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