Take the Plunge!

Even though my wife has been absent from this world for over seven years, I regularly find my self thinking about many of the wonderful memories that we created in our life together.  And when I think about her laughing smile and spunky inherent nature, I always tend to go back to the time she surprised our kids and I when she finally made up her mind and plunged headfirst into the freezing cold, ice-melt fed Little Jamison Creek that flowed right behind our campsite one summer at Plumas Eureka State Park, in northeastern California, near the Nevada border.

After making the dive under the cold, clear water in a deeper area that had pooled next to a fallen pine tree, she literally burst up from the water with a huge smile on her face yelling to us, “You didn’t think I’d do that did you?”  Well… NO… we didn’t.  We had all been egging her on for quite a while and had just about given up when she dove into the Sierra mountain stream.

That’s kind of who she was… she liked to keep things fresh and exciting in our personal relationship, as well as within the daily development of our family.  That was actually one of the MANY things that drew me to her in high school.  Her bright-shining brown eyes tended to always have a mysterious sense of adventure about them… and I LOVED it… from our beginning days as teenagers through her final two weeks after turning 65.

She wasn’t one to just jump into something without consideration and thought… but once she prayed and made up her mind… she plunged in with abandonment and deep determination!  Which is the way she and I both tended to live our Christian walk… Once we set our faith for something that was inline with and based on the promises of God… we abandoned doubt and unbelief and plunged head first into the deep waters of faith.

And you know?  We weren’t alone when it came to plunging headfirst into our faith for the daily adventures of our lives and ministry.

In the Biblical book of Romans, the Apostle Paul uses the example of the faith of Abraham who,

“Staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He (God) had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Romans 4:20-21 – KJV)

The word ‘staggered’ in the Greek implies someone who hesitates and has withdrawn from their steadfast belief in the truth of God’s Word and/or let their minds wander in thinking about all the potential reasons why God’s promise(s) won’t work for them in their particular situation or need.  These scriptures paint a picture of Abraham’s unmovable faith and trust in the promise that God had given him… concerning the seemingly impossible conception and birth of a child…

“Now that he was about a hundred years old, and Sarah (his wife) was unable to have children.” (Romans 4:19 - God’s Word ©)

And yes!... While the King James gives us a strong idea of Abraham’s faith and the mindset that drove his stand on God’s Word, I literally pushed away from my desk and straightened up in my rolling office chair this morning as I discovered The Message Bible’s paraphrase version of these verses.  I think the Reverand Eugene Peterson (pastor, professor, theologian, and author who translated The Message) hit the nail on the head in capturing the true sense, excitement, total abandonment to doubt and unbelief and personal determination that was living large in Abraham’s life, by vividly declaring that,

“He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. (But) he PLUNGED into the promise and came up strong and ready for God, sure that God would make good on what He had said.” (Romans 4:20-21)

Paul reiterated this over-powering sense of excitement and determination in his closing salutations to the Thessalonian church when he stated,

“The One who called you is completely dependable. If He said it, He'll do it!”           (I Thessalonians 5:24 – MSG)

So… you see… that fresh and exciting mysterious sense of adventure that marked Piper… that caused her to plunge with abandonment and determination into her Christian walk… as well as in her personal life in general… wasn’t just a fluke of nature or a gift that her heavenly Father gave to her alone…  No!  I believe that it is part and parcel of the character of God that comes to live in us (Yes!  That means both you and me) when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord*… Piper just chose to fully accept and develop that powerful characteristic in her… by her love, study, obedience and tangible application of God’s Word in the daily routines of her busy life.

When is the last time that you plunged headfirst into the promises of God and believed Him for the fulfillment of His Word for a particular need or situation in your life? Whether you’ve done it before or not… today would be the perfect time to jump in and experience the character of God actively working in and through your life.

Then you’ll be similar to Piper who burst out of the icy cold waters exclaiming for all to hear in the surrounding campground (or in your neighborhood) “I didn’t think I’d do that… But I AM GLAD THAT I DID!”

And once you’ve taken that initial plunge… you just won’t be able to keep your abandonment to doubt and unbelief and the determination to see the power and faith of God and His Word… from working in every aspect of your life!

With all that in mind… have a fantastic week… and let me know how your plunge goes!

 

 

*Have you made Jesus the personal Savior and Lord of your life?  It’s really easy to do and the results will change your life forever!  You’ll feel an unexplainable new freedom and peace that you never thought possible. In Romans 10:9 Paul gives us the simple directions by explaining, “that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

And yes… it’s as simple as that.  Once you do that, I would recommend that you find a good, BIBLE teaching church to attend, pick up and read the Bible daily (I suggest you start in the book of John and then move on through the epistles), and start talking with God (praying) on a regular basis!  Welcome to the family!

 

Tornado Season!

Well… PRAISE THE LORD!  It looks like we made it through another TORNADO SEASON here in Tennessee.  I guess I should be pretty relieved as our TORNADO horns in Mt Juliet only went off once about a month or so ago… in the middle of the night… of course!

That was an interesting experience for me, as it was my first TORNADO adventure in Tennessee.  This season was quite a bit calmer here then when I lived in Oklahoma.  The actual storm that triggered our sirens though, wasn’t much different than an Oklahoma severe weather event… except for when I stepped out onto my apartment balcony in the midst of the sirens, heavy rain, strong winds and booming thunder and lightning.  I think that I must have lived in Oklahoma long enough to have garnered the typical male response to an incoming TORNADO… thinking… Oh Gee…I gotta check this out!

But… I quickly got a reality-check when there was one of the loudest thunder claps that I’ve ever heard… immediately followed by the crack of a hot, super-bright, electrical discharge that flooded my senses with the strongest scent of ozone that I have ever experienced!  That kind of shook me and I quickly retreated back into the living room of my apartment.  I’m glad that I had enough sense to only take one step onto the balcony and not the full distance out to the railing!  I think that someone must have been watching over me!  What do you think?

In that moment of less-than stellar responsibility… I learned that there are certain situations where I should not have the ability to throw caution to the wind (literally in this case…) and think that I am safe in any environment!  But you know… as I was studying the Word… as a thunderstorm was moving into our area early this morning… the scriptures I’ve been studying for about a week now, brought to mind a very specific time of when the Lord had taught me about the need to control the environment surrounding my wife and I.

I’ve told of the experience before, so I won’t bore you with the whole story, but suffice to say, when Piper was first beginning to deal with the encroaching debilitating symptoms of Alzheimer’s, the Lord clearly spoke to my heart early one morning and in no uncertain terms, explained the importance of me controlling the atmosphere around her. 

It was already becoming very apparent to both of us, that not everybody around us… be it extended family, friends, the medical professionals or even strangers that we encountered on our walks or times at the store… were in faith for the journey we were forced into.  So along with everything else I was doing for my sweet wife’s physical care, the Lord also impressed upon me the need to keep an atmosphere of faith, joy, peace and encouragement in our home and as much as I could… outside of our house as well.

Sounds easy right?  WRONG!  And I learned real quick that in order to have any sense of success in this directive of the Lord… that I needed to keep myself in a consistent and ever-growing attitude of faith, joy, peace and encouragement.

Hummmm… and just how do I do that?  Well… The verses of scripture that brought me back to this memory this morning are found in I Thessalonians 5:16-19 where the Apostle Paul closes his first letter of encouragement to the church in Thessalonica (as well as to you and me today) saying,

1)   “Rejoice evermore. 

2) Pray without ceasing. 

3) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 

4) Quench not the Spirit.” (KJV) 

I specifically numbered each verse as they seem to be set in a logical systematic order in which to follow… and as these steps worked for me in my situation back then, I believe it is also a current day directive of the Lord written to each of us for the varying situations we find ourselves facing each and every day.

First of all, Paul encourages us to “Rejoice evermore.”  The God’s Word© translation makes it a bit more up-to-date by saying “Always be joyful” while the Message Bible seems to be a little more accurate to the original Greek stating, “Be cheerful no matter what!”  Strong’s defines the familiar word “REJOICE” as “to be full of cheer, to be calmly happy” which to me says that our calm and cheerful demeanor is simply to be a well-practiced mindset that we operate in all the time... no matter where we are or what we are facing.  It is the steadying, basic and foundational asset that we have to control the atmosphere around us.

Next, we are told to “Pray without ceasing.”  Does that mean that we are to stay on our knees at the side of our bed in prayer all the time?  No, of course not… but I do believe it is talking about our need to stay in an attitude of prayer by keeping our spirits alert to the voice of the Lord throughout our busy days.

Smith Wigglesworth who was one of the great Apostles of Faith in the first half of the 20^th century was once asked how long he prayed everyday and he responded saying that “I don’t ever pray more than twenty minutes…” and then after a pause, continued by declaring “but I never go twenty minutes without praying!”  In other words… he stayed alert to the leadings of the Holy Spirit in his life and kept the lines of two-way communication between God and himself open all the time.

And once the first two directives of the Lord are up and running in our lives, it becomes increasingly easy and “normal”, as The Passion Translation says, to find ourselves “giving THANKS in the midst of everything.”  The Bible in Basic English tells us,

“In everything give PRAISE: for this is the purpose of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

The actions of giving THANKS or PRAISE seem to be almost interchangeable when it comes to the worship of our God, but in reality, they each have a separate focus.  The Bible Hub* informs us that PRAISE focuses in on who God is, while THANKSGIVING emphasizes what God has done in our individual lives.  But in either regard and for the purpose of our verse in I Thessalonians 5:18, either action specifically takes our thoughts off of any difficulty in the situation that we are dealing with and focusses our attention on the love, truth, ability and over-coming power of the Lord and the truth of His Word for the need at hand.

And then… once the Lord has an open door to work in the midst of whatever it is we are facing… “Quench NOT the Spirit” as He begins to assist you.  Or as The Passion Translation puts it,

“Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.”

Once He starts working in the situation, stay in faith and sensitive to whatever it is that He is doing… AND… to what He may have for you to do in the situation as well!

And so… As I stayed sensitive to… what I like to call the “HINTS” that the Lord was regularly giving me… back when I was caring for my wife, it became increasingly easier to be aware of what other’s around me were doing and thereby for me to say and do the right things at the right times… and change and/or keep the atmosphere around my wife and I in a more positive, joyful and faith-charged atmosphere… just like the way that bolt of lightning changed and charged the atmosphere around my balcony during that TORNADO producing storm...

And… since we know that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”**

You and I can have the same results – TODAY - by following Paul’s directions and walk in such a way where our reactions of THANKSGIVING and PRAISE… in the midst of anything that happens in our lives… both good or bad… causes our faith to focus on the goodness of God and hereby allow Him to work His miracles in the daily situations of our lives… be it TORNADO SEASON or not!

 

* https://biblehub.com/topical/p/praise_and_thanksgiving.htm

**Hebrews 13:8

Personal Responsibility

My wife and I were different than most of the people at her American Baptist church that she grew up in and I, along with her, participated and served in leadership positions for over eight years… before and then after we got married. 

If you were to read the doctrinal Statement of Faith on the back of the weekly bulletin, we could put a check of agreement to every bullet point… but we believed in more!  To us, there were things missing from that list.  There were parts of the Gospel message that were seldom… if ever… talked about.  We believed that our precious friends in that wonderful congregation were missing some of the most exciting and powerful promises in the Word for the daily events of their lives.

After our high school graduation, we were drawn to the Charismatic Movement that was being reported on in the local newspaper and was beginning to stir up long forgotten discussions amongst the denominational churches in our area.  There was a growing congregation in our city that held weekly “Prayer” meetings where attendees talked about seeing the manifestations of the Gifts of the Spirit that had not been widely seen or experienced by the Christian denominational churches since the great Healing Revival of the 1940’s and 50’s.

To make a not-too-long story short… we jumped in with both feet and have never looked back since!  We were always very discreet about it at church, but yet… lived out our beliefs as vividly as we could in front of the youth and young adult groups that we ministered to, as well as with our friends and fellow congregants of that church.

Following the birth of our second child, Piper and I both knew that we had a major decision to make.  She and I hungered for more teaching and involvement in this exciting part of the Full Gospel message and also wanted more for our kids.  So, we prayed (a lot) and made the difficult decision… taking PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for our Christian growth… and left the Baptist church to join a small, Full Gospel, Word of Faith congregation that met in a rented space at a resort/motel on the far southern part of town.

And I know that Piper would vigorously nod her head from heaven today and TOTALLY agree with me… that it was the BEST decision that we ever made… for both of us and especially for our family… which continued to increase to four kids over the following years!

We learned a lot about PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY in and for the APPLICATION and consistent ACTIVITY of our faith in our daily lives over the 48 years of our covenant relationship.  And I can say without a moment’s hesitation… the portion of Scripture that I have employed most often when it comes to taking PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY in my Christian walk (for every area of my life), is found on the most torn, stained, wrinkled and smudged… worn-out page… in just about every Bible I own… in the first chapter of the Old Testament book of Joshua!*  I have found that it makes more sense to me to read some of the verses in a reverse order, beginning with Joshua 1:9 and then Joshua 1:5… where the Lord instructed Joshua after the death of Moses, as He handed the reigns of the rulership of the Jewish nation over to him saying,**

“Have I not commanded you (add your name here)?  BE strong, diligent, confident, disciplined, assertive and courageous!  Do not tremble, BE timid nor BE dismayed or discouraged, for I the Lord your God am with you wherever you go.  And thereby NO one nor NO thing will be able to oppose you successfully as long as you live. For I will be with you just as I was with Moses. I will never (never, never) neglect you or abandon you.” (Ryrie Study Bible – New American Standard Bible - 1978 / God’s Word ©)

But the good Lord didn’t just leave it there.  He not only gave Joshua a direct command and a word of encouragement… He also told him EXACTLY what he needed to do in order to be successful in the job that the Lord had anointed him for.  In Joshua 1:8 He basically told the new leader that this is the KEY to make it all work… He pointedly told Joshua,

“This book of the law (or for us current day Christians – having the addition of the New Testament, ‘This Revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ’) shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure that you practice everything written in it.  For then you’ll get where you’re going and will make your way prosperous and you’ll have great success!” (a combining of the NASB/The Message)

I can’t tell you how many times my determined obedience and practice of these specific verses brought troubling circumstances into the realm of victory in my life… Like a discrepancy in my monthly income that I had to deal with this morning!  I found myself bouncing around the kitchen… audibly Praising the Lord… a couple of hours ago when I hung up the phone after a conversation with my financial consultant… with tears beginning to form, as I thanked the Lord profusely for His hand in the affairs of my life. 

But then… for a fleeting moment… I stopped my child-like response to the Lord’s faithfulness to His Word thinking that “I should be used to this by now…”  But then broke out laughing in the solitude of my kitchen declaring… “I’m glad that I’ll NEVER get used to His tangible involvement in my life!”  I mean… After all, doesn’t Ephesians 5:1 tell us: “Therefore be ye imitators of God as beloved CHILDREN?” (KJV/EMTV)  Is there anyone else out there who responds to God’s faithfulness in this same manner?

So now… bringing us back to the thought and/or practice of us taking PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY in and for our Christian faith, I want us to take a peek at what always tends to catch my attention whenever I study these verses… and that is… the number of times the words “You” “Yours” “You’re” “Ye” and “You’ll” is inserted into the Lord’s command and encouragement to us… the students of His Word… throughout all these verses.

I count about 16 times… How about you?

And with that in mind… I can’t help but to think that The Lord is trying to emphasize a point here!  To me, He is wanting to bring us back to the foundational Biblical truth… that each one of us… yes… both you and me… are directly and PERSONABLY RESPONSIBLE to how well these promises from God to us… are activated and there by allowed the freedom to work in our lives.

I know how in my past… it usually seemed easier to blame someone else or some extenuating circumstances… including God Himself… when things didn’t go as I had prayed and/or as I would have preferred (or for what I’ve heard called “a Faith Failure”) in my life.  But you know… I don’t see that way of thought in these verses.  I see the Lord teaching us to take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for our daily faith walk.  And to do so, by pondering, meditating and SPEAKING out the Word and accordingly, the results that we’re EXPECTING to come to past (by faith) in our lives… both day and night!

How about you?

The Lord made it pretty clear to Joshua back then… and to US today… that He wants us to “MAN or WOMAN UP” and take the PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY necessary to experience victory and thereby “to get where you’re going and make your way prosperous and have great success!”

Then who knows… you might just find yourself dancing around your kitchen… like a gleeful little kid… JUST LIKE ME… as you too experience the FAITHFULNESS of God to the promises in His Word… happening in your life… Today, Tomorrow… and to Infinity and Beyond!

Have a FANTASTIC week!  We are in the midst of a thunderstorm out here in Tennessee… so we’ll see how it progresses.  Now that Fiver has left us (and in particular, without having to deal with his panic and discomfort during noisy weather)… I’ve discovered that I actually enjoy the soothing ambiance a good heavy rain - complete with the dramatics of thunder and lightning!   Weird huh?  I’ll see ya all next week…

*A New Testament equivalent of Johsua 1:9 (also worn out in my Bibles…) is found in 2Timothy 1:7.  I especially like the translation in The Remedy New Testament.

**and I have added many of my notated words that have given me a greater depth of knowledge for the practical application of these verses in my life over the years.

DRIPPING and DRENCHED!

Over the last week or so, I have been waking up each morning (usually before 5:00 AM as my body seems to be stuck in the habit of taking the dog – deceased now for 3 months – out for a pre-dawn wet stop, before returning to bed…) with the words “The GOODNESS of God” running like a continuous loop in my mind.  Then on Sunday morning I heard a sermon entitled “Trusting in the GOODNESS of God” and immediately thought “Ah Ha… Finally, some direction!”

And yes, there was… at least the beginnings of a wealth of information, encouragement, faith, love and joy… that is all drenched and dripping in the GOODNESS of God.  Do you ever think about the Word of God in that manner… all gooey, drenched and dripping in the GOODNESS of God? 

I have to admit that I pan fried an angus burger over the weekend that came out just the way I like it… and after the first few bites… my face, hands and the front of my shirt were all drenched and dripping in the GOODNESS of a potpourri of grease, mustard, mayonnaise, catsup, onion, cheese, lettuce and tomato… and YES…  I put WAY too much on the burger and stacked it up WAY too high… but the resulting mess was definitely WORTH the intense clean up that was required when at last I ran my fingers repeatedly across the plate to savor the final residue still present… I guess there are some perks to living by yourself!

Now… I won’t say that this type of experience is exactly like my interactions with God and His Word every time I open my Bible or attend church… BUT, I have had enough similarly exciting and over-the-top personal adventures with God through the many years of my Christian walk… that always stirs my faith to look forward to being totally drenched and dripping with the GOODNESS of God… at most anytime!

How about you?

Psalms 20 and 21 reflect one of the many personal examples that King David attributed to the GOODNESS of God in his and his country’s life.  Psalm 20 is written from God’s point of view and recounts the steps that King Davd took as he prepared himself and his troops for battle.  It was a preparation that was fueled by his personal faith… that was over-the-top and dripping and drenched with his assurance of the GOODNESS of God for the VICTORY he was anticipating.

In Psalm 21 David describes what happened at the battle and is dripping and drenched with overwhelming joy and thanksgiving for the results of the GOODNESS of God… that ensued on the day of battle.

I would strongly encourage you to take the time to read each of these Psalms on your own, and as is stated throughout both… “SELAH” …meaning to stop, meditate and consider (for your own personal life) what you are reading along the way.  You’ll notice as you read, that David followed a specific format* in approaching God before the battle.  He prayed, laid out specific requests for the battle, confessed what he was believing for based on the scriptures available in his day (ie; The Torah) and then thanked the Lord profusely for the victory he was expecting!

In Psalm 20:5-7 The Lord says that David declared… before the day of battle that,

“We will joyfully sing about your victory. We will wave our flags in the name of our God. The LORD will fulfill all your requests. Now I know that the LORD will give victory to his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty deeds of his powerful hand. Some rely on chariots and others on horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD our God.” (God’s Word ©) 

Then in Psalm 21…after the day of battle… David was hardly able to hold back his thankfulness and joy that was dripping and drenched in his acknowledgement of the GOODNESS of God that prevailed in the battle… And he sang out to the Lord,

“The king finds joy in your strength, O LORD. What great joy he has in your victory!  You gave him his heart’s desire. You did not refuse the prayer from his lips. Selah… Indeed, the king trusts the LORD, and through the mercy of the Most High, he will not be moved.” (Psalm 21:1-2, 7 - God’s Word ©)

David was an old hand at experiencing the dripping and drenching of the GOODNESS of God throughout his life… but he still took the time… each and every time… to humble himself and do his part in opening the doors to his and his country’s existence… by praying, making specific requests, confessing what he was believing for in the Word and following it all up with consistent and heartfelt thanksgiving for the results he was expecting… as was based on the truth of God’s Word.

Fiver used to love it when he saw and smelled me frying up a thick angus beef patty… because he knew… that with a little patience (not that he had much patience)… he would also get to enjoy the sweet-licking pleasures of the dripping and drenching potpourri of grease and everything else as it spilled from me, my plate, my shirt and many times my pants onto the floor… along with an occasional toss of a chunk of meat that he successfully begged with those big brown eyes of his… let’s just say that he had me well trained when it came to sharing my meals!

And you know… I’m a lot like Fiver when I fellowship with the Lord in prayer and/or the study of my Bible at home, at church and with family and friends… I get excited because I look forward with great anticipation… to slurping up the overflow of His GOODNESS that is over-flowing, dripping and drenched… in Him and His Word!

Oooh!  That sounds DELICIOUS doesn’t it?  So, let me know how it goes that next time you fellowship with the Lord… and make sure that you bring a handful of napkins with you…

Have a fantastic week wherever you are – we’ve got the potential of thunderstorms throughout the rest of the week… but more importantly… we have the protection of the name of Jesus!  Isn’t God Good!  (See: Philippians 2:9-11)

 

 

*The ‘format’ or steps that King David followed seems to be a prophecy of what would later be taught in the New Testament through the various writers (under the anointing of the Holy Spirit) including Jesus Himself!  For some examples look at Mark 11:22-25, Philippians 4:4-9 and Hebrews 11:1 etc;

CONTACT!

I wrote last week about living within the realm of the ADJECTIVES that the scribes of the New Testament used in order to increase the understanding and passion of us, the readers, as we study and then apply the life-changing Word of God into our daily existence. 

But as I continued to delve deeper into this rich possibility of life… which many Christians I’ve interacted with over the years, write off as impossible…I kept coming back to the word “ANOINTED” in Acts 10:38, where the Apostle Peter, in speaking to his inner circle of believers, explained the good news that the Gentiles (non-Jews) could NOW have access to the Good News message of Jesus Christ!

After having an eye-opening vision by the Holy Spirit and a discussion with Cornelious, a Roman officer, Peter could hardly contain himself as he went to his people and declared,

“NOW I know for certain that God doesn’t show favoritism with people but treats everyone on the same basis.  It makes no difference what race of people one belongs to…” (Acts 10:34-35A - The Passion Translation)*

Following this revelation, he gave a quick summary of the work of John the Baptist and continued saying,

“Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, ANOINTED by God with the Holy Spirit (&) ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. (&) He was able to do all this because God was with him.” (Acts 10:38 – The Message Bible)

Well… It turns out that the word translated “ANOINTED” in this verse is defined in Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries as being akin to the Greek word meaning “to handle through the idea of CONTACT; to smear or rub with oil, that is, (by implication) to consecrate to an office or religious service.” 

And the more I looked at this definition, the more it dawned on me that the ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life on this earth… as well as the Holy Spirit’s ANOINTING on the life of every BELIEVER… is the foundational KEY to the spread of Christianity in our homes, our neighborhoods, our city, state, country and throughout the WORLD… wherever you may live!

Then I understood that the level of the Holy Spirit’s ANOINTING in each of us… is dependent of the amount and LEVEL of CONTACT that we make with Him in our daily lives.  Jesus was known by His disciples to spend many a night off by himself in prayer and fellowship with His Father… and that thought along with the definition of ANOINTED being described as “to handle through the idea of CONTACT” in mind, I couldn’t help but want to add a few descriptive ADJECTIVES to the end of Acts 10:38 where most translations say that Jesus did everything He did “for God was with Him.”

After being in that level of close and personal CONTACT with the Father… I would bet that Jesus had the Holy Spirit SMEARED ALL OVER HIM!  I believe that Jesus walked and talked with the fragrance, touch, taste and texture of God embedded in his skin and clothing!

It reminded me of the nightly, one hour or more, week night phone calls that Piper and I made to each other as our relationship blossomed throughout our senior year in high school.  Now… obviously… there was no physical CONTACT made between US each night… BUT… there was physical CONTACT being made between me and our kitchen wall phone, whose cord I stretched out, walking up and down the long hallway five nights a week.

And so… let me explain… You see, since that was the main phone in our house (remember this was in the early 1970’s) and its principal user throughout the day was my mom… WELL… let’s just say that I normally hung it up with the fragrance of my mom’s (Avon) perfume and the touch, taste and texture of her powered foundation… SMEARED ALL over the right side of my face!

Then years later, after Piper and I got married, SHE would (not purposely… I think?) mark me almost daily, with a SMEAR of her bright RED lipstick on my shirt or on my lips** along with the scent of her perfume embedded in my clothes… as we quickly kissed and embraced in saying good bye on my way to work!

I would like to think that I also carried some semblance of the fragrance, touch, taste and texture of God on me when I walked into work back then… or as I take my daily walks around our beautifully landscaped apartment campus out here in Tennessee.  I do actively look for opportunities to brighten other people’s lives as I traverse my new city and state and discover its Southern charms and ambiance.  And while I can’t sniff my collar or my hands and catch that all familiar, sweet scent of Piper anymore, I do believe that the Word I study does stick to me and diffuse the scent of the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit into the places I go…

How about you? 

Are you spending enough time in close personal CONTACT with God and the truth of His Word… so that HIS ANOINTED fragrance, touch, taste and texture emanate off of you?

Have a terrific week!  We have some warm weather and blue skies forecast for all week long and I’m looking forward to catching some sun… and I pray that you can soak in some rays as well!

 

*Kind of blows away the modern-day political left’s criticism of Christianity as being a racist religion… doesn’t it? (But yet not surprising… as we know the author of this lie and accusation… See: John 8:44 / Revelation 12:10)

**There were numerous times that I fondly recall, when I turned to go out the door to the garage and my car, when Piper would reach out and grab my arm and say “WHOA! You can’t go out looking like you wear lipstick!” and rub her right index finger across my lips, wiping off the residue of her RED lipstick!  Then she’d give that cute – killer wink of hers and say “I love you!” …and push me out the door!

Living in the Adjectives…

In my morning Bible Study on Saturday, I found myself adding ADJECTIVES to many of the descriptive words that the various scribes had used in the verses I was studying… and the more I wrote in my notes, the more personal and exciting God’s promises became to me!

At one point I had to pause as I remembered the way my wife’s voice would change whenever she preached and/or taught the word.  I know that I have mentioned this before… but it’s worth a reminder.

As the anointing came over her during her sermon, she would become visibly more and more enthusiastic over the Word that she was sharing… and with her contagious smile and innocent demeanor… the congregation would almost always flow in sync with her.  Her voice would continue to raise in octaves until the congregation was literally on the edge of their seats, being totally caught up with every word, every example and every funny antidote she threw in to make her point hit home.  And everyone in that room knew that she was not only sincere, but also a living, breathing successful example of what she was saying.

Well… that memory definitely brought a warm smile to my face… but then, I had to sit back in my chair… as I had an inspired thought… ‘You know… I bet Paul was the same way when he dictated his letters to the congregations in the developmental years of the early church.’  Can’t you just see him getting more and more excited, his voice getting higher and his speech getting faster and faster as the Holy Spirit came upon him… and the scribe sitting at the table with him… struggling to keep up with him and not wanting to miss a single word!  I can’t wait to interview the scribes when I get up to heaven!

But Paul wasn’t the only one!  As I began to study how Paul piled on the ADJECTIVES to his letters when describing the goodness of God, I also discovered that most of the other New Testament writers do the same thing.  They may not use multiple ADJECTIVES to make a point, but they definitely used very descriptive words that help to bring the reader (ie; you and me) to a place beyond the natural boundaries of our thought, expectations and faith.

One of my first and favorite examples comes from Jesus Himself when he made the bold declaration to the crowds in John 10:10 saying,

“The thief (ie; the devil) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (KJV)

Notice that He didn’t just leave it at “ABUNDANTLY” but specifically said “MORE ABUNDANTLY!”  And this is a great example of why I like to look at various translations of the Bible when I study the Word.  The original Greek and Hebrew words of the Bible are thick with layers of meaning that doesn’t always fully come out with a single English word.  So, similar to the Amplified Bible which “AMPLIFIES” the traditional translations by including more words that give the reader a greater understanding to the depth of what the writer was trying to get across… Many of the modern translations will also use multiple common place words to best relate the full meaning and emotion of the points being made.

For instance, The Passion Translation tends to ignite a spark of enthusiasm, excitement and wonder into what Jesus really wants us to understand in John 10:10 and apply to our lives, saying,

“A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!” 

WOW!  I read that translation and fireworks go off inside of me!  My mind immediately brings me to Hebrews 11:1 in the God’s Word Translation where the writer teaches us that,

“Faith assures us of things we expect…”

So, I put two and two together and realize that if “Faith assures us of things we EXPECT…” and Jesus tells us that He has come to give us “everything in abundance, MORE THAN YOU EXPECT,…”  then, I’m going to start EXPECTING more and bigger things so that I don’t allow my meager EXPECTATIONS to limit the hand of Jesus operating in my life!  Wouldn’t you agree?  WOW!  Isn’t God and His Word good!

And… that is what can happen everyday as we give Jesus and His Word a door into our lives.  To me… It’s like living my Christian walk within the descriptive ADJECTIVES that the writers have given us in order to spark our faith to a brighter level on a regular basis.

And… these descriptive ADJECTIVES are found throughout the pages of your New Testament!  For example, take a look at,

Luke 6:38

Ephesians 3:20

I Timothy 1:14

Philippians 4:7 & 19

Ephesians 1:19-21

Romans 5:17

Ephesians 1:28

I Peter 1:3

These aren’t in any order, I just listed them as I thought of them and they are only a small example of the verses that accentuate the GOODNESS of God in a variety of subjects.

As I was completing my Bible Study hour this morning, I had an inkling to check out Acts 10:38 before I left my desk.  I pulled it up on my Bible Study program and looked at numerous translations until The Message Paraphrase put another “WOW!” on my lips.  Here Peter was telling a group of believers about Jesus and stated’

“Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, READY FOR ACTION. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him.”

There is a lot in this verse, but in order to stay on subject I’ll just point out what caught my attention this morning.  Peter told his listeners of how Jesus came from Nazareth, was anointed with the Holy Spirit and was “READY FOR ACTION!”  And my very first thought as I read this part of the verse was, 

“Am I READY FOR ACTION when I walk out the door each morning?  Am I ready and fired up, confident and PASSIONATE about my faith in Jesus Christ and the TRUTH of His Word?”

I’d like to think I am… BUT I would be amiss if I don’t admit the times I’ve kept my head down when I’ve stepped out of my apartment for my early morning walk… simply because I’m not feeling really sociable at the moment!  Can I catch an AMEN from any other honest individual?

Are you READY FOR ACTION when you step out of your front door each day?

Now, I can understand that there may be various personal and outlying situations that may cause us to not always be at the top of our game… BUT… might I humbly suggest a few moments of your busy mornings spent in fellowship with the Lord in your Bibles (and maybe a couple of different translations*) while you pump your faith up with the Biblical ADJECTIVES that infuse us with the EXCITEMENT, EXPECTATIONS and POWER of the Goodness of God for each and every area of our lives!

And after a few days of this… I bet you’ll soon find yourselves READY FOR ACTION!

Have a great week!

 

 

*There are many FREE Bible Study programs online that you can download to your computer &/or phone.  My personal favorite is e-SWORD - https://e-sword.net/

I learned about it in Bible College and have used it daily ever since!  Most of the major Bible translations and study guides can be added for free, but there are some that you can purchase for a nominal price (which I’ve done over the years)!

Living Life Spontaneously!

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 11^th 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