Sweet Fragrances!

Just before I turned the light out around ten last night, I walked through the darkened house and into the hallway where I turned down the air conditioner, as I tend to sleep better with the cooler temperatures.  Upon my return to the bedroom, I stopped at the piano to turn off the one light that was left on in the house and happened to pause for a moment when my eyes settled upon a picture of Piper, standing in the entrance of our big family tent, in the late 1990’s, while we were camping at our favorite State Park in the northeastern Sierras.

For that brief moment, I was reminded of all the wonderful sights, sounds and more specifically… the SMELLS of the campground in the early morning hours.  I can picture it as if it were yesterday… as I did my best to quietly unzip the zipper on the front tent flap and step into the chilly morning air. 

The routine for me was always the same.  Taking a step or two away from the tent so as to not awaken any of the remaining five occupants, and then stopping to enjoy the distinctive FRAGRANCE of the pine forest.  After that, there was the SMELL and sight of the lingering smoke wafting through the trees from the various campfires that were lit the night before, the AROMA of coffee being brewed on an outside camp stove, the Blue Jays squawking in all directions, squirrels scampering up and down the multitudes of trees and the occasional laugh of an early rising child somewhere in the camp!

Ah… and with all of it being absorbed into my senses… the accompanying satisfaction of peace, inner joy and contentment that always filled my soul!

This morning as I slowly arose from my slumber, I was quickly reminded of the sweet memories from the night before, and recalled a special portion of scripture where the Apostle Paul also talked about lingering FRAGRANCES and the sweet SMELL of VICTORY that they bring not only to you and me… but also to those we interact with throughout our busy days.

In II Corinthians 2:14 he wrote,

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us like a victorious parade to reveal the beauty of being in union with Christ and thus spread the loving FRAGRANCE of his character, methods and principles everywhere we go.”* 

Then he goes on to clarify how different folks see, hear and even SMELL the FRAGRANCE of Christ that emanates from those of us who are faithful followers of Jesus and explained that,

“Those who refuse the Remedy (the Gospel message) and are dying, find the SCENT of Christ offensive, while to those who have partaken of the Remedy, it is the SMELL of victory, the AROMA of transformation, and the BALM of life. And who is capable of such a task?”*

Paul is telling us that our loving union with Christ is like an actual FRAGRANCE that is tangibly released from us wherever we go.  For some it is an enjoyable SCENT that causes them to remember and/or think about pleasant memories that evoke peace, harmony, hope and love.  But to others who rebel against the message of Christ… it can have the opposite effect!

I was also reminded this morning of another warm Saturday morning in the late 1990’s, when I had stepped out into the garage to put the laundry from Piper’s and my hamper into the washing machine.  As the tub began to fill with water, I nonchalantly started to pull items from the hamper and toss them into the machine… when my attention was suddenly awakened by the sweet, tangible, perfumed FRAGANCE of Piper that seemed to float through the air from the article of her clothing that I had in my hand.

And just as the sweet FRAGRANCE of Christ reminds us and others of “His character, methods and principles everywhere we go,” in that moment of time, standing alone with the two cars in front of the washing machine… I was instantly reminded of Piper’s unquestionable character, methods and principles… and of how much I deeply loved, honored and respected her.

With her being gone for almost five years now, I often times have sweet memories of the FRAGRANCE of her life that she and I… in cooperation with the Lord and the truth of His Word… lived together… and as I am planning and working toward my future, I find that those sweet memories tend to strengthen my resolve, fortify my confidence and ignite my excited expectations for the Lord’s and my vision for the future.

What familiar and enjoyable FRAGRANCES of Christ from your life… both past and present… bring pleasant memories that evoke peace, harmony, hope and love in your lives?  And does the sweet FRAGRANCE of your loving union with Christ resonate from you everywhere you go?

I would like to think that my presence in my neighborhood, in the grocery store and as Fiver and I take a walk along the golf course each day… and many times interact with the golfers… carries with it, the sweet FRAGRANCE of Christ and in doing so… makes a lasting impression on those we see.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

I’m not sure why… but I keep thinking that today is Saturday… but it’s only Thursday!  But either way, I pray that you all have an enjoyable rest of your week and keep EXPECTING God’s BEST as you carry and emit HIS FRAGRANCE into every place you go!

 

*II Corinthains 2:14,16 - The Remedy translation 

EXPLOSIVE POWER!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the things that we EXPECT in life.  In all our years teaching in Children’s and Youth Ministry classes, I would say that Piper and I spent the majority of our time, energy and love for our students, in training them, by both precept and personal example, to have the right EXPECTATIONS in their lives.  We taught that in the individual personal faith of our students…as well as for ALL of us… that those EXPECTATIONS are best founded on the truth of God’s Word.

And it would seem that in the thirty-five plus years of ministry, that all of those hundreds of lessons were meant not only for our students… but also… and maybe in particular… for me… when Piper got sick and I had to put all that instruction to work for us in the midst of that most difficult of life’s situations. 

The deeper Piper was drawn into throes of Alzheimer’s, the more the daily battle for clear, concise and positive EXPECTATIONS, for both Piper and I, became apparent.  I learned pretty early on, that I also had to be watchful of the EXPECTATIONS of the others that we interacted with, most everywhere we went.

I will say though, that we didn’t necessarily enter into this battle totally naïve and unprepared for what and or who we might be adversely facing along the way!  I have really come to like the way that the modern Passion Translation states Paul’s highly contagious, positive life EXPECTATIONS in Philippians 4:12B-13 by his declaring,

“For I’m trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.” 

The secret of Paul’s successful, powerhouse ministry… throughout the multitudes of persecutions that he faced almost everywhere he went… was his overwhelming EXPECTATIONS in Christ’s EXPLOSIVE POWER working in, for and through him… every day of his life!

Now… I won’t even try to put the level or conviction of Piper’s and my EXPECTATIONS in the EXPLOSIVE POWER of God’s Word in line with Paul’s… but we did spend the majority of our adult lives building a foundation of faith in the truth of the Word.  And I believe that following the Lord’s directions to me to saturate Piper and I in the Word, throughout the last eight years of her life, was the commanding force behind the maintenance of our strong EXPECTATIONS of His Word working in us, for us and through us!

As I meditated these last few days on the EXPECTATIONS of the EXPLOSIVE POWER of Christ, I suddenly had the revelation that,

“To the EXPECTANT person in active, NOW faith*, God’s Power… in His Word… is EXPLOSIVE, but… to the person NOT in faith, God’s Word has NO EXPECTATION of power and is just words written upon a page.”

I know that my life is always more EXCITING when I BUILD myself up to and STAY** in the EXPECTANCY of the EXPLOSIVE POWER of God’s Word working in and through my life… HOW ABOUT YOU?

WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING TODAY?

 

*SEE: Hebrews 11:1

**By regular study in the Word of God and prayer

Just Do It!

Do you remember the “Just Do It!” Nike advertising slogan that was coined back in 1988?  It was a very successful campaign that almost tripled Nike’s share in the North American sport-shoe business during its ten-year run.  Over the years, the popular phrase has also served as a sort of psychological ‘shot in the arm’ or encouragement for people desiring to step up and out of their comfort zones and try new things or reach new levels of expertise or satisfaction in various areas of their lives.

But while Nike coined the phrase in the late 1980’s, a quick search across the ages of the written Word of God, would show that the writers of both the Old and New Testaments had been talking about the importance of “Just Do It!” from Genesis to Revelation!

In most applications, the writer has either been speaking to the importance of our need “To Do” the Word of God or of God’s promise “To Do” for us that which He has promised us in His Word… as we step out in faith and obedience to the instructions therein.

This all came to my attention over the last few days as I was led back to a familiar verse of scripture in Jeremiah 1:11-12 when the Prophet was having one of his initial conversations with God… where God confirmed His calling of Jeremiah into the ministry of the Prophet of Israel.  As the Lord began to layout a vision before Jeremiah, He asked him

“What do you see, Jeremiah?” And Jeremiah replied, “I see a branch of an almond tree.  (And) then the Lord said to him, You have seen well, for I am watching over My WORD to DO IT.'” (God’s Word © - The Scriptures 2009)

This portion of the Scriptures perfectly lays out God’s two-fold direction to “Just Do It!”

In the Greek translation, God’s action of watching over His word to “Do It” means “to do, to make, to construct or to fashion.”*  Thayer’s Greek Definitions describes this action as “to make a thing out of something”… and it directly points us to the definition of FAITH as penned by the author of the book of Hebrews in the well-known “Roll Call of Faith” in Hebrews chapter eleven.

The “something” from which God wants “To Do” for us is explained in Hebrews 11:1 where it states “Now faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not (yet) seen.” (KJV)  So therefore, it is clearly evident that God desires “To Do” for us… whatever we believe, confess and then take the corresponding actions of FAITH for!  James 2:17 tells that real FAITH is a combination of not only what we SAY we believe but must also include our corresponding ACTIONS that visibly demonstrate what we are believing for.

The word “watching” or “vigilant” in the Greek, means “to waken or to rouse (from a resting position), to cause to rise, to stir up and/or to raise up”** and leads the student of the Word to recall how the book of Acts described Jesus’ reaction from the throne room of heaven, when Stephen’s words and actions of faith led him to become the first martyr of the Christian church.  As the leaders of the Jews became more and more incensed with Stephen’s bold confession of the truth about Jesus, he suddenly looked up toward the heavens and it is recorded that,

“He, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus STANDING on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man STANDING on the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-56 – KJV)

Mark 16:19 tells us that after Jesus completed His time on this earth, following His death, burial and resurrection from the dead, that “He was received up into heaven, and SAT on the right hand of God.” (KJV)  Therefore we observe that Stephen’s courageous, FAITH-FILLED words and actions before the High Priest, caused Jesus “to be stirred up and to rouse from a resting position” (seated at the right hand of God) and STAND UP to welcome Stephen home to heaven!

And thus, the Word demonstrates the two-part “Just Do It!” of God, that God prophesized to Jeremiah at the very beginning of his ministry.  When we “Just Do” our part in faith… God rises up and follows through to complete His “Just Do It!” on our behalf!  And this pattern is confirmed throughout both the Old and New Testaments!

It is a successful advertising slogan of God that is worth it’s weight in Gold… and it never goes out of style!  So… What are you gonna do?  Go ahead… Just say it with me:

“JUST DO IT!”

Have a great first full week of June… whether you’re enjoying the last days of spring in the northern hemisphere, or my friends beginning winter in the southern hemisphere!  Whatever the weather… Know that God is Good and wants you to “Just Do It!” so that He can “Just Do” His BEST for you!

 

*Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

**Strong’s and Thayer’s