The FAITHFULNESS of God!

We finally got a break this morning, from the wind and rain that has been assailing us for the last 24 hours.  So, I hopped in the car and headed out to our nearby Target to get a few supplies before the next storm arrives.  I guess that I was feeling a little sentimental and got teary eyed when I began to reminisce over the final eight years of my wife’s life when I took care of her every need.  What struck me in the car was not so much that I was able to do all that I did, but rather of the FAITHFULNESS of God throughout it all!

I thought of the Psalmist’s words in Psalm 23:4 and of how I had lived them and could have very well been the author who wrote,

“Lord, even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way. Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.” 

One of the uncanny things that I recalled this morning, was that even though I was tempted… I NEVER gave into FEAR!  That is not to say that I didn’t have many opportunities presented to me… and to be honest… mostly through the FEAR driving other people’s responses to our situation… but Piper and I had long before learned to lean on the truth of such scriptures as II Timothy 1:7 where the Apostle Paul declared to his young protégé Timothy that,

“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (KJV)

In those instances when she had a seizure, or other sudden and unusual symptoms and it looked like I might need to call 911, the POWER, LOVE and a SOUND MIND portion of that verse always overrode any influence that FEAR tried to interject into our situation!

As I sat at a stop light this morning, I couldn’t help but to raise my hands to the Lord and thank Him repeatedly for His constant goodness and FAITHULNESS to us in our greatest times of need.  When the light turned green and I accelerated forward, I suddenly became aware of the driver of the big black Ford 150 pickup next to me and how he immediately slowed down and let me get in front of him!  I wonder what was going through his mind?  I was so caught up in tearfully thanking the Lord, that I hadn’t even noticed if he was watching me or not!  Oh well… I hope he was blessed!

Paul also wrote in Galatians 6:14 that,

“My only boast is in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, our Messiah. In him I have been crucified to this natural realm; and the natural realm is dead to me and no longer dominates my life.” (TPT) 

I received an unexpected call yesterday afternoon from the wife of a good friend of mine that had passed about a year ago.  Soon after we caught up on things, she excitedly asked, “Do you want to hear a great testimony?”  And she proceeded to tell me of how, through a long series of set-backs, strong suggestions from others, “coincidences” and people who “just happened to know someone” in the right places, that she, through her husband’s military service in Vietnam, was eligible for and is now going to receive some long-term VA benefits that should set her up for the rest of her life!

Now, let me tell you… She like me this morning, was most definitely boasting in the “crucifixion of the Lord” and in the benefits and freedoms that it enables us Christians to enjoy over the set-backs, FEAR and hopelessness that the domination of the natural realm attempts to put on us!

Like I often say… “ISN’T GOD GOOD” to us who believe in Him and actively pursue the benefits that our fellowship in Him provide for us?*  And you know… If God can do what He has done for me, as well as in the life of my friend and his widow… God can and WILL do the same for you!

The Apostle Peter, who always seemed adapt at taking action before he thought things through, knew all about the goodness and FAITHFULNESS of God and was recorded as saying,

“Now I know for certain that God doesn’t show favoritism with people but treats everyone on the same basis.” (Acts 10:34 - TPT) 

All it takes is to BELIEVE His Word to be true… no matter what the natural circumstances (or fear-filled people) may be telling you, EXPECT for it to happen as He said it will… and then ACT like it is so in your life!

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do… Keep BELIEVING, EXPECTING and ACTING like the FAITHFULNESS of God is working for you!

 

*See: I Corinthians 1:9

FRESH STARTS

Have you ever stopped to think about and maybe even make a list of all the times that God positively interceded in the affairs of your life?  I found myself reflecting on all the “FRESH STARTS” that I have had over the years that were clearly enabled through my trust in the Lord, while Fiver and I took our morning walks both yesterday and today.

As I hung onto my favorite 45^th Anniversary Mustang hat for dear life, while the 23 mph winds swirled around us this morning, I had to laugh while talking to my four-footed walking partner, mentioning that most of the “FRESH STARTS” that I or Piper and I experienced together over the years, put us in a better position than where we were when the need arose!  After all, that is who God is!  It is just the way that He operates! 

If you remember, the Apostle Paul told us in Ephesians 3:20 that God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” (KJV) And from what I have plainly seen throughout the pages of my Bible, God is an over-the-top kind of God, to us His children!  That excites me and makes me want to trust in Him and the truth of His Word even more… wouldn’t you agree?

The scripture verses that got me to thinking about the “FRESH STARTS” of God came out of my continued study of a Christian’s personal relationship with God, while reading I Corinthians 1:30-31.  Here Paul tells us that,

“Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a FRESH START—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.  And this fulfills what is written: If anyone boasts, let him only boast in all that the Lord has done!” (MSG/TPT) 

As I meandered through this statement of Paul’s, it suddenly dawned on me that I firmly believe that these “Clean Slates” and “FRESH STARTS” can happen continuously throughout the course of our lives… when we ASK for and then EXPECT the truth of God’s Word to work in us, when we fall short, make mistakes or fail in any activity that we pursue.  And John, the Apostle of Love, seemed to confirm this when he declared in I John 1:9 that,

“God is faithful and reliable. (for) If we confess our sins, He forgives them and cleanses us from EVERYTHING we've done wrong.” (God’s Word ©)

You see, that is the LOVE of God in action!  And that is when and where the “Clean Slate” and our “FRESH STARTS” begin… each and every time… it is NOT just a one-time event!  The Passion Translation states I Corinthians 1:30 as,

“For it is not from man that we draw our life but from God as we are being joined (that’s in the current active tense) to Jesus, the Anointed One.  And now He is our God-given wisdom, our virtue, our holiness, and our redemption.” 

Our “FRESH STARTS” come from and are enabled through our child-like trust in and faith-filled dependence on God and the truth of His Word and NOT… on the opinions of men.  Paul, in his renown and definitive treatise on the subject of the functioning of Godly LOVE in our daily lives, declared that God’s

“LOVE is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. (and that includes you and me!) LOVE never takes FAILURE as DEFEAT, for it never gives up.” (I Corinthians 13:7 - TPT) 

And that my friends, is all driven by our intimate and deeply personal relationship with Jesus Christ as foretold by Paul in Ephesians 3:19 when he prayed that, “You will (intimately) know Christ's LOVE, which goes far beyond any knowledge.  (&) I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God.” (God’s Word ©) 

So… when was the last time that you personally experienced a “Clean Slate” and/or a “FRESH START” from God in your life?  I betcha that it wasn’t that long ago… and when you start making a list, I bet that you’ll also discover that it is only one of the many, many times in which He interceded for you in the midst of a sticky… and maybe even a seemingly hopeless or failed endeavor.

Isn’t God Good!

Have a terrific weekend, and as you do… keep ASKING and EXPECTING the good and gracious Lord to intercede in the events of your daily life!

RECEIVED!

When I study my Bible in the morning, I will often times find myself leaning back in my desk chair and staring out the window that faces the front cul-de-sac and the city golf course that borders it… and be lost in deep thought and verbal conversation with God in order to grasp the understanding and application of what I had been reading.

I had such an extended interaction yesterday as I continued to study from Colossians 2:6-7.  In the introduction to the book of Colossians, the editor of The Passion Translation notated that

“The beauty and revelation that comes into us when we receive the truth of this letter is astounding.  The Holy Spirit hands to us many wonderful nuggets of gold here.  (for) The heavenly hope of glory, the mystery hidden and reserved for this generation, is Jesus our anointed Messiah.” 

When I read this paragraph, I immediately caught on to the “nuggets of gold” hidden within the pages of this letter. One of those nuggets is found in chapter two where Paul encourages us by declaring,

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6-7 KJV)

At first glance, these verses tell me two things.  First, that this encouragement is acknowledging the fact that everyone of us have a unique, special and personal experience in the ways that we RECEIVE the Lord and the truth of his Word into our hearts and then apply it into the situations of life.  And secondly, we see once again, that the writer is comparing this spiritual activity to the continued growth of the physical intimacy shared between a husband and his wife.

It is hard to miss the fact that Paul repeatedly refers to the individual person reading the letter and not to a group of people.  He uses the word “Ye” (or “you” in modern language) three times in order to make his point.  As I stared out the window in conversation with the Lord over this part of the verse yesterday, the Lord spoke to my heart and reminded me that I really have no right to criticize, judge or in a more positive manner of thinking, give input into another person’s situation… solely through the filter of my own life’s experiences… without any regard to or knowledge of the differences between our individual life stories.

He humbled me when the truth flashed across my mind… that I had done the exact same thing in judging the very people who had wrongly judged and complained about my care plans for Piper when she got sick!  Ouch!  That hit home and definitely stung!

I often use the example of how Piper and I were, in many ways, really different than the rest of our siblings… yet we were raised in the same exact home setting and enjoyed the same positive upbringing from our parents.  But, while the foundation may have been the same, we each had unique friends, activities, gifts, talents, personalities and heart’s desires that helped to shape us into the unique individuals that we became as adults.

And how do these verses compare to the intimate relationship enjoyed between a husband and wife?  Well, I’m glad you asked!  In the instructions to his readers, Paul wrote that, 

“As ye have therefore RECEIVED Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him.”

Paul continued to compare the two special relationships by purposely using the word “RECEIVED” in his teaching to us.  In the original Greek usage, the word is defined as

“to receive near, that is, to associate with oneself in any familiar or intimate act or relation.” (Strong’s)

In other words, our ever-growing relationship with God is to be continually RECEIVED as an up-close, personal and intimate relationship with Him.  That revelation got me thinking of the story I’ve told before, of my personal “Halleluia” moment when I met Piper at the first school dance of our senior year, held in the cafeteria of our school.  We had been hanging out together for a short period of time and thought that it would be cool to meet at the dance... as kind of a first official date. 

Well… Piper was a little late getting there… and to be honest, I had just danced and was flirting with another girl (a mutual friend) when Piper walked into the room.  I termed this as a “Halleluia” moment because of the startling effect that she had on me when she came in.  Although I’m sure it didn’t actually happen that way… to me it was like a spotlight came on and shined upon her as the crowd parted and she walked in slow motion across the dance floor to me!

At that instant in time, I knew that I knew, that she was the only girl for me!  I think my mouth was probably hanging open and my eyes glazed over because the gal I was with suddenly turned and quickly departed exclaiming, “Well, I’d better go!” When Piper got over to me, I immediately took her hand and “RECEIVED” her into my life… And the rest was a history of us enjoying each other’s company and the continual building up of a close, personal unity that eventually led us into a very intimate relationship as husband and wife for 43 years.

In a similar fashion to the way in which I “RECEIVED” Piper into my life… and she me, I might add (you know…I think she had a plan all along…) and never lost our focus, the excitement of the chase and our passion one for another, is the same way that Paul is encouraging each of us to never lose and keep pursuing our individual and personal relationship with Jesus… throughout the entirety of our lives!

And never fall into the trap of judging your relationship with Jesus in comparison to someone else’s.  Remember, God made you uniquely special.  Now, that doesn’t mean that your walk with the Lord won’t have many similarities with those of other Christian’s, but you are you and your relationship will have the wonderful flavor, color and fragrance that only you and Jesus can create together!

A lot of people knew Piper in some capacity or another.  Some in her family knew her really well… but none knew her as deeply, intimately and completely as we knew each other.  That was something that we developed over the hours, days, months and years that we spent in close contact with each other… and the Apostle Paul tells us that the same can be said about our one-of-a-kind, close, personal and intimate relationship with Jesus!

We are currently enjoying the first of the season cold-front that moved into this side of the country last night.  I had to add my fleece vest to my light hoodie for our walk this morning as the temperature was in the low to mid-forties.  But I have to say that Fiver, with his thick coat, is REALLY enjoying these cooler temps!  There just seemed to be a fresh excitement in the air this morning with the crispness of the fall season and thoughts of the arrival of the Holiday’s knocking on our doors!

Have a great week in this beautiful new season, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life as you continue to RECEIVE Him and are enriched by His involvement in the daily activities of your life!

Up Close and Very Personal – “Continue”

Contrary to our experience with Homeschooling in California, which we began in the 1980’s, Homeschooling is quite a common practice out here in Oklahoma, along with the organization of Homeschool Co-ops.  Our youngest daughter and her family belong to one such Co-op that includes families from various locations all around the Tulsa metropolitan area. 

One of the attributes that my daughter likes about this particular program, is that they have one day a week where all the students and their moms gather together at a large church and attend different classes that are taught by the different moms.  This not only helps the children to learn in a typically structured and more formal setting, but also gives them social opportunities to interact with their friends and classmates.  My daughter also enjoys it as it gives the mom’s opportunities to interact with each other and share tips, ideas, practices and curriculum.

I have had the opportunity to take JoAnna and the kids to and from their school day on various occasions… and to say the least… I have enjoyed it!  One of the things that I especially enjoy in the mornings, as I literally drive from one end of Tulsa to the other, is taking in the nuances of the big city while things are still relatively calm and quiet!  And during that drive, it is easy to see why Tulsa has been called “The Buckle of the Bible Belt!”  Not only are there a lot of churches… but a lot of BIG churches.

I got to thinking yesterday afternoon, on the way to pick up the troops, that I have always been drawn to churches and am very comfortable around and in them!  My memories of this go all the way back to my early elementary years attending Catholic school in the older side of town.  Then when we moved across the city, my memories continued and were enhanced with the days attending a new Parochial school and with my involvement as an altar boy in the Cathedral Parish.

My eighteen plus years in the Catholic Church instilled in me a deep reverence for the spiritual, emotional and physical practices of my faith, that I continue to carry within me today, after moving over to the Protestant and then quickly onward to the Pentecostal understanding of God and His ways.

I still remember one Sunday morning before service at the Catholic church, when I and another altar boy where in the Sacristy with the priest when he (who was also a family friend) suddenly handed me the golden Paten (the plate that goes with the Chalice and holds the communion element) and asked me to “shine it up” for him.  Well… to me at that age… it was like the soldiers had handed Jesus’ robe at Calvary!  I gently and with great reverence took it from him and tried my best to only touch it on the edges. 

I guess it must have looked very funny to the priest and the other altar boy as they both burst out laughing and encouraged me to just grab it as it wasn’t going to break in my hand!  So, I took hold of it with a firmer grip and polished it… but never forgot the humble, gentle reverence and honor that I felt for what I considered to be a holy vessel of the Lord.

A couple of different scriptures came to mind this morning as I considered that memory in line with our last blog post, in which we compared a husband’s intimate relationship with his wife with that of a Christian man or woman’s personal relationship with their heavenly Father.*  The scripture we studied in that post was found in Proverbs 5: 18-19 in The Message Bible where Solomon bluntly instructed husbands to:

“Bless your fresh-flowing fountain! Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!  Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose— don't ever quit taking delight in her body. Never take her love for granted!” 

When I reviewed that verse, I immediately felt led to follow a trail to a scripture found in what may be my favorite book of the New Testament.  In Colossians 2:6-7 the Apostle Paul is reminding and at the same time encouraging us by declaring,

“In the same way you received Jesus our Lord and Messiah by faith, CONTINUE your journey of faith, progressing further into your union with Him!  Your spiritual roots go deeply into His life as you are CONTINUALLY infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched by your devotion to Him! ”  (The Passion Translation)

The Spirit-led connection of those two verses was easily apparent to me because I began my journey into the fullness of my relationship with my wife to be, at the same time that I received and began to walk toward the fullness of an intimate relationship with the Lord, when we started our dating adventures.

There was just something special, sweet and unique about Piper, that from day one, inspired and you could even say, challenged me, to always treat her with honor, trust and respect.  And it is pretty much the same way with my lifelong and ever-growing and ever-more exciting and adventurous relationship with my heavenly Father.  I always tended to treat Piper with that same level of awe, respect and gentleness that I did with the Paten in the Sacristy back in 5^th or 6^th grade.

It was definitely a gigantic shock when Piper was diagnosed with the early onset of Alzheimer’s, but looking back, I can see that we never missed a beat.  We continued to continue growing and depending on our faith that was based on a total dependance on the love of God in and through the working of His Word in everything we did… and as usual, He never failed us. 

And throughout the 48 years of our relationship together… I never failed Piper and she never failed me.  Our love continued to grow as we continued to work at being blessing to one another… up and until our temporary separation… and will then continue with our eventual reunion in heaven.

I John 4:19 tell us that,

“Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.” (The Passion Translation) 

Piper and I loved each other and enjoyed a passionately intimate relationship with each other because HE first loved us.  Our relationship with each other, as well as our relationship with the Lord was strategically founded on our intimate and deeply personal knowing of how much He loved us… and in turn, of how deeply we loved and honored Him. 

I don’t see how you can have one WITHOUT the other!  And I think that both King Solomon and the Apostle Paul would agree!  They both dished out some very practical and blunt advice on how couples could and should physically love each other… and then used that information as direct comparisons to teach us about our personal relationships to God!

Have a great rest of your week, continue to actively and very personally pursue your relationship with God… and as you continue with that same level of commitment toward your spouse, you can EXPECT to continue to see the BEST of God blooming in your ever-increasing love for both your spouse and God!

 

*http://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2022/10/up-close-and-personal.html

Up Close and Personal!

The local Christian radio station that I listen to each morning, has a daily contest where married couples can submit their anniversary dates, get their names read on the air and then have the opportunity to win a meal at a local Tulsa restaurant.  I always enjoy hearing how long couples have been married and often times will think back to special events or milestones that Piper and I enjoyed together when the various years married are announced.

And as it turns out, I have found myself of late, studying various scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments that talk about the marriage relationship… and in particular of the act of intimacy between the husband and his wife.  At first, I was a little surprised at how many times the writers of the books of the Bible (under the influence of the holy Spirit) directly compare the interactions involved with this activity with the interactions of the Christian in their personal relationship with God. 

But then, the more I studied on this subject and also remembered some of the things that the Lord spoke to my heart through His Word, when Piper and I were first beginning to understand what was happening to her with the early onset of Alzheimer’s... the impact of this comparison suddenly made a lot more sense to me!

Proverbs 5:18-19 tells the husband to,

“Bless your fresh-flowing fountain! Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!  Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose— don't ever quit taking delight in her body. Never take her love for granted!” (The Message) 

Now hold on… Your initial reaction may be “How in the world does this have anything to do with my personal relationship with my heavenly Father?”  But, just follow along and you’ll see.  And even though this particular scripture is written to instruct the husband, in our discussion… it has value and direction for both men and women.

Firstly, you’ll need to see the picture of the wife as described in this verse with that of God, in the context of your personal interactions with Him… and notate along the way, that the ideas and processes spoken of in this verse, fall in line with how you and I can have a more meaningful and enjoyable relationship with God!  Got it?  Okay… Here we go!

If I learned one thing from my interactions with my beautiful wife over the years, it was to NOT RUSH INTO ANYTHING!  The key was to slow down and enjoy the sights and sounds along the way! 

In the same fashion, another example would be why I enjoyed hiking in the Sierras in northeastern California, more than I did in the Redwood groves on the northwestern coast of the state.  Don’t get me wrong… the Redwoods are majestic and gorgeous, but the actual terrain does not have a lot of variety to it (at least in the parks we frequented).  In the Sierra’s, one never knew what was going to be unveiled before your eyes around the next bend in the trail!

As in our scripture, hiking there was a continual and ever-changing feast of “fresh-flowing fountains” of adventures.  As we meandered along the trails, I loved to slow down and soak in the thrills of the scenery, to enjoy the various contours of the land, and to experience the different textures, sights, sounds and natural fragrances that availed themselves to all my senses… and of course, to go through rolls and rolls of film as I pointed my Canon SLR and its telephoto zoom in a 360° arc, in order to notate the scene unfolding before me!

Like I said previously, it is not something that one would want to rush through and miss any of the delights and pleasures of the experience.  Well… the same can be said for the way that I believe the Lord is telling us that we can… and should… experience our adventurous hikes into the trails located throughout the beauty of His Word.

As my interactions with my wife were almost always a fresh, new and exciting adventure of discovery, my interactions with the Lord in my daily Bible study mirror such regular times of fulfillment and joy.  In continuing on with our comparison, the King James Version closes Proverbs 5:19 by admonishes the husband to “be thou RAVISHED always with her love.” 

Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions defines the word “RAVISHED” as “to swerve, meander, reel, roll, and/or be intoxicated.”  To me, that is a perfect way to look at one’s personal study of the Word of God.  When I open my Bible in the morning, I come equipped to hike whatever types of terrain that comes along my way.  With pencil and paper in hand so as to notate what I see that day, along with my favorite commentaries and Greek/Hebrew dictionaries (all available for free online), I hit the trail with a burning sense of awe and excitement. 

And I love to take it nice and easy and meander along as the Holy Spirit leads me… all the while enjoying and/or being intoxicated by the varied terrain, the sights and sounds, and the overwhelming beauty of God found His Word.  In Ephesians 3:19, the Apostle Paul encourages us to “to KNOW the love of Christ…”* with the word “KNOW” defined in the original Greek as the “Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman.”**

You see… God is jealous over us and desires us to have and maintain a close and personal, adventurous and enjoyable relationship with Him. (See: 2 Corinthians 11:2)  It is the same type of unique and special relationship that I had with my wife… that you most likely have with your spouse, and the exact kind that God jealously desires to have and maintain with each of us!

Isn’t God Good!

Have a great weekend, enjoy the fall weather, and in everything you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s BEST in your life!

 

*King James Version

**Thayer’s Greek Definitions