Can It Really Be That Simple?

My wife had a very black and white, and some might say, “child-like” understanding of God and His Word.  For her it was simple… If God said it, that settled it and she believed it… and then acted as though it were so in her life!  As I’ve stated many times in this blog, her personal expression of her faith in every area of her life was one of the first things that attracted me to her.  (Her cute looks, outgoing personality and gorgeous smile didn’t hurt either…)

I came from a devout Catholic family, and while I definitely had a deep love for God, I didn’t really know anything when it came to the revelations in God’s Word that were so evident to her.  I wanted what she had… so once we got married and I joined her Baptist church, I got serious about learning the principles and promises that were contained between the pages of the New American Standard Bible that Piper had bought me while we were attending College.  I got involved with a men’s Bible study group, accepted the position of Youth Minister, and along with everything else we participated in at the church, started reading every Christian teaching book that I could get my hands on!

With all of that working for me… it didn’t take me long to start understanding the Gospel message in much the same way that Piper did.  And what can I say?  We just seemed to blossom from there!  We both grew more and more excited about the potential and possibilities that our faith in God’s Word could produce in and/or through our lives.  Best of all, we tended to feed off each other, keep each other built up and challenge each other to stay at the top of our game!

When we came across scriptures like Philippians 4:13 that says “we could do all things through Christ (and His Word) who strengthens us” or Mark 9:23 where Jesus said “all things are possible to him (or her) that believes…"  Well…we believed it and began to seek the Lord to see what seemingly impossible things He wanted us to do for Him.

And through the decades now, since our beginnings in the 1970’s, I would have to say that our black and white and… what I’ve since learned that the Bible actually describes as a GOOD thing… our child-like faith in the Word of God, continued to grow and mature!  I still get excited, like I did this morning, when I read confirming verses of scripture like I Corinthians 2:9 where the Apostle Paul wrote to the members of the church imploring them that,

“This is why the Scriptures say: Things never discovered or heard of before, things beyond our ability to imagine—these are the many things God has in store for all his lovers.”  (TPT) 

Did you happen to notice all the plurals described throughout that verse?  Paul is talking about a plurality of scripture verses (both Old and New Testaments) that promise God’s hand in helping us to discover multiple things that most people would consider beyond ones ability to even imagine… and then boldly declares that these are only some of the things that God has in store for those of us who love Him and thereby put our trust into Him and His Word.

Could it REALLY be that simple? 

Well, that’s the exact question that many people over the centuries, including Piper and I back in the mid 1970’s, have asked and received a resounding YES!  I mean, think about it for a moment.  Why else would the various writers of the books of the Bible, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, all agree and then repeat it over and over again?

When I hear our verse above talking about “things beyond our ability to imagine,” my mind automatically translates it to say, “things that are beyond our natural inclination to imagine.”  And it is that natural inclination in each of us that can STOP us from venturing on into God’s realm where He has many, many things (man’s impossibilities*) for us to explore, to accomplish, to succeed in, and to enjoy.

Our inclinations can be… and most likely are… very different than other individuals, as we are all unique products of our environments, have differing personality traits, varying levels of education and distinctive life experiences.  But it doesn’t really matter what they are… because God wants to set us free from operating there and move us into His supernatural realm of unlimited possibility in our lives!

Can it REALLY be that simple?  

What does the Bible say?  Do you believe it… or not?

Have a great weekend, and as you do… keep EXPECTING God’s unlimited BEST in, for and through your life… unto others!

 

 

*Mark 10:27