As the effects of the Alzheimer’s progressed and my wife was having an increasingly difficult time chewing and swallowing her food, along with the corresponding loss in weight, I did some research, talked to her Neurologist and began to custom blend nutritious and high calorie protein smoothies for her breakfast consumption.
It was actually
an enjoyable process as I dusted off my grandmother’s trusted Osterizer blender
and learned to “mingle” different varieties of fresh, sweet
fruits and berries, protein powder, honey, oats, yogurt, vanilla ice-cream, whole
milk and other delectable ingredients that would turn into a frothy, colorful
and tasty concoction for her to enjoy… which she did seem to relish when I
helped her with her breakfast each morning.
She was known
to have a sweet tooth… that’s probably one of the reasons she married me…
he! he!... and in the early days of our marriage, would occasionally
have her dessert at the beginning of dinner… rather than at the end… just
because she could without parental objection!
So, having a milkshake type drink for breakfast was very acceptable,
as far as she was concerned!
I learned
another side to the idea of “mingling” different ingredients this
week in my study of God’s Word. The
Apostle Paul made an interesting statement about the Gospel message at the
beginning of the book of Romans, when he boldly declared,
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”
(Romans 1:16-17 – KJV)
Adam Clarke
explained in his Commentary on the Bible, that “Whosoever believeth on Him,
shall not be ashamed” meant that “They shall neither be confounded
nor disappointed of their expectation (of the Gospel).” And me, being
the literary genius that I am (another round of he! he!), had to look up
the meaning to the word “confounded” in order to better appreciate
Clarke’s definition.
What I
discovered was that “confounded” describes a situation where the
outcome is “thrown into confusion or disorder” and/or “mingled
so that the (various) elements cannot be distinguished or
separated.”* And when you put that truth together
with Paul’s bold assertation that the Gospel of Christ is the power
of God for our salvation and therein, HIS righteousness is
revealed from “faith to faith,” or as The Message Bible puts
it: “shows up in the acts of faith” we, as Christians, understand
the importance of our faith-filled actions as demonstrations of the Gospel
message to those around us.
So… since our faith-actions are live
demonstrations of the Gospel message… Paul is encouraging us to NOT be “ashamed”
or “confounded” by our expectations of the Gospel message, by “mingling”
our words and steps of faith with words and/or actions of fear, doubt
and unbelief that might be contrary to the truth of God’s Word.
When I used to
create Piper’s morning nutritious and great tasting protein smoothies, I made a
deliberate practice to only add or “mingle” the ingredients that
would produce the healthiest and best tasting drink that she would savor and
not reject!
The same could
be said for yours and my daily Christian walk.
Paul is instructing us to only add, say and then do
the practices and actions that the people around us will savor and
not reject!
And you
know what? One never knows when or if
something we say or do makes a positive, life-altering, encouraging or
healing effect on those around us. In
recent years, I have had numerous individuals tell me how much something Piper
and/or I said to them… many years ago in the past… that met a
special need and encouraged them in such a way as to help them make it through
a difficult time in their lives.
I can also
think about those special people in our lives, through the years,
that greatly blessed and encouraged us! And
I bet that you have many personal experiences as well!
So… I encourage you to be that shining
example in your world and make it a deliberate practice to only live
by, speak and do words and actions of faith and NOT “mingle” them with any words and/or actions that
would take away from the sweet and enjoyable savor of the truth
of God’s Word working in and through your life!
Have a GREAT
week! We woke up this morning to blue
skies that were free from the “mingling” of thundering BOOMS,
icy, howling winds and pouring rain… and WOW… was that ever a sweet treat to savor!
And while
you’re at it, don’t forget to keep asking yourself… “What am I EXPECTING
today!
*Dictionary.com
