EXPRESSIONS

I had to laugh this morning as I bent over to put my socks on and couldn’t help but notice my typical summer look of a dark tan on my legs… down to the definitive line that marks the top of my ankle socks… and the EXTREMELY white feet below!  It is pretty obvious that I don’t walk around much in my bare feet… and now would be embarrassed to do so!

But no matter how white my feet may have looked… they always tended to have more of a tan than Piper normally achieved during the summer!  You see, Piper had redheads on her dad’s side of the family and even though neither she nor her sister got the red hair gene (No pun intended as her dad’s name was Gene…), they both had the light skin normally associated with redheads, although while I remember her sister burning on our family vacations on the coast, Piper hardly ever burned and actually could retain a bit of a tan.

I do recall though, when Piper would come to bed on a warm night wearing one of her many short summer nighties and contemplating of how white her skin looked above the slight tan mark from the shorts she wore during the day.  It was not only strikingly different from my darker Italian skin tones but with her, I always tended to allude to it as a mark of purity.  She was just that kind of gal!

Thinking of her “ruddy” as the Bible puts it, or reddish complexion and light skin tones, also reminded me of a couple of descriptions of King David when he was young, during Old Testament times.  When the Prophet Samuel first set eyes on the lad*, he wrote,

“And he sent (Jesse, David’s father) and brought him (David) in. And he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and good form. And Jehovah said, Arise, anoint him. For this is he.” (MKJV)

A little while later, after being anointed but not yet having ascended the throne, David faced the giant of the Philistine army named Goliath, in a battle to the death.  And to put it lightly, the literal giant among men** was not impressed by what he saw.  It is recorded:

“And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.”  (KJV) 

David’s physical looks and stature did nothing to establish any confidence in them with either Samuel or Goliath!  But both of them quickly learned a lesson in the true strength and stature of a person.  God had to inform the Prophet that “the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”  And as for Goliath… well let’s just say that he learned the hard way when David annihilated him with his own sword in front of both armies! 

As part of our calling into “the fellowship of Jesus,”*** we Christians are meant to live our lives above and/or apart from the rest of the world.  But according to what Samuel and Goliath learned, that is not necessarily dependent upon one’s physical stature or social standing.  According to the Apostle Paul, it simple means to display the expressions or “fruit” of our faith in everything we think, say and do.  He told the Galatian church that,

“The fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine LOVE in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of goodness, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and self-control. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.”   (TPT/God’s Word ©)

I really like the way that The Passion Translation separates out LOVE and describes the other eight fruits as “the various expressions” of LOVE.  The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges explains that LOVE “stands first, not as distinct from, but as INCLUDING all the rest.”  And that makes perfect sense since I John 4:8,16 tells us that “God is LOVE”.**** Therefore, the various fruit of the Spirit are simply specific characteristics of His LOVE expressed through you and me in the different situations we face in our daily lives.

So… It doesn’t matter!  You may be a “tall, dark and handsome Italian” like Piper once described me to another family member (Note:  He! He! Piper didn’t wear her glasses a lot in school when we hung out together and her contacts made her eyes really sensitive to glare… so who knows what she really saw when she looked at me!) or you might be small with a ruddy complexion and freckles like Piper (I bet that David also had freckles!)- as a Christian what matters most, is what’s on the inside… and how the fruit of God’s character are expressed through us.

Many people in the church would comment about Piper over the years, saying that while “she might have been small on the outside… she was a GIANT on the inside!”  AND that’s the Piper that most people saw and loved!

What about you?  What do people think and say about you?  Hopefully they are always blessed and thankful for your expressions of the FRUIT of God’s Spirit emanating from you!  We’ll take a deeper look into the various EXPRESIONS or FRUIT in our next few blogs… so keep in tune!  But in the meantime,

Have a great week, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s Best while you continue to EXPRESS HIS CHARACTERISITICS in your daily lives!

 

*Most commentators say that David was between 10–15 years old.  See: the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary.

**Goliath was said to be approximately 9'6" tall How tall was Goliath? | GotQuestions.org

***For review, see: 1 Corinthians 1:9 as well as our last six blog posts written around this verse-

****KJV

Interviews

In my years in management throughout both my secular positions and yes, even with the ministry positions in the local churches in which we served, I had countless opportunities to interview many individuals in order to meet different needs and fill various vacancies. 

And whether I was looking for skilled positions in the fabrication areas that I supervised at both Hewlett Packard and Agilent Technologies or for a volunteer children’s or youth worker at church, there were always specific character traits and interpersonal skills that I was looking for… along with the experience, education, ability to learn new skills and techniques and… very importantly… their ability to fit in with the other members of the team.

I came across a couple of incidents in the Bible where the Prophet in Israel had similar opportunities to interview individuals for the new-to-the country’s position of King.  For the first time around, the Prophet Samuel was led to the tribe of Benjamin and a man named Kish.  As it turned out, Kish “had a son, Saul, a most handsome young man. There was none finer—he literally stood head and shoulders above the crowd!”*

And through a series of incidents, the Lord brought Samuel and Saul together and the Prophet anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel.  Saul did pretty good for a while but then had some character flaws that began to come out that impeded his judgement and his ability to hear the directions that God was giving him for the good of the people in which he was anointed to rule.

So, after a while, Samuel had to go out and repeat the interview process once again, in order to find a suitable replacement for Saul.  And just when you would think that the Prophet had learned his lesson… God had to step in and teach Samuel a thing or two…

Samuel was led to the house of Jesse and began to interview Jesse’s sons, and when the tall, strong and handsome oldest son came in, “Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Here he is! GOD's anointed!"** 

But God quickly stepped in and told Samuel, “Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. GOD judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; GOD looks into the heart." 

Samuel took the rebuke and had Jesse bring in his next six sons, one by one, so that he could interview them… but still couldn’t seem to find the right one.  So then,

“Samuel was blunt with Jesse, ‘GOD hasn't chosen any of these.’  Then he asked Jesse, ‘Is this it? Are there no more sons?’ ‘Well, yes, THERE’S THE RUNT. But he's out tending the sheep.’ Samuel ordered Jesse, ‘Go get him. We're not moving from this spot until he's here.’  Jesse sent for him. He was brought in, the very picture of health—bright-eyed, good-looking. GOD said, ‘Up on your feet!  Anoint him!  THIS is the one.’”** 

And so… Samuel finally interviewed and found the right candidate for the job!  As Christians we also have specific character traits and interpersonal skills that readily help us as we intermingle and are “interviewed” by the various people that we interact with throughout each and every day. 

If you recall, I Corinthains 1:9 tells us that “we were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ.”***  With being “called” defined as “to call to a participation in the privileges of Gospel.”****  And how do we do that in such a way as to demonstrate the glorious privileges of the Gospel message… in a manner that is not only inviting but also comfortable to those around us?

Well… It’s by walking in the fruit of the Spirit as Paul outlined in Galatians 5:22-23… But I’m going to refrain from plunging into that part of this exciting message today! 

I would suggest though, that you take a few moments to study the verses in today’s post in order to get the crux of the information shared… and then look ahead to the next post by reading Galatians 5:22-23 in order to get a running start for next time! (and… if you can, especially look up Galatians 5:22-23 in The Passion Translation.  This version gives a slightly different spin on the scriptures which makes a lot of sense to me!)

And in the meantime,

Continue having a terrific weekend, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s best both in and through your life!

 

 

*I Samuel 9:1-10:1- The Message

**I Samuel 16:6, 10-12 – The Message

***King James Version

****Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

Checking the Right Boxes...

As I stood in the little voting booth yesterday morning during Oklahoma’s runoff primary election and filled in the boxes of the candidates that I was voting for, I got to thinking of the previous research that I had done on each of the candidates.  I had heard and or seen most of their ads on local TV and radio and then went online to see what I could find out about them.  I looked at legislature that they had endorsed and/or voted on, things that they had said and accomplished, and then looked at their personal Facebook page.  I was trying to get a sense of the ‘real’ person on the inside and not just who or what they might be trying to project during the campaign.  At the end of the day, after the votes were tallied, I came out with about a 50-50 percentage of winners to losers!

I again thought about the checking of boxes earlier today, when I continued to study around the idea of “FELLOWSHIP” in my Bible from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.  The King James Version of I Corinthians 1:9 tells us that,

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the FELLOWSHIP of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

The phrase “by whom ye were called” particularly caught my attention as I looked it up in the original Greek language in which the letter was written.  Thayer’s relates one definition as “to bear a name or title among men,” While Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary expresses it as “to call into an office or dignity.”

Those definitions gave me pause for thought as I realized that we were called to bear a “name” or “title” among men… and whose name and what title would that be?  Well, in the case of our chapter and verse, it would be the name of “JESUS” and the title of “CHRISTIAN!”

So, in order to further understand Paul’s point, I looked up the meaning of the word “dignity” in a couple of English language dictionaries and discovered it explained as “A high or honorable rank or position; of bearing, conduct or speech indicative of self-respect or appreciation of the formality of an occasion, situation or calling.”  With “formality” further defined as “an established order or method of proceeding,” and the “strict adherence to established rules and procedures.”*

With all that in mind, I got the clear indication that Paul was telling his readers (including you and me today) that God doesn’t just call us into FELLOWSHIP with Him so that we can go to church and enjoy the comradery of our fellow parishioners, but also to live in such a way that our lives exemplify His standard of order and the Biblical procedures that set us apart from the rest of the world around us…

And… he also points out that being a Christian is an honorable ranking or position in the world order of things and should be expressed with the personal bearing, conduct and speech that is indicative to the position as sons and daughters of the most-high God!

And… how do we do all this?  Well, it’s one of those abilities and characteristics that has to begin and develop on the inside of us before it can shine forth on the outside of us and be expressed through our lives!

We’ll talk more about this in coming blog posts… but for now… Look up I Samuel 9:2 and I Samuel 16:6-7 and tell me what is different between these two situations.  What were the specific boxes that were checked by the Prophet Samuel when he looked for the potential king of Israel… and what do you think that it might have to do with us today? 

Then, we’ll discuss it in our next post, as we look deeper and deeper into the Biblical, God-kind of FELLOWSHIP!

Have a fantastic week, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s BEST in your lives!

 

*Oxford Online Dictionaries / Dictionary.com

Partnership

 FELLOWSHIP - κοινωνία

koinōnia

koy-nohn-ee'-ah

From G2844; partnership, that is, (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction: - (to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-), distribution, fellowship.

 

I got a big surprise early one Saturday morning, soon after we had moved to Oklahoma in 2006, when I was in attendance at the customary, before-the-store-opened-for-the-day employee meeting at the new Home Depot I was working at.  After giving us the store’s sales numbers for the previous day, the Assistant Manager suddenly pointed to me and began to explain how that the store that I had recently transferred from, in Windsor California, had surpassed their quarterly targets.  And he then proceeded to hand me a nice, totally unexpected bonus check!

As it turns out… and, using me as an example, the manager explained the program that morning to the crew in attendance… he told of how Home Depot had an employee incentive plan where the employees can earn a bonus when their stores surpass their quarterly targets.  And a few years later, when I moved up into supervision, I also learned that management gets an even larger bonus and that the percentage increases as one progresses up the ladder!

To me, that example demonstrates the BENEFITS that comes to people when they partner up with others and work together, using all the tools available, for the common good of the entity that they have become an active and responsible member of!  I am also happy to report that following that meeting, our store in south Tulsa proceeded to meet and exceed our targets for just about every quarter during the next three years that I worked there!  It actually became fun and helped to a developed a strong comradery along with a bit of ADVENTURE as the team stepped up and together sought to beat those numbers!

Paul discusses a similar aspect of this type of PARTNERSHIP when he spoke of our spiritual adventure or FELLOWSHIP with Christ in I Corinthians 1:9 when he stated:

“God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure (or fellowship), shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.” *

He is simply saying that God, who got us started and/or called us into this level of FELLOWSHIP with His Son Jesus, wants us to continually share in the benefits of our PARTNERSHIP with Him.  Once again, it is similar to how a husband and wife are to share the benefits… including the growth that comes through the successful navigation of both the good times as well as the difficult ones in their marriage.

I realized the other night, as I was watching a commercial about a mountain resort in the Rockies, that the very conceptualization of the way I think is still deeply embedded with Piper, who was my PARTNER and CO-BENEFICIARY for 48 years of my life… even though she’s been gone for almost four years now!  When you share everything in life with one very special individual for a prolonged period of time… it is hard not to live at that level of commitment and oneness with each other.

I believe that is the identical kind and/or level of PARTNERSHIP or FELLOWSHIP that we, as Christians, should enjoy with Jesus on a daily basis.  Would you agree?

And as we get to know more and more of each other… through time spent together in His Word, at church, in prayer (ie; simple two-way communication with Him) and in fellowship with other Believers, we will continue to enjoy the benefits of such a close and intimate relationship and/or PARTNERSHIP… that includes ALL the benefits that He has for us that are outlined within the pages of our Bibles!

And you know… I will freely admit that God’s benefits are FAR GREATER, much MORE OFTEN GIVEN and received and LAST MUCH LONGER that the occasional bonus checks that we got back at Home Depot! (mind-you… I am NOT complaining about those checks though!)

What do you think about all that?  Is that the level and depth of PARTNERSHIP you enjoy with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?  It can be…

Have a wonderful weekend, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s BENEFITS from the ever-increasing FELLOWSHIP you enjoy with Him!

*The Passion Translation (KJV)

Participation!

I had to giggle just a bit when Fiver and I walked past a golfer who had just hopped out of his golf cart this morning and was heading to his ball on the green.  He looked to be about my age and was dressed in the typical garb of Oklahoma men of my generation… shorts… cut about an inch or two above the knee and a golf/polo shirt… but that’s not the reason I smiled… it was because of the classic ‘70’s rock ‘n’ roll music that was blasting from the radio in the cart!

My silly laugh was due to the fact, that back in the day… when he and I were teenagers… that’s exactly what I used to do!  I remember putting my small stereo speakers in the window that faced our driveway and cranking up my tunes while I washed the car!  I don’t know that I ever considered the idea that I might be bothering the neighbors!  I was just lost in the moment, enjoying the vibes of the beat and most likely dreaming about my next date with my hot girlfriend Piper!

As we continued along the course on our walk, I stayed in my 1970’s state of mind and started laughing aloud when I thought of the posts that regularly pop up on my Facebook feed with pictures of teenage girls from that decade, leaning against a muscle car, dressed in a tight top, bell bottomed jeans or in a mini skirt and boots… with the saying “You grandmother is cooler than you might think… this is how she dressed when she was your age!”

I laughed and also shed a happy tear because it was exactly the way Piper dressed back then… as she and her friends leaned against her mom’s 1969 orange with black racing stripes, SS 396 Camaro in the school parking lot!  Hummmm… that may also explain why I was so oblivious to the world, lost in thought about her, when I washed my car!

We (as most of us have done) fully participated in the dress, cars, slang, music and vibe of our generation in high school.  It's just what youth do, right?  Granted there are those who take things to the extremes… on either side of the spectrum.  We all remember those who did their own thing apart from the majority of the crowd… some who tended to look and act like they came from a previous generation and those at the other end, who took the current trends into deviant places of rebellion.

Piper and I participated in many positive activities in high school, made lots of friends, had a great time and in doing so, never violated our personal moral values.  Contrary to some others, we had nothing but positive memories from our high school years… especially during our senior year when we started dating.

Our participation in the culture of the 1970’s is similar to what the Apostle Paul was talking about in I Corinthians1:9, when he used the term translated in many of our older Bible versions as “FELLOWSHIP.”   And don’t get me wrong… it is that… and MUCH MORE!

FELLOWSHIP is one of those old Greek words that has had its meaning change over the years since the 1611 version of the King James Bible.  The Oxford Online Dictionaries defines the modern English usage of this word as “A group of people meeting to preserve a shared interest or aim.”  But while the original Greek not only took in that particular sense, it also included the ideas of “partnership, joint participation and the share you have with someone else (ie; Jesus Christ) in all things.”*

Finis Dake describes “FELLOWSHIP” as “The communion and participation with Christ in His sufferings as well as in the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit in this life and in the glories of the kingdom in the next life.”  Robertson’s Word Pictures explains that it is an “old word from ‘Koinéōnos,’ (meaning) partner for partnership and participation” and defines it as something “intimate” and considered to be “a high fellowship with Christ both here and in the hereafter.”

The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary says that it is, “to be fellow heirs with Christ, and like Him, sons of God and heirs of glory.”  And last but not least, The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary states it as, “Your common sharing in and with Him.”

Simply put… as Christians we have many, many blessings, responsibilities, benefits and advantages… just like Jesus has… that are currently and eternally available to us!  That may sound strange… or maybe even over the top to some of us… BUT IT IS TRUE!  As a CO-HEIR with Christ… right now and throughout eternity… those things are also available to both YOU and ME!  All we have to do is take advantage of them, learn what they are, how to use them and then step out of our comfort zones and step into the blessings of Joint Participation into the gifts and graces of God! 

There were a lot of events, responsibilities, activities as well as rights and privileges that we had as Seniors in good standing in high school… and Piper and I decided to jump in and participate.  Sure, at times it meant extra work and some late hours catching up on homework… but you know?  It was worth it!  We had many special and unique memories from our high school experience that made us glad that we had partnered up with some of our favorite teachers, sponsors and friends, in order to participate and enjoy a higher level of satisfaction back then… and it is the same way that we wanted to partner with and participate in our adult lives as CO-HEIRS with Christ.. and continue to today…both in the here now for me and continuing on for Piper as she has begun her new residence in eternity!

Have a spectacular week, and as you participate in the things of God… keep EXPECTING His BEST in all that you do!

PS: More to come on “FELLOWSHIP!”

 

*Strong’s and Thayer’s

Fellowship

I can’t help but to continue thinking about all the ADVENTURES that Piper and I embarked upon within the framework of our very active Christian faith over the 48 years that we were together… Of course… being as today would have been her 69^th Birthday… I guess it is not too unusual for me to be reminiscing about our past.

Paul’s words to the church in Corinth about his ADVENTURES in the faith, really spoke to me in a very personal way.  Although it was written a couple of thousand years ago, in a land far, far away… I felt as if He was sitting on the couch in my study and specifically reminding me of how He got me started in all this… really unknown to me… years before I ever met my future bride in high school!  In I Corinthains 1:9 he wrote,

“God, who got me started in this spiritual ADVENTURE, continues to share with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.”  (MSG – personalized)

I can think of times as early as Kindergarten when I felt a special closeness to God, when He seemed to be personally introducing Himself to me.  I always felt a deep reverence and awe whenever I went into the sanctuary of the Catholic churches we attended.  At times it was almost like I wouldn’t dare speak because it felt so holy inside.

When Piper and I finally did get together and she introduced to a whole new world in the protestant church… and especially to the revelation knowledge that I could actually have a personal, close-knit and ADVENTUROUS relationship with Jesus Christ… just like she did… well, it seemed perfect and I jumped right in!  I’d NEVER seen or experienced anything like that before, but yet it felt so natural, so good and quite rewarding and fun!

The King James Version of I Corinthians 1:9 puts Paul’s words this way, saying that,

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the FELLOWSHIP of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

The translators of this 1611 version used the word “FELLOWSHIP” in describing the “spiritual ADVENTURE” that the modern paraphrased Message Bible talks about.  It is a term that I was not familiar with when I first started attending Piper’s American Baptist Church.  The word comes from the Greek word “koinōnia” and seemed to be a very common term in her church.  Amongst other uses, I believe it was the name that they gave to the church’s weekly, Thursday night potluck that preceded the mid-week service and classes.

Thayer’s Greek Definitions defines “koinōnia” as “fellowship, association, community, communion, or joint participation.”  Most of the members in the church simply explained it as “being like a family.”  And I have to say that Piper’s church was a very close knit, yet welcoming, loving, kind and giving group of people.  As I’ve mentioned before, Piper was well-known in the church and seemed to me… to be “The Little Darling” in most people’s eyes.  She had grown up in the church, was a part of a well-known family and seemed to be put into leadership roles since her elementary school days.

When I came along, I just sort of fell in step with her and quickly also became known by just about everyone.  Throughout the years that we were there and participated in church activities and leadership roles as youth ministers, deacons and in singing special songs during many of the various church celebrations and services, I always felt supported, loved and encouraged.

As we matured in our Christian faith, we began to hunger for even more of God and eventually left that church and moved into a lifelong participation in the Pentecostal, Word of Faith, protestant side of Christianity.  As we grew, we learned many more aspects of “koinōnia” that were not expressed at the Baptist church.

The 1906 S.Way translation* of Paul’s epistles states I Corinthians 1:9 as,

“True to His promise is God, He whose voice bade you to enter into

CO-HEIRSHIP” with His Son, Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.”

Now the idea of being in a CO-HEIRSHIP relationship with Jesus makes a very substantial addition to the meaning of the word “koinōnia” and to our roles, position and actions as Christians in our daily lives.  The word “HEIR” is described as “a person legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.”**

So, according to this verse… as a Christian… we are legally entitled to the property and rank that Jesus has inherited from His Father.   WHOA!  Let that sink in for a few moments… and when and where does that come into existence in our lives? 

Well, first of all… since Jesus suffered, died, was buried and then rose again from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God as the Executor of His will… it went into effect some 2000 years ago.  According to Jesus’ own words in Matthew 6:7-10, it is available to us RIGHT NOW and RIGHT HERE where you and I live TODAY!  He told His followers,

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” 

And you know… that’s not the only other meaning that fully describes the role of “koinōnia” in the life of a believer… but that’s a lot to chew on!  I going to stop this post here and let you think about, meditate on and study these verses and the truths they are opening up to us. 

In the midst of Piper’s and my ADVENTURES in our faith, we witnessed countless miraculous events that defy worldly science, common thought and financial downturns.  Do you remember verses of scripture where Jesus discussed miraculous events and boldly stated things like, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible”*** or “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”****

Have you considered (or been taught that) those statements are just storytelling or not active today?  Well… Matthew 9:6-10 and Hebrews 13:8 where it is declared that, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever,” would beg to differ with those incorrect assumptions!

The writer of Hebrews 4:12 always stirred up the excitement in Piper and I when we read that “God's word is living and active…”  Therefore, we believed in faith, acted in faith, and saw many signs and wonders that could only be described as the truth of God and His Word in action!  Can you say the same things?  Why not?

Stay tuned to our next few blogs for more information and revelation that just might revolutionize your life… and those you interact with wherever you go!

Have a great weekend, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s BEST in your lives!

And... Happy Heavenly Birthday Piper!

 

*”The Letters of St Paul to Seven Churches and three Friends with the Letter to the Hebrews”  Arthur S. Way, MA – 2^nd Edition 1906 – Copyright © BiblioLife, LLC

**Oxford Dictionary’s Online

***Matthew 19:26 

****Mark 9:23

Adventure or Not?

As summer freedoms and vacations come to a close and kids all over the country are starting back to school, I can’t help but to remember that very special time many years ago, when I found myself beginning my senior year in high school and dating a wonderful, spunky and funny young lady.  Oh!  And did I mentioned that she was lightly covered in freckles and “cute as a bug in a rug?”*

In the course of what would become a lifelong relationship, I quickly came to the revelation that she was different than just about anyone else I knew.  Simply said, being with her was an ADVENTURE… not just because of the joy that she carried about her, but due to the simpatico we generated together.  From day one, we just loved and enjoyed each other’s company.  We had a level of serendipity that extended into everything we did… be it when we were alone, raising our kids or working with the youth and children that we ministered to at the local churches we served in.

And at the center of our lives were the expectations that we continually generated along with the excitement that came from our daily ADVENTURES in our Christian faith!  The Apostle Paul alluded to such ADVENTURES in faith in the first letter that he wrote to the church in Corinth when he stated that,

“God, who got you started in this spiritual ADVENTURE, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that”. (I Cor 1:9 – MSG)

Paul’s faith was exciting to him… God was exciting to him!  Everything he did was founded on the Word of God and his personal expectations of God doing exactly what He promised to do in His Word.  Paul “KNEW” Jesus and the power that His Word had over the mundane things that were prevalent and widely accepted as the norm in life… like sickness, poverty, confusion, depression, fear and the lack of hope that still prevails in our modern times today.

When writing to the Roman church Paul excitedly declared that,

“I have no interest in giving you a chatty account of my ADVENTURES, only the wondrously powerful and transformingly present words and deeds of Christ in me that triggered a believing response among the outsiders by the power of miraculous and amazing signs, and by the power of God's Spirit, I have finished spreading the Good News about Christ from Jerusalem to Illyricum.” (Romans 15:18-19 – MSG/God’s Word©) 

Like I said, Paul came to expect miraculous signs and wonders when he presented the Word of God to those he spoke with.  The word “signs” is defined in the original Greek as “an unusual occurrence transcending the common course of nature.”**  Though his personal experiences with the people he interacted with on a daily basis, from countries all throughout the known world at that time, Paul expected and most likely depended on the Word of God to change and or transcend the common course of nature in people’s lives… and then he bragged about it in all the letters he wrote to those who supported him!

I would kind of expect that each of you reading this post today would… like me… want to say the same exact thing about your life and the ways in which you interact with the people you see each and every day!  Wouldn’t you?

So, therefore… would you consider your life to be an ADVENTURE in faith?

Hummm…. Just think about it… What would you say to that?

Have an exciting week as you live your daily existence as an ADVENTURE in your faith… while you witness the miraculous signs and wonders that occur through the powerful Word of God that you share with others!

*You know… that really is a dumb saying as most bugs are anything but cute!  But with a little research, I discovered that this odd simile is just a merging of 'as cute as a bug's ear' and 'as snug as a bug in a rug'.  I guess that makes better sense… what do you think? (https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/as-cute-as-a-bugs-ear.)

** Thayer’s Greek Definitions

The POWER of DOUBT

As I stood in front of the wall mirror in the bathroom this morning, with a portable mirror in one hand and a double-bladed razor in the other… precariously attempting to contort my arms into strange angles so as to shave the back of my neck…  I couldn’t help but to smile as I vividly remembered the multitude of times that my wife Piper did the job for me, throughout our marriage… and even before!

Let me explain… you see… as a kid, I could count the number of times that I went to a professional barber on one hand.  My mom and occasionally my dad, always trimmed my brother’s and my hair.  So, when Piper and I went off to college at Chico State in the fall of 1973, I casually mentioned that fact to my girlfriend… who had since been promoted to my fiancé, and without a second thought she said, “I’ll do it!”  And she did… and then proceeded to do it, along with the in-between-haircuts shaving of my neck for the next 36 years… until the ravages of Alzheimer’s confused her thinking enough that she botched my last hair cut from her in the summer of 2009… and let’s just say that I wore a hat pretty regularly for a few weeks after that 

But as I managed once again to shave my neck without hurting myself, I got to thinking of the way in which she would squirt a bubble of shaving cream onto one of hands, dab a little on my neck and then shave the spot with the razor in her other hand.  Then with the water running in the sink, she would put the razor under the stream and gently wipe off the cream and hair from the blade with a thumb and finger while holding the razor with the other three fingers. 

She had a unique way of manipulating her tiny fingers that always amazed me.  Whether it was shaving my neck, playing the piano or cutting up vegetables for a family meal, the dexterity of her small hands always caught my attention!  Of course, it didn’t hurt that she was double jointed in her fingers!  I always figured that God made her that way on purpose due to the small size of her hands!  I remember when her Neurologist in San Francisco made a special point one day, to stop and take Piper’s hands in hers and then exclaim, “What small hands she has!”

So, what’s my point of that story… well, for me, it was the fact that I always trusted Piper and never DOUBTED her abilities to do anything that she set her mind and her heart to.  I never had a second thought as she sat me down in her dorm room, grabbed a comb and a pair of scissors and started trimming my hair!

Therefore, it caught my attention this morning as I was reading in the Biblical book of James, where the Pastor of the mother church in Jerusalem talked about the destructive power of DOUBT in our faith-life and declared,

“A person who has DOUBTS shouldn't expect to receive anything from the Lord.  A person who has DOUBTS is thinking about two different things at the same time and can't make up his mind about anything.” (God’s Word  

When I finished reading those verses, I immediately thought about a teaching that I had live streamed from the Southwest Believer’s Conference in Fort Worth, Texas yesterday afternoon.  The speaker was also talking about the negative influence of DOUBT in the life of a Believer and stated that,

“DOUBT multiples FEAR, it divides your ATTENTION, and it subtracts JOY!”*

And as I was absorbing the speaker’s declaration there in front of my laptop yesterday afternoon, I slipped back in my mind’s eye to what became the most confusing and frustrating time in my life, when Piper and I moved back to our hometown in California, following our 3 year stay for Bible School attendance in Oklahoma.  The central purpose of that return was to get a specific and detailed diagnosis concerning what was going on with Piper’s health 

We returned home with a strong, unified and faith-filled plan to attack whatever it was.  But what totally surprised us was the overwhelming amount of DOUBT that quickly surrounded us from some of the foundational parts of our life-long network of family and friends.

Looking back yesterday, I had an “Ah Ha!” moment when I realized how the speaker’s 3 points were spot-on with our experience!  I could clearly see how the FEAR that empowered different individual’s DOUBTS in what we were doing, have the potential of weakening our faith, had we given in to the pressures that they imparted upon us.

I also understood how their DOUBTS could have easily distracted our single-focused attention to God and the truth of His Word, if we paid any level of attention to any other views or pictures that contradicted His. 

And lastly, it seemed like the ones who repeatedly vocalized their DOUBTS to us and to others in our family, were also shrouded in a deep veil of DEPRESSION which threatened the JOY that we sought to keep flowing in abundance in the environment around my wife.  In Piper’s greatest time of need, it was imperative that I keep a clear head and have the physical, mental, spiritual and emotional strength to care for her increasing needs and dependence on me… and therefore I heavily depended on the JOY of the Lord to be my strength… 24/7!**

A part of the “Ah Ha!” moment that I experienced yesterday was the realization of the importance that the Father put on the negative influences that DOUBT could have had on our faith… through the lies of FEAR, DIVIDED ATTENIONS and DEPRESSION infiltrating our stand of faith for what was ahead for Piper and I.  And once again, with a quick raised fist and a smile of confirmation, I understood one of the reasons why the Lord, in His watchfulness and care for us, instructed us to move away and cross country to be near our oldest daughter in North Carolina.

Our five years there were a breath of fresh air and a time to reclaim our footing, as we were able to refocus our faith without unnecessary distractions… and make a very difficult time in our lives another adventure in faith!  Isn’t God Good!

So, hopefully, our example and necessary stand again the wiles of the enemy of our faith, as he endeavored to block our faith with DOUBT - through his trickery of FEAR, DIVIDED ATTENIONS and the SUBTRACTION of JOY in our lives, will hit home with you… and help you to be sharply aware and in tune to the atmosphere around you and how you can, through the power of God and His Word keep JOY, FAITH and PEACE - without DOUBT -  in the midst of everything you do in this life! 

Have a terrific weekend, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life!

 

*Dr Jesse Duplantis, Southwest Believer’s Convention 8/5/22, 3:00 pm session.

**See: Nehemiah 8:10

What are YOU Wearing Today?

I have mentioned on numerous occasions of how my wife and I did our best throughout her sickness, to hold fast to the Biblical training and principles that we had learned and lived during the previous years of our time together… from our dating days and throughout our marriage.  And in many ways, I feel like I am going through the same thing today.  The circumstances have changed, the specific subject matter of the tests and trials are different… but the battle is the same

Have any of you ever felt that way in your lives?  What do you do in those cycles of your daily existence?  Do you have a contingency plan that you employ when the seemingly old, but yet strangely new challenges come your way?  Well, I do!  For I find that the old tried and true methods of my faith ring as loud and stand as formidable today as they did in my past!

When Piper passed away back in September of 2018, I kept hearing the command to “CONTINUE” repeatedly in my prayers for the rest of that year and into the next… and lately it has been coming up once again, as that still-small voice* on the inside of me.

Back then, I saw it as a clear directive of the Lord for me to keep moving forward in life.  To trust Him for the heartache, pain and emotion of the moment and to keep seeking His best, as I believed (and still do) that He continues to have a plan for me to accomplish in this earthly life.

So, as He has begun to preview His steps for me to follow in His current plans for me, I have had to push through different obstructions from both the inside of me as well as external physical situations that act to hinder my forward progress.  And what have I done to see myself through to success you might ask?  Well, I have chosen to follow the advice of a Biblical friend whose entire adult life makes mine look like a fun-filled, worry free, walk in the park!

In 2 Timothy 1:13, the Apostle Paul told his discouraged protégé Timothy in a time of great persecution to,

“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”  (KJV) 

In telling Timothy to “HOLD FAST,” the seasoned veteran of personal persecution for his faith… who was writing what is generally agreed to be the last letter he ever wrote from a dungeon in Rome, as he waited for his impending death… Paul was encouraging him to CONTINUE on with what he had known first from his childhood through the faith of his grandmother and mother,** and then under the mentorship of Paul himself.

To “HOLD FAST” meant for Timothy to “take as a personal possession” the FORM of the SOUND WORDS that he had repeatedly heard from Paul and “to own them in the sense of wearing them”*** as one would wear a tailored suit.  To take the Gospel truths that he had not only heard but also seen demonstrated through the ministry of Paul, personalize them and then wear them as a daily part of who he was.

As I studied this truth this morning, I was also reminded of something else that Paul said about the benefits of wearing our faith, in Ephesians 6:10-11.  Here he closed this letter by summing up his thoughts and declaring,

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (KJV)

I have often times heard it said that it is better to be over-dressed than under-dressed in most of the occasions of life and it would seem from these words, that Paul would have whole-heartedly agreed!  For when we are dressed in the armor of God, we not only stand and withstand in the power (or dominion) of His might but are also well able to successfully stand against the schemes, travesty**** and trickery of the devil!

Hummmm… What more can I say?  His advice CONTINUES to work for me… How about you?

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life!

 

*See: I Kings 19:11-12 KJV

**2 Timothy 1:5

***Strong’s and Thayer’s

****A false, absurd or distorted representation of something or someone (Dictionary.com)