The Classic War of Words

I got to thinking last night as I sat down before dinner to catch a few moments of my favorite news-talk cable TV program.  The panel was discussing the upcoming presidential election and were showing different clips from speeches that both candidates had made during the last full week before the election.  The thing that got my attention that I leaned over and told my dog, who was laying on the floor near the kitchen patiently awaiting his dinner, was that this election has become a Classic War of Words.

But… at least to me… there is a distinct difference in the way the words are carried to their perspective audiences.  One side seems to be appealing to the listeners emotions while the other repeatedly appeals to the listeners sense of logic. 

The emotional side looks to be focusing their final presentations on a message of fear by centering entirely on what they perceive to be the opposing candidate’s personal faults and fear-filled tendencies. 

The competing team also points out what they perceive to be the other candidate’s weaknesses… but will reach out to the listener’s sense of logic by presenting tangible evidence of the economic, educational and moral deterioration, as well as the breakdown of law and order that the other candidate’s disorganized leadership seems to have and would continue to cause. 

But contrary to the emotion-based pleas, the logic side presents to their upbeat audiences, a message of hope by offering practical and proven methods to reverse the downward spiral that our country seems to be heading in.

So, as this election cycle comes to an end… it concludes with what looks to be a Classic War of Words.  One side whose WORDS are intended to guide their supporter’s vote with an over-powering sense and emotion of FEAR, while the other’s WORDS spoken to guide their supporter’s vote with a logical decision based on policies that yield HOPE for a better future.

Well… I saw another Classic War of Words that occurred a few thousand years ago, as I read and continued to study the story of the interaction between Jesus and Jairus, the leader of a local synagogue.   This particular version of the event was reported on in the Biblical gospel of Mark, chapter five.*  In the story, we find that Jairus had approached Jesus and asked Him to come to his home where his young daughter was sick and near the point of death.

Jesus had agreed to the request and He, His disciples and the crowd that had gathered around Him began to proceed to the leader’s home… when… Jesus felt a physical draw of power from His body from a woman who was literally bleeding to death and had crawled through the crowd, believing that if she touched His garment, that she would be made well.  So, Jesus stopped and addressed the woman while Jairus patiently waited for the Master to continue on His way to his daughter’s side.

But as Jesus was completing His conversation with the women, a group of Jairus’ friends or family pushed through the crowd and approached Jairus declaring,

“There’s no need to trouble the master any longer—your daughter has died.” (Mark 5:35-God’s Word ©)

And here is where the Classic War of Word’s ensued!  The next verse reveals Jesus’ response to the negative report that was spoken to Jairus.  Mark wrote,

“And as soon as Jesus HEARD the WORD that was SPOKEN, He IGNORED them and looked at the church leader with compassion in His eyes, and said, ‘Don’t yield to fear.  All you need to do is to keep on believing.  Trust Me!  Don’t panic for she will be alright.’” (Mark 5:36**)

As it would turn out… This news worthy incident also had two different sides to it… just like my earlier personal insights on our current presidential election.  One side was basing the conclusion of their WORDS solely on what they thought they perceived concerning the situation that they had observed at Jairus’ house.  They came to Jairus with WORDS of fear, doubt, unbelief, hopelessness, failure and with those of ones who had given up all HOPE for Jairus’ daughter. 

Because they seemed to know exactly where to find Jairus in order to report their negative news, it is plausible (at least to me) that they must have known of the faith of Jairus in his quest to find Jesus and believe for Him to heal his daughter.  It is also obvious that they did not attain to the same level of faith as Jairus.

But JESUS… well… He knew that the bad report from the home front would negatively affect Jairus’ faith and stop the miracle that was about to happen.  He understood that the negative WORDS, dripping with FEAR and unbelief, needed to be ignored!  So, what did He do?  He immediately intercepted the power of the report and told Jairus to not heed the negative (and what would turn out to be a false report), to NOT yield to FEAR and to keep on believing in the power of his WORDS of faith with which he originally had approached Jesus.

The two stories I mentioned of Jesus and Jairus and the current political campaign in the USA demonstrate that WORDS elicit and/or are meant to dictate a certain response.  In both stories, one set of WORDS is meant to dictate a response of FEAR, while the others are meant to dictate a response of HOPE… which is described in Hebrews 11:1 as the substance or foundation of FAITH.

So, it is interesting that according to Greek scholars, the word rendered “HEARD” in Mark 5:36 can mean either to “overhear” or to “not heed.”  For our case in today’s blog post, I believe, that like Jesus… it can describe both of those responses!  Jesus obviously overheard the negative report that was addressed to Jairus, but also made an instant decision to ignore or NOT HEED the reaction it was calling for.  He instead, took control of the conversation,*** looked to Jairus and instructed him to respond by staying in faith and to NOT allow himself to yield to FEAR!

Now, it is also interesting to note that the word rendered “SPOKEN” in that same verse, is defined in the original Greek as “to utter words” and/or “to use words in order to declare one’s mind and disclose one’s thoughts.”  Therefore, for us Christians, we need to know… in order to CORRECTLY respond to the WORDS that are directed to us… if the spoken WORDS are simply someone’s personal thoughts or opinion that they had on their mind or… if those WORDS are based on the mind of Christ in line with the truth of God’s Word.

And just how do we accomplish that?  Well, rest assured that the Lord has the answer for us.  In 1 Corinthians 2:16 the Apostle Paul wrote, that “WE HAVE THE MIND of CHRIST” (God’s Word ©).  Pretty cool right?  Yes, it is!  But it is not something that happened instantly when we became Christians.  It is a font of knowledge that has to be developed over time.  Romans 12:2 teaches us to,

“Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.” (TPT) 

And… not to sound like a broken record… but… that transformation and total reformation of how we think comes by the regular and consistent study of God’s will… as discovered within the WORD of God that’s printed on the pages of our Bibles!

Simple Right?  Well… actually it is!  All it takes is a decision on your behalf to DO IT… and then follow through on a regular and consistent basis!  And BELIEVE ME… it is a decision that you’ll NEVER regret!

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend… and if your weather forecast is anything like ours… then you’ll have plenty of time to stay inside, stay dry from the rain and study the informative and exciting WORD of God…and thereby WIN the Classic War of WORDS in your life!

 

 

*You can also read about this story in the gospels of Matthew 9:18-26 and Luke 8:40-56

**A personalized combination of Mark 5:36 from the King James Version, The Remedy Bible and The Passion Translation.

***You’ll notice when you read the rest of the story, that those carrying the negative report are NOT heard from again… and in fact, Jesus left them there and only continued on to Jairus’ house with just Jairus and three of His most trusted disciples. And once at the house, He only allowed the five of them and Jairus’ wife to stay with their daughter in the young girl’s bedroom!

Howling Dogs!

I got up earlier than usual this morning… which seemed to be the norm this week… and gingerly meandered through the dark house, opening blinds, getting the coffee brewing and turning on the home entertainment system in order to catch The Bill Gather’s Weekly Homecoming broadcast.  The show didn’t actually start for over an hour, but I thought that I’d just start the day off by listening to some good old Southern Gospel tunes.

After the coffee was poured and I had seated myself in my study, I found myself engrossed in my Bible, with one ear listening to the music drifting in from the living room.  At one point I heard a song that sounded somewhat familiar, but struggled as to recall why.  And then I remembered and had to laugh as Fiver began to slowly but purposely whimper. 

It was one of the few songs that he does NOT enjoy listening to!  I’m not sure if it is the harmony or the particular instrumentation that causes him to whimper… and then break out into spontaneous HOWLING!  So… without a moment’s hesitation, I immediately jumped up from my desk… telling the dog that it was going to be okay… and ran into the living room to temporarily change the station on the Sirius XM network that I was tuned into to.  And you know… it worked.  When I returned back into the study, Fiver had closed his eyes and was quietly resting on the love seat, while the first rays of daylight had begun to fill the room!

Once back at my desk, I continued where I had left off in my daily Bible study… and then, had to laugh again!  I had been studying the events that had occurred one day when Jesus had been stopped by the leader of the local synagogue who pleaded with the Lord to come to his house and to heal his daughter who lay gravely sick in bed.

Jesus agreed to the leader’s request and began to follow the man to his home.  But along the way, Jesus’ motion was halted by the faith of sick woman who had literally crawled through the crowd that thronged Jesus and touched His garment, believing that "if only I may touch His clothes, I will be healed." (Mark 5:28 – EMTV) 

Then, after Jesus had addressed the newly healed woman, He turned to continue on with His original mission when, some folks from the synagogue leader’s home approached them and said,

“Your daughter is dead. There’s no need to bring Jesus anymore.” (Mark 5:35 -The Remedy)

But it was Jesus’s immediate response that caused me to laugh!  According to John Mark, with whom there is general agreement that he received much of the information in his gospel from the first-hand reports of the Apostle Peter,*

“Jesus immediately, when He heard the word being spoken, said to the synagogue leader, "Do not be afraid; only believe." (Mark 5:36 - EMTV)

The Voice Translation renders Jesus’ reply as,

“It’s alright (or ‘It’s okay’), Don’t be afraid, just believe.”

I was forced to chuckle because Jesus’ reaction was very similar to mine when the music was playing and the quartet began to sing and thereby set Fiver up to HOWL in his negative response to what he was hearing.  And while my adventure with Fiver this morning was funny, it does point out a valuable lesson for the personal application of our faith in the Word of God!

For you see, the leader of the synagogue named Jairus, had approached Jesus in faith, believing that the Word that the Master had been preaching and teaching all over the area was the truth and would be confirmed by the physical healing of his daughter.  I believe that Jesus saw the faith of this man, just as He had seen the woman’s faith through her actions as she fought her way through the crowd to reach Him.

Jesus knew that the faith bonding Jairus to his miracle was vulnerable to the negative reports that came from the seemingly ‘helpful’ friends bringing the bad news about his daughter.  So, what did Jesus do when he heard the words of doubt, unbelief, and failure… words that described one who had given up any hope?  He immediately grabbed Jairus’ attention and told him to keep his faith on the Word of God and the miracle that he was believing for!

I especially like the paraphrase version of Mark 5:36 that I read this morning from Piper’s old The Way, Living Bible Illustrated where it states that,

“Jesus IGNORED their comments and said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid.  Just trust me!”

I am drawn to this version because it was exactly what I needed to do when I was besieged with fearful reports by various family, friends, neighbors and strangers alike, concerning what they thought was happening to Piper and felt free to share their (un-informed) negative suggestions on what I should be doing about it! (like giving up on her and on God)  It took me a while, but I finally learned to smile and thank them for their input… and then ignore their faith-stealing words! 

It was the most efficient way for me to keep Piper’s and my faith focused on the truth of God’s Word and His reality what we were believing for.

So, what’s my point?  Stay aware of your circumstances, stay in faith for what you are believing for with a faith that is firmly founded on God’s Word of truth and don’t allow any access to other people’s words of fear, doubt, unbelief and thoughts that you might want to give up!

When you read on in the verses following Mark 5:36, you’ll see that Jairus followed Jesus’ instructions, ignored all the fear and doubt in the people around him and received the miracle of his daughter being healed and made perfectly whole!

Now that’s the results of my FAITH that I want to receive every time I believe for something that is based on the truth of God’s Word… Kind of makes me want to HOWL for joy! 

How about you?

Have a GREAT weekend, stay in faith and keep an eye and ear out for HOWLING dogs!

 

*Study footnotes from The Ryrie Study Bible – NASV – copyright 1976, 1978 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago

Great ADVENTURES!

I have always been an avid reader.  I have fond memories of my mom taking me to the library on a regular basis to pick out books for summer reads.  And with those reads, I would always find myself being drawn to ADVENTURE stories.  I was introduced to The Hardy Boys series during my elementary school years and devoured their contents, as well as other books of that genre like Tom Swift and the Ted Scott Flying Stories.

In Junior High I was drawn to the Secret Agent spy books that were the rage in the late 1960’s.  I read all the original James Bond books as well as many of the American counterparts of the time… although I’m not too sure that I should have been reading those books at that young age!

But in high school something changed when I met a spunky Christian girl who sat behind me in eleventh grade academic English.  She was different from other gals I knew and I found myself intrigued by not only her outgoing, humorous and encouraging personality but also by the way she carried herself.  When we began to date at the beginning of the following year, I was captivated by the all-encompassing way in which she lived her Christian faith.  I guess one could say that it stirred up that spirit of ADVENTURE in me that I enjoyed reading about throughout my childhood and early teen years.

And then… she introduced me to the greatest ADVENTURE book that I had ever read… The Holy Bible… and I haven’t put it down since!  Now that’s not to say that I still don’t enjoy reading good ADVENTURE authors like Clive Cussler and more recently, many of the new Indy archeological adventure writers, but while those are fun to read… God’s book connects me with the greatest ADVENTURER whose words guide, strengthen and fill me with wisdom for the successful living of my daily life.

Take for instance the Apostle Paul’s exciting words in Colossians 1:12-13 where he wrote,

“I continue to thank my Father God, who has made us able to share (or participate) in the light… everything BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL that He has for us… which is what God’s people (both you and me) inherit.  For He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated (brought us into or set us up) into the kingdom of His beloved Son.”*

I realized this morning as the dog and I walked in the bright, cool and crisp Oklahoma countryside, that from day one… I have always approached my Bible with great anticipation of the ADVENTURES that I will find and then participate in… as I increase my understanding of God’s will and apply it in my life.  Previous to that anticipation of the ADVENTURES held within the pages of your Bible though, is the approaching of your study time in God’s Word… with the uncontested belief that God’s Word is the truth!

Then… when you come across portions of the Word that discuss promises or blessings that are NOT active in your life… you won’t brush them aside as impossible**, but instead, relish the ADVENTURE that lies ahead for you as you dig deeper into your personal study of the Bible and discover how to appropriate those promises in your life (ie; the inheritance that Paul spoke of in our scripture above).

And HOW you might ask… do I find the promises and/or blessings that God has provided for us to enjoy?  Well… it’s rather simple!  You search for them through the ADVENTUROUS study of His Word on a daily and consistent basis. 

A good way to approach your ADVENTUROUS study is, like I mentioned in our last blog post*** to begin by reading and studying the epistles in the New Testament portion of your Bible (the books of Romans through Revelation), for these are letters of instruction written specifically to us, the church for the current age that we are living in today!

And I’ll even include information so that you can download and/or purchase a great little booklet that will help you to discover for yourselves, the various promises and provisions that God has provided for you. 

The booklet is simple entitled “In Him”**** and is a good reference that includes some basic Bible reading/study instruction as well as an extensive sampling of the promise scriptures.  We accumulated many copies of this must-have booklet over the years and one could always be found throughout our house, and in our cars as well as in my wife’s purse!  It is a great little reference to hang on to!

I discovered this morning that the download is available for free***** online as well as in booklet form for under $2.00 (paperback) $.99 (Kindle) through Amazon.******

So, there you go!  No excuses… The ADVENTURE of a lifetime awaits you as you learn and then unleash the promises of God into the daily ADVENTUROUS activities of your life!

I hope that you are enjoying your weekend… and I can hardly wait for you to share with me, some of the God-Infused EXCITING ADVENTURES that are happening in your life!

 

 

*Personalization of Colossians 1:12-13 from a combining of the God’s Word ©, Message Bible and The Passion Translations.

**God Himself established this understanding in the very beginning of the Gospel message when the angel messenger of the Lord spoke to Mary and declared (when she wasn’t too sure about how the things he was telling her could ever come to pass) “For no promise from God will be impossible of fulfilment." (Luke 1:37 - Weymouth Translation)

***https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2024/10/bright-and-beautiful.html

****In Him by Kenneth E. Hagin, ©1980 Rhema Bible Church

*****Free download:

https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/c21a6153/files/uploaded/In%2BHim.pdf

******Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Him-Kenneth-Hagin/dp/0892760524

BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL

I have to admit that I have been enjoying the BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL weather that we have been experiencing here in northeastern Oklahoma for the last few weeks.  We do have some pretty dry conditions though, and have been on an elevated Fire Weather Alert for a while now.  But I am loving it as the temperature is slowing sliding down into the forties for the last two mornings.  In fact, yesterday was the first day in many moons where I wore a light hoodie on our morning walk!

I guess I just like things that are BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL… like my wife who always radiated a BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL beam of love and encouragement about her everywhere she went… even when she got sick, people still commented on the BRIGHT and sweet spirit that emanated from her.

I think that the Apostle Paul shared the same sentiments with me… and especially when it came to the things of God!  The Message Bible seems to best capture the emphasis of the way in which Paul defined the BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL things that God has for each of us when he wrote to the Christian church at Colossae saying,

“Your hearts can soar with joyful gratitude when you think about and thank the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL that He has for us, for He has rescued us from the power of darkness – from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons - and has set us up in the kingdom of the Son He loves so much!”*

The reason as to why and how we can take part in (or ‘partake of’ or ‘share in’ as other translations put it) the BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL things of God, is explained in the latter part of this portion of scripture where Paul succinctly declared,

“for He (God) has rescued us from the power of darkness – from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons - and has set us up in the kingdom of the Son He loves so much!”**

You see… you and I have been spiritually removed from the power or ‘dominion’*** of the darkness in this world… freed from any allegiance to the dark practices of the enemy of our soul… and have been ‘translated’ or ‘transferred’**** and set-up to “prosper and be in good health”***** partaking of the BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL things that He has provided for us within the Biblically stated rights of our spiritual standing in the kingdom of God! 

Kind of makes you want to stand up and shout, doesn’t it?

Jesus Himself told us that,

“I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”(KJV - John 8:12)

And Paul also made it pretty clear when he was teaching the church about God’s standard of Christian living and summed up his comments by saying,

“So, I tell you and encourage you in the Lord's name not to live any longer like other people in the world. Their minds are set on worthless things.”  They can't understand because they are in the dark…” (Ephesians 4:17-18 – God’s Word ©) 

I’ll share some ways in which we Christians can learn about the BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL things of God in my upcoming weekend blog post… but until then, I can suffice to say that all of the BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL things of God are found within the pages of yours and my Bibles… and particularly, in the New Testament Epistles as they were specifically written to you and me… the church!

So… I guess I am kind of leaving you with a cliff hanger!  But you really don’t have to hang until this weekend… just open up your Bibles to the book of Acts where you will get all fired up by miraculous works of the Holy Spirit that occurred as the early church began to grow… and then continue on, reading into the book of Romans and beyond.  

Just pray and ask the Holy Spirit to shed some light on your readings concerning the BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL things of God… and He will!

I hope that you are having a terrific week.  Like I mentioned earlier, we have been blessed with some incredibly wonderful weather out here lately and I am REALLY enjoying it!  Let me know what BRIGHT and BEAUTIFUL things of God that you are discovering this week and I look forward to connecting with you all in our next blog post!

 

*A personal combination of Colossians 1:12-13 from The Passion Translation, The Message Bible and the God’s Word © translations.

**Colossians 1:13

*** KJV

****KJV / EMTV

*****3 John 1:2 KJV

Light vs Dark

I couldn’t help but to take notice over the last few weeks, of the vast difference between DARKNESS and the coming of LIGHT.  Let me explain…

The first thing I do every morning is to go through the house and open up all the blinds, beginning with my bedroom, then the three windows on the backside of the living room and finally swing around to open the blinds on the front facing windows that look out over the cul-de-sac and golf course.

Because of the somewhat early hour, it is still usually fairly dark outside and while the new LED streetlight right in front of my house helps to pick out the forms of the houses, it is still difficult to fine tune the details of the yards, save for any lawn mowing equipment running on the greens with their bright shining headlights.  But I still like to pause at my study window and take in the sights and soft sounds of the morning, before I head into the kitchen to open the two sets of blinds that overlook our front porch.

The daily contrast between the DARK and LIGHT seems to miraculously appear between the few minutes it takes me to get the coffee brewing and then return to the study for my morning Bible time.  It’s like the Lord flips the switch and the LIGHT appears… and the difference is amazing… as the details and colors, along with the birds, rabbits and squirrels seem to burst forth upon the neighborhood!

A few minutes later, as I go back into the kitchen and then return with my hot cup of coffee… and a small treat for the pooch and me… I find myself drawn to the window, once again, as the LIGHT increases with the sun’s golden beams splashing over the homes on the eastern side of the neighborhood.  At that point, I can’t help but to enjoy being drawn into the ambiance and freshness of the new life that comes with each new Oklahoma morning.

With all that in mind, I also can’t help to think about the contrast between DARKNESS and LIGHT that Pastor James talked about in our scripture verse from last week’s blog post.*  James 1:17 informs us that,

“Everything good, healthy and beneficial originates in heaven and comes down from the Father of LIGHTS who created the universe, and in Whom there is no variation nor the slightest suggestion of change.  He is always good and will never alter His methods of love. For He does not waver, and He is certainly not the source of DARKNESS and death.”**

First and foremost, in this section of scripture, James refers to God as “the father of LIGHTS” and equates everything GOOD, HEALTHY and BENEFICIAL with Him.  In commenting on the phrase “from the father of LIGHTS,” The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges explains that,

“The plural is used to express the thought, that light in all its forms, natural (as in the ‘great lights’ of Psalm 135:7), intellectual and spiritual, is an efflux from Him “Who is light, and in whom is no darkness at all” (1John 1:5).

In his explanation of Jesus as being God incarnate in this world, the Apostle John tells us at the very beginning of his gospel message that,

“Jesus was the source of life, and that life was the LIGHT for humanity.  The LIGHT shines in the DARK, and the DARK has never extinguished it. (God’s Word ©)

These scriptures and many more of them throughout the pages of our Bibles, unequivocally state the clear difference between the LIGHT and the DARK.  And in the written word of God, the fact is that God is LIGHT and in Him there is NO DARKNESS at all… PERIOD!

On the other hand, the various writers throughout the New Testament from John’s accounts of Jesus’ own words (John 3:19) through the Revelation (Revelation 16:10), state that DARKNESS is always associated with the devil and his works of destruction, sickness and death.  I like the way that The Remedy Translation expresses the succinct manner in which James sums it up at the end of our verse in James 1:17 by declaring,

“He (God) is always good and will never alter His methods of love. For He does not waver, and He is certainly not the source of DARKNESS and death.”

And what is contained and/or associated with the attacks of DARKNESS in our lives?  Well… according to Jesus’ own words in John 10:10… it would consist of anything that attempts “to steal, slaughter and destroy” any part of our lives.  While Jesus, who is the LIGHT, has come to “give us everything in abundance, more than we expect—life in its fullness until we overflow!” (TPT) 

It is all pretty black and white to me… God = Good and the devil = Bad! 

Don’t ever allow the enemy of our souls to suggest to you that something bad that you might be going through is from God.   It is NOT!  …and YES… we can (and should) learn through the trials and tribulations in life… but as James said, God is GOOD and will never alter His methods of LOVE toward you and me… AND…

“He is certainly not the source of DARKNESS and death.”

I would challenge you to meditate upon these truths today… for it will revolutionize your active faith in God and in the truth of His Word… and you’ll see it regularly working IN, THROUGH and FOR YOU each and every day!

Have a great weekend!  Our beautiful fall weather continues out here and I hope that yours is the same… BUT, please continue keep the folks that were so drastically affected by Hurricane Helene in your prayers.

 

* https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-slightest-suggestion.html

**James 1:17 – A personalization of The Remedy and The Passion Translations.

The Slightest Suggestion...

I got to “California Dreaming” the other morning while checking myself out from my local Neighborhood Walmart, where I had gone to stock up on a few groceries for the weekend.  Over the past year, I had developed a friendship with one of the front-end supervisors who are always stationed near the self-check areas at the front of the store. 

Well, my friend was there that day and as she walked back and forth from the various check out areas to assist customers, she would stop and chat with me.  Somehow, during one of our short conversations, I found myself telling her about the wonderful Pacific Ocean coastline near our home in northern California.

I shared that we went there quite often, including the many times, when I worked the swing shift at Hewlett Packard, when Piper and I and the young kids would jump in the car, drive out there before work, take off our shoes and socks and walk along the water line as the waves crashed and spread out over our feet along the sandy beach… and then scurry back home so as to be at work by 2:00!

That memory of us walking in and out of the cold, foaming Pacific Ocean water, as it washed up the shoreline, came back to me this morning as Fiver took our morning walk, following my daily Bible study time.  I had been reading James 1:17 where James, the Pastor of the church in Jerusalem, wrote to Jewish Christians spread out across the known world, boldly declaring that,

“Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn't change like the SHIFTING shadows produced by the sun and the moon.” (God’s Word ©)

It was the experience of the SHIFTING SAND under our feet as the water came in and out, that got me thinking about how James emphatically tells us that,

“The Father doesn't change like the SHIFTING shadows produced by the sun and the moon.”

In case you’ve never experienced the sensation of the sand SHIFTING under your feet as the ocean sucks back its wave (and you along with it)… it can be a very unnerving feeling.  Your automatic reaction is to step forward toward the beach and work to find some solid footing.

James tells us that with our trust in God (and the truth of His Word) there is no SHIFTING SAND under your feet, or SHIFTING shadows… ie; the physical things that we can see or touch that can move around and change depending on the time of day or circumstances at hand… to deal with!

I like the way that the Weymouth New Testament puts it, explaining that “in Him there is NO variation nor the slightest suggestion of change.”

You see, when we choose to trust in God for the daily activities of our lives, we are assured that “in Him there is NO variation” or even “the slightest suggestion of change.”  The Prophet makes this point pretty clear in Numbers 23:19 by declaring that,

“God is not like people. He tells no lies. He is not like humans. He doesn't change His mind. When He says something, He does it. When He makes a promise, He keeps it.” (God’s Word ©)

The unchangeableness of God is one of the basic foundations of our Christian faith.  Without the working knowledge of this under our belts, it is almost impossible to trust God and/or be in faith for any of the promises to us in His Word!  And that is why I particularly favor the Weymouth translation of James 1:17… because it quickly voids out even “the slightest suggestion” that some unseen factor could sneak in and prove God and His Word to be anything but faithful to His stated purpose!

That’s also important to remember as the devil’s favorite weapon that he likes to bring against us is doubt!  You might recall back in Genesis 3 when the snake spoke to Eve in the beginning in the garden and seeded the slightest suggestion of change in her mind by asking,

 “Did God really say…”

Yesterday I turned to a highly marked up section of Piper’s “The Way” Living Bible Illustrated that perfectly summed up the message of today’s post… as well as being a wonderful summation of my wife’s Christian faith.  Here the unknown Psalmist personally cried out by declaring,

“I faint (or am weak) for your salvation; but I EXPECT your help, FOR YOU HAVE PROMISED IT!” (Psalm 119:81)

I am excited to live with the kind of faith in God and His Word that is not founded on the ever-shifting sand under my feet, that is constantly pushed and pulled by the waves of the sea.  But instead, I stand steadfast and secure on the solid foundation of God’s truth, without any variableness in my beliefs in the power of God’s Word… WITHOUT even the SLIGHTEST SUGGESTION of CHANGE!

HOW ABOUT YOU?

We missed out on any negative effects of Hurricane Helene here in our area of Oklahoma and are enjoying a beautiful weekend with blue skies and temperatures in the low eighties!  Life is good… It definitely has me “California Dreaming” of the similar weather we also enjoyed in our northern California region.

Have a blessed weekend wherever you are, stay true to your faith in the Word of God and be alert for even the SLIGHTEST SUGGESTION of CHANGE that might make you have the SLIGHTEST DOUBT in the fulfilment of God’s promises to you!

Saturday Mornings...

I awoke a little earlier than normal on this sunny Saturday Morning, to the unfamiliar, heavy sound of what I took to be a piece of equipment that they were using to groom the greens on the city golf course outside my front door.  Since it was about fifteen minutes before my usual get up and go time, I took advantage of the moment, turned onto my back and enjoyed the respite before my day began.

I guess that it wasn’t too unusual for me to almost immediately start to think about how much I missed turning over on Saturday Mornings and smiling as I took in the view of my sweet wife sleeping calmly next to me.  Like most husbands, I’m sure, I learned how to softly touch and/or whisper to her in the mornings, so as not to suddenly disturb her pleasant dreams, but gently let her know of my loving touch and peaceful presence next to her.

I also realized that Saturday Mornings were usually the only times that we could enjoy somewhat of a leisurely rise and shine schedule.  It was the only day (on most weeks) when neither of us were working!  I was home for the day and the Berruto family home school was closed… except for some brief catch up sessions!

Saturday Mornings likewise, were traditionally the day for a big family breakfast in our home… and nine times out of ten… the feast included pancakes or waffles, turkey bacon (Piper was not normally a consumer of pork – but had found a brand of turkey bacon that was… if I say so myself… pretty good!), orange juice and a variety of toppings for the pancakes that always included, butter, syrup, honey (for a while Sorghum syrup… not my favorite), peanut butter and jelly, and on most weekends, fresh applesauce, lovingly homemade (by Piper and the kids) with the Gravenstein apples from the tree in our backyard! 

So, with all that family gathering and fun time going on… it is easy to understand why our relaxed get up and go schedule usually took until noon each and every Saturday Morning!

And you know… It just so happens that I discovered this week, during my Bible study times, that Saturday Mornings (and every other morning for that matter…) are also an important family time for our heavenly Father God!

In Isaiah 50:4 the Prophet speaks to us, informing us that,

The Lord God gives to me (as well as to us today…) a tongue of instruction to know when it is necessary to speak a word, so that I should know how to sustain with words, him that is weary.  He wakes me up in the Morning, wakes me up in the Morning and opens my ears to listen (and hear) as one ready to take orders, like a student.”*

We can gather from this portion of scripture, that Saturday Mornings, along with the other six Mornings of the week, are important times for God to capture our undistracted attention in order to speak to us… the members of HIS family!

Just like I purposely enjoyed taking the quiet time this morning (especially after the noisy equipment meandered down the golf course away from my home), to allow my thoughts to enjoy the heartwarming memories of the fun times with Piper and the kids that were special to us on Saturday Mornings… you and I can learn, in the quiet of the Morning, to allow our heavenly Father to speak to us… in order “to open our ears to listen and hear as one ready to take orders and learn as a student.”

At this point in my life… I can’t even imagine what my day would look like if I stopped spending special time with my father God on Saturday Mornings… and all the others in the week that follow after that!

What about you?  Did you enjoy wonderful family time with your Father in heaven today?  Your Saturday Mornings may not be complete until you do!

Fiver and I just returned from our Saturday Afternoon walk a few moments ago… and I must say that the last day of summer is going out with a HOT boom!  The first day of FALL tomorrow, slips down to the low 90’s and then makes its FALL DROP into the 70’s for the foreseeable future!

Have a wonderful weekend and put in a good word for me on the next Saturday Morning you spend with our father God!

 

*My personalized rendering put together from The Remedy New Testament, The Passion Translation and The Message paraphrase Bible.