An EXCITING and EXPECTANT Message!

This last week has been a daily experience of mental flashbacks to many of the special times that my late wife and I spent together throughout our long relationship from high school into our senior years.  I’m not sure what triggered all the vivid memories and dreams.  It may have been the recent celebration of Father’s Day, or the family gathering at our youngest daughter’s house for the 4^th of July, or then again… it might be our upcoming wedding anniversary next week… that would have marked 48 years of marriage… in addition to the five years we spent dating and being engaged previous to our wedding on July 12, 1975.

Wow… a total of 53 years!  That’s a lot of time, commitment and love that was invested between the two of us!  And without a moment’s hesitation, I would honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed just about every moment of it!  That’s not to say that we didn’t have our little spats, disagreements or annoyances… but they were relatively few, short in duration, quick in forgiveness and long in making up!

When Piper was initially diagnosed with the potential of the early onset of Alzheimer’s, the Lord began to show me in many different ways, of how my relationship with her was and/or should be very similar… if not identical… to our personal relationship with Him.  I didn’t realize back then in 2007, how important that information would be to me in the near future, as the reality and shock of the Alzheimer’s came to light in her body.  The personal revelations of the depth of God’s love for Piper and I, being understood in the same light and degree of the deep love between Piper and I, is the truth and hope that got me through my most difficult times during the following eleven years.

If I was to use just a few words to simply describe Piper’s and my relationship, I would say it was one of love, honor, trust, respect and EXCITING EXPECTANCY!  The same words that I would use to describe hers and my relationship… both individually and together… with the Lord.

I was listening to a Pastor’s teaching on Romans 1:16-17 a few Sundays ago when she stated, “If people aren’t excited about the Gospel message, then they need to hear the same Gospel you heard… the same EXCITING, EXPECTANT and TRANSFORMING Gospel that changed your life!”

In Romans1:16-17 the Apostle Paul wrote,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the (exciting and expectant) POWER of God unto SALVATION to everyone that believes, both to the Jew first and to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God IS REVEALED from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." (English Majority Text Version)

When I heard the Pastor say that and then began to take a more in-depth look at Romans 1:16-17, I couldn’t help but to stand up at my desk and shout a resounding “YES!” and then immediately relate my introduction to and following life with and in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to that of my EXCITING and very EXPECTANT relationship with my wife… Hum… now that I think about it… maybe that’s what triggered all my positive and heartfelt memories with Piper!

There is way too much information and Biblical insight from this verse to share in today’s (already getting too long) blog post… So, I’ll share more in upcoming blogs!  But for now, I’ll leave you with the EXCITING and EXPECTANT definition of the word translated “SALVATION” in our verses above.  Dake’s Study Notes explains that,

“Salvation is the all-inclusive word of the gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes. It is used 119 times in the Old Testament. There are 7 Hebrew and Greek words for "salvation." They are used 388 times and are translated by 23 English words, some with various endings, which mean salvation, deliverance, save, health, help, welfare, safety, victory, Savior, defend, avenge, rescue, and preserve.”

Therefore, from the repeated use of that one word alone throughout both the Old and New Testaments alike, it is simple to deduce that Moses, Jesus, Paul and the rest of the writers of the Bible… taught, preached and lived… a Gospel for the WHOLE man (and/or woman)!  The message they brought forth for the world to hear was and still is meant to minister to the entire spirit, soul and body of mankind. 

And all one has to do to prove that statement is to look at the variety of subjects that Jesus and Paul alone taught on.  Subjects ranging from the most important, number one step of the saving of our souls, to those that touch just about EVERY aspect of human life on this planet.  Including the health and healing of our physical bodies, our emotional and/or mental health, the supply of our finances, our social interactions with others, (and in particular with our relationship with members of the opposite sex) and our intimate relationship with our spouses.

I’ve mentioned before of when Piper and I first began to understand and experience the Gospel message in the light of the EXCITING and EXPECTANT “power of God unto salvation” of the whole man in the mid-1970’s.  It changed everything for us and set us on an adventure in our faith lives that shaped our future.  And I can most honesty report that my faith walk today is even more EXCITING and EXPECTANT to me than it was back then… the VERY SAME THING that I could say about Piper’s and my EXCITING and EXPECTANT relationship from the first time I held her hand in high school in 1970, to the last time I held her hand during the final five hours of her earthly existence in 2018.

Can you say the same thing about your relationship with God and the truth of His Word?  I sure hope so!  Would you use the words: EXCITING and EXPECTANT to describe that relationship? 

If not… or if you want to know how to increase it in your relationship… STAY TUNED to further blog posts coming soon to a smart phone or computer near to you!

Have a great weekend… and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s BEST in and through your lives!  After a night and morning of thunderstorms and sitting on the floor with the dog for a while to help keep him calm (at 3:00 this morning), the day out here has turned into a beautiful Oklahoma scene of deep blue skies and incredible cloud formations!

Be and stay Blessed!