If you remember my last post from a few days ago,* I talked about the idea of “TRIGGERS” (both positive and negative) and how they can set off responses (both positive and negative) in us within the daily events of our lives. Then we took a quick peek at the inward conditioning or as I like to call it, “TRAINING” that we take upon ourselves (both knowingly and unknowingly) that tends to direct the way we respond to the situations we face. I also shared a scripture found in Romans 8:5 to back up my point.
Well, over
this past week, I have continued studying from that same chapter in Romans,
with a deeper dive into verses one through eight. Now… if you’ve read more than
just a few of my blogs, then you know that I like to look at a variety of Bible
translations when I study the Word. And
if that not’s enough… I also love to delve into the original Hebrew and
Greek definitions of many of the words that are translated into our American
English language.
So, with
that in mind, I
always tend to be on the alert for Bible translations that I haven’t heard of
before. A couple of years ago, I was
listening to one of Piper’s and my long-time favorite Bible teachers and
Evangelist (who is now in heaven with Piper… Hummm… and I’m a little jealous
as she can probably talk to him anytime she wants!) and in the course of
his teaching he took multiple citations from a version of the New Testament
entitled “The Heart of Paul – A Relational Paraphrase of the New
Testament by Ben Campbell Johnson.”
And, if
you’re like me… you’ve
probably never heard of it… right? Well, it definitely caught my attention and I
immediately went onto the Amazon website, found a used copy and ordered it! It turned out to be a great paraphrase of the
Bible from the mid-1970’s and sets forth the Word in a way, as the author
states, “expresses the meanings of the scriptures in words and phrases which
are helpful to me in my Christian living.”**
As I was
studying from Romans 8:1-6, in this, which I have found to be an easy-to-read translation
(maybe due to my being a product of the 1970’s!), certain words that
caught my attention, kept popping up.
Those words were “MEANINGLESSNESS and DESPAIR”
along with the thought of “living SPONTANEOUSLY out of the Spirit.”
The overall
theme of Romans chapter eight is that of living in unity with the Holy Spirit. The section that I’ve been studying begins by
reconfirming a truth that each of us should have firmly rooted in our hearts and
have visibly explicit usage in our daily lives.
Here the Apostle Paul clearly declares to us,
“Now there is no accusing
voice nagging those of us united to Jesus Christ. For the new principle of life which Christ
revealed has liberated us from the rules that unveiled our estrangement and
made us feel that our very being was being threatened.” (Romans 8:1-2 / The Heart of Paul)
Then we skip
down to verse six where the Apostle explains the results of following our old
attitudes and patterns compared to living within the freedoms of the new life
that Christ has revealed to us saying,
“To be captive to one’s own
impulses (of their old nature) results in MEANINGLESSNESS and DESPAIR, but to live SPONTANEOUSLY out
of the Spirit means REAL LIFE through the unity of our beings (with
Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word.) (The Heart of Paul).
I know that
I’ve used this example a lot, but it was a real eye-opening experience to me. When my wife was battling Alzheimer’s a few
years ago, I was taken by complete surprise at the different individuals that
quickly seemed to drift into an attitude of meaninglessness and
despair. It was like the vivid
reality of what was happening to her caused them to set aside whatever hope and
faith they had inside of them. I was
shocked at how fast they gave up on her.
And it didn’t take long for them to fall into a cycle of meaninglessness
and despair, that was quicky followed by depression
and anger.
When I first
read in this version about living “SPONTANEOUSLY
out of the Spirit,”
I couldn’t help but immediately think back and picture Piper from the very
first time I saw her walk into my 11th grade academic English class
and sit right behind me. Her big smile, jovial
attitude, freckles and bright, adventure-filled eyes arrested my
attention! Like I’ve said before…
I don’t know how I passed that class (with a “B” no less) as I
seemed to spend a lot more time looking behind me than I did the
at the instructor teaching the class in front of me.
SONTANEITY seemed to define her and our
relationship that began that day. What I
quickly came to understand… that made her different than anybody else I’d
ever met… was that her confident SPONTANEITY in life came
from her intimate and deeply personal experiential
knowledge of the love of Jesus… that expressed itself in, for and through
EVERYTHING she did! And
you know… life around her was never dull.
She made simple
everyday tasks and activities to be fun and exciting and
sometimes very unexpected… Like her humorous insights while walking hand
in hand around the school grounds in high school, at the JC and at Chico state,
her unexpectantly tossing a can of tomato sauce… behind her back… to me while grocery shopping at Food Maxx, or winking
at me just before disappearing into the brush to take care of personal needs
while hiking in the Sierras and… even toward the end… the funny looks
she’d give me as I attempted to keep both the dog and her wheelchair… as
well as myself… untangled and on the sidewalk… as I pushed her around
the different neighborhoods where we lived in California and North Carolina.
She never lost
that bright, adventure-filled look in her eyes… although when
she got sick you just had to look a little deeper to see it! She had the uncanny ability to surprise me
and our family with sudden funny sayings, actions or heart-warming
encouragement… like her final words on this earth a few weeks
before she passed on to glory, when she suddenly seemed to pop out of the glazed-over
look that had become common place toward the end, turn to me with that same big
unforgettable smile that first endeared her to me, and cheerfully and
lovingly said,
“I LOVE YOU!”
I really
believe that she and the Lord wanted to make sure that her last act of SPONTANEITY
was the way I would always remember her… until we meet again in the heavenly
realm.
So yes… I’ve had some very personal and upfront
experiences with people living their lives with meaninglessness and
despair and it is a very sad, hopeless and defeating
way of life… why get up in the morning if that is all that you can expect of
the new day ahead?
But I have also
had the over-whelming wonderful and exciting, long-term personal
experience of living “SPONTANEOUSLY out of the Spirit…” which causes me “to live real life
through the unity of my being with Christ” and thereby… arise each day with a fresh
enthusiasm for life that is firmly founded… like my wife’s… on my
deeply personal and intimate knowing of the love of God in,
for and through my life.
I’ve seen and
experienced them both… and without a moment’s hesitation… I CHOOSE
to live my life SPONTANEOUSLY out of the Spirit of God, Who is
deeply and firmly implanted as well as daily refreshed in my
heart…
HOW ABOUT YOU… How have or will you choose?
Do me a favor
after reading this post… and LOOK UP the word SPONTANEOUSLY
in the dictionary (I tend to favor Dictionary.com) and see if that
definition fits you!
Then let me
know what you think about it…
Have a SPONTANEOUSLY
wonderful week as we bring to a close another month in 2026! And while you’re at it… Keep EXPECTING
God’s best in everything you do!
*In case you missed it or don’t remember
all of it… here’s a link to my blog site:
https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2026/04/triggers.html
**Quoted from the jacket cover by the
author - © 1976 by Ben Campbell Johnson, Word Books, Waco, Texas 76703
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