message… Their message!

Oppositely, in Piper’s case… it was also THE MESSAGE that counted!  The one of truth and love and the importance of living her Christianity… even when difficult circumstances arose.  In other words… Her spots didn’t change either!

How about you?  What kind of spots do you have?

 

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

Who Do You TRUST?

I was watching an old Tom Selleck western last night when two of the characters in the movie started talking about trust… and ZOWIE!  That’s all I needed for my eyes to shift to the right of my 65” flat screen that I was watching and refocus on a couple of portraits of Piper and I … one taken in 1976 and the other in 1991.

While the two stars of the ‘80’s western questioned their ability to trust one another, my eyes watered up as I quietly proclaimed: “Piper trusted me!”  There have been multiple times since her passing towards the end of 2018, that the depth and responsibility of that statement have hit me hard.  I didn’t necessarily think about it very much when she was alive and I was caring for her, because I was just responding, to the best of my abilities, to her every need.  It was simply an extension of the deep and intimate love that we had for each other.

But you see… Piper trusted me with her very life because she “KNEW” me.  She saw the “REAL” and “WHOLE” me.  I believe with all my heart that she saw in me, what God saw in me.   I’ve mentioned a multitude of times of how there were a few people close to us that made it painstakingly clear that they DIDN’T trust me in my care for her.  But as I have also stated before, whether they trusted me or not didn’t matter one iota to me.  Piper trusted me, as did our kids and that is all the support I needed. 

Don’t get me wrong… there was also a whole lot of others that supported me from within our circle of family and friends… as did almost every single one of the terrific medical professionals that we interacted with throughout the many years of our ordeal.*

Now please don’t take this as prideful when I say this but…  I also trusted me to take care of Piper because when it came to her, I knew exactly where I stood and exactly where I stood with my heavenly Father.  I had placed my confidence in Him on that very emotional evening on my knees, praying and crying over the diagnosis I had just received from her first MRI, in the far corner of the outside Garden Department at Home Depot, way back in July of 2007… and I NEVER second guessed Him or my decision.

I was confident that God would help me each and every step of the way.  When I needed wisdom, He gave it to me.  When I needed physical, mental or emotional strength, He gave it to me.  He supernaturally brought me into contact with information concerning new cutting-edge drugs, with skilled professionals to help me with a wide range of activities that we sought to accomplish over the years and with the education, information, physical tools and processes I needed to know in order to best care for her unique and special needs.

Yesterday I read in the Biblical book of 1 Corinthians 2:15-16 where the Apostle Paul wrote:

“Those who live in the Spirit are able to carefully evaluate all things, and they are subject to the scrutiny of no one but God.  For Who has ever intimately known the mind of the Lord Yahweh well enough to become his counselor? Christ has, and we possess Christ’s perceptions.”  (The Passion Translation)

Paul is telling us that we who keep our eyes attentive to the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, have the innate ability “to carefully evaluate ALL things!”  Pretty COOL right?  And that is EXACTY what I was able to do because I chose to stay focused on God and His Word throughout the entire time I cared for Piper.  When it came to the life of my wife… I made the DELIBERATE choice to listen to Him and the truth of His Word and not be moved by man’s opinions! (See: Proverbs 3:5-6 TPT)

The last line in 1 Corinthians 2:16 gives us the other KEY ingredient in knowing the right thing to do and the right time to do it!  It incorporates our ability to understand and realize that as a Christian… “we possess Christ’s perceptions.”  Many other translations say that “we have the mind of Christ” (KJV -et al) 

As I was studying this verse again this morning, I felt led to write in RED, in the margin next this scripture that I had just written down:

“And it is up to us to KNOW this, to EXPECT it, and to DEVELOP it in our lives!”

Just as Piper and I TRUSTED each other, based on the depth of our love, and our knowledge and understanding of each other… and were free to act on that TRUST… we Christians can function in the very same way with God because of our deep relationship with and trust in Him and His Word!

I never had the opportunity to ask Piper about what she thought of me helping her the way I did (although, I just might when I see her again!)… But I would bet you anything that she would say without a moment’s hesitation… “I just EXPECTED you to do what you did!”  As I would have, had the roles been reversed!

And like I said, it is the same EXPECTATION that I have toward God and His response to my faith in Him and His Word.

Can you say the same?  Hummmm… just think about it!

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life… after all... what do you got to lose?

 

*There was only one doctor, a general practitioner at a clinic we went to for a few years for Piper’s physical needs, that I had an argument with concerning the use of the Alzheimer’s medicine she had been taking for about a year.  His opinion and our practical experience with the drug did not coincide.  Neither did his opinion based on the reading of an article agree with our Neurologist’s years of hands-on experience with the drug as well.

Delicious Steak!

I can’t seem to shake the thought of “TASTING” and “SEEING” that the Lord is good!  Ever since I started to study on this subject and wrote the last blog,* based on Psalm 34:8, the words pop up in my mind’s eye wherever I turn!  I keep coming back to the message of one needing to personally TASTE and SEE the goodness of the Lord in their own lives… before it can do any good for them… much less for anyone around them that they may be trying to encourage.

John Wesley wrote, “O taste – Make trial of it by your own experience of it.”  In the publication “Through the Bible Day by Day,” F.B. Meyers also commented “Some experiences must be enjoyed to be understood. There are not words adequate to tell of them.”

There were many times when Piper was sick when I would repeatedly attempt to tell different individuals who demonstrated little to no faith, of how much we were trusting that God was taking care of us.  At times they would look at me like I had lost a few marbles when I would smile and be upbeat about our circumstances while they were sad, glum and without hope. 

When push came to shove, I didn’t possess the words to convince them.  Piper and I had experienced of the goodness of God throughout our marriage.  We had an active, participative memory of the TASTE of His goodness to us…  We’d seen Him move in our lives in the past and had absolutely no reason to doubt that He wasn’t doing the same for us in our current situation!  They seemed** to possess no experiential knowledge of the TASTE of the goodness of the Lord in their life history… and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make our experience to be theirs!

Once again, The Passion Translation seems to bring out a fuller picture of what David was trying to convey in Psalm 34:8 saying,

“Drink deeply of the pleasures of this God. Experience for yourself the joyous mercies he gives to all who turn to hide themselves in him.” 

Since this summer, I’ve gotten into the habit of Barbequing a New York Steak on Sundays with my new Weber gas grill… and I think that I have finally gotten the new grill figured out.  We got our original Weber gas grill as a present from my parent’s way back in the 1990’s and over the years I learned all the nuances of that unit. 

And now with the new one, it’s taken a while… but I think that I am beginning to understand this grill’s individual idiosyncrasies.  So, that said… if I don’t say so myself… the steak I BBQ’d last Sunday was PERFECT!  Medium rare with just the amount of red that I prefer!  When I was done with dinner, I sat back in my chair, patted my stomach and looked over at the dog who had been glued to my side the entire time I ate and contentedly told him… “Boy!  That was good!”***  And while I am not sure of the exact amount of time, I do know that I sat there for quite a while with a very satisfied smile on my face!

The example of the enjoyable steak dinner is a good demonstration of the way we as Christians could… and should feel after we “Drink deeply of the pleasures of this God” and personally experience the joyous… or better yet, in line with my previous example… the delicious meat of His mercies, faithfulness and love!

That is why and how I could be joyful and at peace in the midst of the trial Piper and I were going through.  The goodness of God had made an indelible mark on my life and even though times were hard, I could still savor and enjoy the goodness of God as I EXPECTED His goodness to continue in meeting every need we faced… and you know… contrary to what some people said would happen… He did!

“TASTE” and “SEE” are both ACTIONS that each of us – individually - need to take in order to enjoy God’s benefits and favor.  I’ve learned over the years that when I make the time, effort and commitment to TASTE and SEE the goodness of the Lord for myself… that in effect… I now OWN it and take PERSONAL responsibility for it in my life!  Once I have understood it, internalized it and personalized it… Well… it is mine and NO one can take it from me!

Our faith is a two-way communication between God and us.  The responsibility to do anything DOES NOT depend solely on Him.  We have our part to play as well.  I have heard it taught that God has done all that He is going to do for us through Jesus’ actions from the cross to His assentation and seating at the right hand of God.  Now it is up to us to take advantage and possession of all that is ours as found within the pages of our Bible.  The Bible in Basic English translates Psalm 34:8 as,

“By experience you will see that the Lord is good; happy is the man (or women) who has faith in him.” 

Are you ready to reach out, to TASTE and SEE and thereby EXPERIENCE the goodness of the Lord?  Well then… What are you waiting for… take a leap of faith and TASTE the FLAVOR of God being God in your life!

 

Have a GREAT weekend, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your lives!

 

*http://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2021/11/how-does-it-taste.html

**I say “seemed” because I knew that some of these individuals had tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord in their lies in the past… but for some reason what we were facing (or maybe better yet… the way THEY faced what we were facing) was just too big or impossible for them to see God move…

***and don’t kid yourself… Fiver got many bites of my steak along the way!

How Does it Taste?

I was feeling a little sentimental the other day as I sat at my desk in my study and looked through Piper’s old “The Way” paperback copy of The Living Bible.  This paraphrase version of the Bible was first published in 1971 and was widely accepted within most Christian circles and quickly became a best seller.  “The Way” paperback copy was published a year later and was specifically tailored with its commentary’s, pictures and chapter introductions for older youth and college age readers.  Piper and I both had copies and took them with us almost everywhere we went!

It is interesting that I don’t have specific memories of Piper spending as much time in the Word as I did… but yet she was always right in step with me in our understanding, faith and practical application of the Word… in fact… usually a leap ahead!  She was an excellent Bible teacher and had a wonderful ability to use tangible examples that were very pertinent to the age and spiritual maturity of the classes that we ministered to throughout the years.

As I thumbed through her Bible within the books of Psalms and Proverbs, it was easy to see that she actually did spend a lot of time studying the Word.  Not only are the pages yellowed and worn with age and prolonged usage, but they are filled with her underlining of special verses, the circling of meaningful words, some highlighting of scriptures and lots of personal notations in the margins all around the page… as well as on the blank pages at both the beginning and end of the book!

I realized as I looked over her book, observed the underlining's and read her notations, that I feel closest to her today, through her memory markers prevalent throughout both the Old and New Testaments.  I have mentioned before of how Piper was a living and breathing representation of her faith and I think that is why I feel so close to her when I read her markings.  Almost every time I look over a particular underlined section, I see something that she did or said or we experienced together in our marriage.

Take for instance her blocked out area around Psalm 34:1-10, and in particular, verse eight where David wrote,

“Oh, put God to the test and see how kind He is!  See for yourself the way His mercies shower down on all who trust in Him.” (TLB)

In many respects, this verse lays out the challenge that Piper and I accepted when we first married.  As I have stated before, Piper and I were never content being in the stands during a big game or, for that matter, making the team but yet sitting on the bench.  No!  We wanted to be in the game, playing on the first-string Varsity team!  Piper always challenged others to make similar decisions and to put God to the test in their personal lives by believing in the promises written in His Word and thereby have the personal experience of how His kindness and tender mercies can flood their lives!

She had a way of making her faith (and in reality, most things that she did – like homeschooling) look easy.  She had learned the secret of staying within the overriding JOY of the Lord in her life and encouraged others to do the same.

The King James version of this verse (also circled in her King James Bible) translates it as:

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” 

It is understood when reading this verse that the word “man” is actually the term for “mankind” and can therefore relate to both men and women.  According to Strong’s it “properly describes a valiant man/women or a warrior.”  In other words, in order to experience the goodness, the kindness and the tender mercies of the Lord, you must approach His promises with the determined sense of a strong and valiant person.  You must take your stand of faith with an unfaltering dedication to victory and fight the good fight of faith… all the way along the path until you see the victory!

If you knew Piper, then you knew that she was a very determined, dedicated and strong individual.  Our pastor’s wife once described Piper as a bulldog who, once she locked her faith on to a promise of God… NEVER LET GO!

So, that and more was the life memory that I relived when I read through her Bible the other day.  But more importantly, it is a lesson that I am sure that she still speaks to all of us today!  To set your mind on success and victory as you seek out the Lord and then take the opportunity to TASTE and SEE His goodness, His kindness and His tender mercies within your life.

I can picture her looking at me with those bright little brown eyes, filled with anticipation and joy, as we considered taking a stand of faith for something promised by the Lord in His Word for our lives and saying, “We can do this Jim… yes we can… let’s do it!” 

And usually, we did!

How about you?  Don’t you also want to jump into His promises and TASTE and SEE how GOOD and FAITHFUL the Lord REALLY IS?

Today just might be your day!

Our Anchor

Today was one of the few days that I didn’t have scripture verses or Biblical/life topics on my mind when I got settled at my desk in my study first thing this morning.  I usually have a pre-set sense of direction that I’ll follow as I begin my daily Bible Study time.  It is one of my favorite times of the day.  The house is usually quiet and cool as I turn up the thermostat.  The outside is a mirror of the inside and many times is still fairly dark as I open the front blinds that face our cul-de-sac and afford a pleasant view of the city golf course just a few steps away.

I had gotten up earlier than normal today as I needed to go to a local lab and have a blood panel drawn for my yearly physical later this week.  I had been fasting and wanted to get the task done early so I could get back to my normal morning routine of coffee and breakfast.  But I have been doing it for so long now, that I can’t fathom the thought of starting my day without some private time with my heavenly Father!  After all the miraculous things that He did for Piper and I during the years of her final journey on this earth, I can’t help but want to give Him the first and best part of my day!

So, after I turned on my laptop and loaded my Bible Study program, I did what I normally do at times of impasse like today and went back to the last portion of scripture that I studied from yesterday.  I flipped over to my notes and read from Psalm 100:4,

“You can pass through His open gates with the password of praise. Come right into His presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your thank offering to Him and affectionately bless His beautiful name!”  (TPT)

Then I automatically looked up to the screen on my laptop and continued reading the next verse, Psalm 100:5 where the Psalmist concluded saying,

“For the Lord is always good and ready to receive you. He’s so loving that it will amaze you—so kind that it will astound you! And He is famous for his faithfulness toward all. Everyone knows our God can be trusted, for He keeps His promises to every generation!” (TPT)

By then I was hooked and found myself contemplating the LOVE of God towards you and me that is simply AMAZING and ASTOUNDING!  I also realized that I had a big smile on my face as I thought those things over.  Then I cast my eyes down to the last sentence in the verse and nodded my head with personal experiential agreement that the Lord indeed “keeps His promises to every generation!”

Allow me to interject a question here… “Do you REALLY BELIEVE that statement?”  Have you also repeatedly seen the Lord’s faithfulness in your life like I have?  I discovered first-hand with all the different folks that we interacted with in three different states, with both believers and non-believers during Piper’s illness, that most people want to believe it… and may even go so far as to say that they DO BELIEVE it… but when the line was drawn in the sand… they crossed over to unbelief because they believed it in their head BUT NOT in their hearts!

I thought that going through Piper’s final journey with all its challenges, witnessing the physical destruction of my beautiful wife’s mind and body along with all the added outside pressures that I never imagined… would be the most difficult time of my life… But as I’ve mentioned before… in many respects, being without her is even harder! 

But through it all… the most comforting words I have repeatedly heard is the question of the Lord coming from deep inside… asking me… “Do you BELIEVE My Word or NOT?”  And that little jolt to spiritual reality helps me to reset my faith and simply say: “YES!”

When Piper was first diagnosed, she and I immediately agreed that God’s Word and His WAY was the ONLY answer for us… and I still hold true to that declaration of faith today… I just need to be reminded of it occasionally!

A footnote of commentary by the late-great English Minister C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) that I read concerning that concluding proclamation by David in Psalm 100:5, brought it all home for me… and I’ll share it with you.  Speaking of our heavenly Father, Spurgeon wrote:

“No fickle being is He, promising and forgetting. He has entered into covenant with His people, and He will never revoke it, nor alter the thing that has gone out of His lips. As our fathers found Him faithful, so will our sons, and their seed forever. A changeable God would be a terror to the righteous, they would have no sure anchorage, and amid a changing world they would be driven to and fro in perpetual fear of shipwreck.”*                                

That is why I believe… because God is FAITHFUL to us, to His Word and to Our faith in Him.  I have come to DEPEND on the sure anchorage of the promises He has made to us in His Word. 

How about you?  How steady is your Anchor?

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

 

*Treasury of David – notes on Psalm 100- by C.H. Spurgeon