CONTINUE ON!

Do you ever wake up in the morning feeling a little disappointed with where you are in life?  I have.  I keep having a reoccurring dream that usually happens right before I awaken in the morning… where I dream of myself climbing out of bed and pleasurably thinking about the coming events of the new day… that always include Piper… and then… as I awaken from the dream… reality sets in and disappointment fills my heart!

Today’s dream followed a similar pattern.  In the dream I was laying in bed as the sunlight poured through my bedroom windows, and was talking to the dog, curled up next to me.  I was excitedly telling him about the planned adventure that we were to embark upon with Piper, who I could hear puttering around in the kitchen.  Then, as I enthusiastically turned over in my dream to get out of bed… I suddenly awoke! 

As I opened my eyes and looked over to empty spot on the bed where the dog had been in my dream, the cobwebs began to clear and I realized… with that all-familiar start… that it had been, once again, nothing but a dream and that it was just me and the dog… asleep somewhere in another room… and the house and the spot in me where the previous excitement had been… suddenly felt very empty and almost deafeningly quiet.

But before you feel sorry for me… let me just say that I have developed another similar pattern that I have honed over the years, where I quickly put aside the disappointment of the dream… before it develops into a big distraction… and CONTINUE ON with the things that I know to do… which is to immediately begin praising the Lord and speaking out victory verses of scripture.  That process then works to rapidly dispel any effects of disappointment (which could open the door to depression and fear)!

And with the idea of CONTINUING ON with what you know to do… I am reminded of the signature verse of scripture that we looked at in our previous blog post from Romans 5:17… but this time from a different translation.  The Williams New Testament renders Romans 5:17 saying,

“For if by one man's offense death reigned through that one, to a much greater degree will those (of us) who CONTINUE to receive the overflow of His unmerited favor (grace) and His gift of right standing with Himself (righteousness), reign (as kings*) in real life through (the) One, Jesus Christ.” 

This modern Bible version emphasizes the benefits to those of us who CONTINUE to grow and develop in their understanding and application of the overflow of God’s GRACE and their standing in the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God in their daily lives.  It is clearly understood that this is to be an ongoing process and lifestyle for a believer in the Christian faith.

The old standard King James Version translates the thought of “continue to receive” as “they which receive” which is defined in the original Greek as “An active tense verb meaning to “get hold of, to take hold of someone or something in order to use it” and “to take on one’s self and sustain.”**

The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary goes further in explaining that it also infers that one is to give God’s GRACE and His RIGHTEOUSNESS “mental reception” in their daily thought life… and in my way of thinking… that means that we should see and respond to the daily activities of our lives, through the filter of our ever-increasing knowledge and practical application of God’s GRACE and RIGHTEOUSNESS in everything we think, say and do!

Easy right?  Well… maybe in concept… but not necessarily in application!  The Christian’s Biblical ways of living is not always seen as normal or even practical.  I Peter 2:9 tells us that we Christians have been “called out of darkness and into His marvelous light.”***  Marvelous in that usage is defined as “surpassing human comprehension, extra-ordinary and strikingly or surprisingly different” than the ways of the world.

So yea… no one ever said that to CONTINUE ON in life as a Christian was going to be a walk in the park!  But as Paul told the Roman church a few thousand years ago… and it still holds true today… there are BENEFITS to growing and living in the realm of God’s GRACE and His RIGHTEOUSNESS in our lives… and those BENEFITS include the kind of Godly favor that is power-packed with wisdom and discernment, as well as patience, peace and joy in the midst of any situation, including sorrow and yours and my times of disappointment!

How are you doing today… as you CONTINUE ON in your life within the benefits of God’s GRACE and RIGHTEOUSNESS?  We’re sitting at a heat index of 107 right now… with the potential of getting up near 115 by five this afternoon… So I’m CONTINUING ON in my air-conditioned house!  Have a great pre-4^th of July celebration this weekend.  We had a bunch of fireworks in the area last night… and Fiver was NOT too pleased with it!

 

*Thayer’s Greek Definitions defines the word translated ‘reign’ in the original Greek as “to be king and/or to exercise kingly power,”  Many of the more modern versions of the Bible therefore bring out the true intent of the verse and translate this verse as “to reign in life as kings.”

**Strongs, Thayer’s and Mounce Greek English Dictionaries

***God’s Word ©

How Much More!

I was looking this morning, at the results of a vacation photo contest as commissioned by our regional AAA magazine and was struck with the reality of what a beautiful world the Lord created for us to enjoy.  Two of the winning entries that caught my attention were of a monastery sitting high above the clouds on the top of a mountain in Greece and a breath-taking panorama of the Colorado River flowing through the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in the state of Arizona.

The beauty of those pictures caused me to catch a wave of sentimentality, as I began to think about some of the awe-inspiring natural locations that I have had the pleasure to witness, as well as some of the awe-inspiring events in my personal life that I have experienced over the years.  And as those pictures and events flashed across my mind, I was quickly brought back to the portion of scripture that I have been studying for the latter half of this week.

In this section of the Biblical book of Romans, the Apostle Paul was talking about both the “benefits” and the “applicability” of righteousness.  In Romans 5:17 he declared,

“For if by one man's offence (ie; Adam) death reigned by one; much more* they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” (KJV)

It was the contrast between the effects of Adam’s sin compared to the effects of God’s “abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness” that interacted with my memories of the beautiful places and life situations that I have found myself enjoying throughout my lifetime.

I have found myself totally speechless and at awe as I stood at the top of a 7,447 foot mountain peak in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains of California and could see nothing but additional mountains, thick with beautiful pines to the west and the endless view of the not so distant desert of Nevada to the east. 

And I have also stood at a window on the top floor of a rustic vacation home on the coast of northern California with one hand holding the cable release of my camera, which was mounted on a tripod and the other holding the hand of my young fiancé… as we stared, silently mesmerized by the deep dark of the night, while the canopy of stars reflected off the shimmering beauty of the Pacific ocean before us… and only be able to think… “how much more”* can those of us who have received the abundance of His Grace be reminded of Him, while being blessed in the midst of His beautiful creation that surrounds us every day of our lives?

You know… I often time find myself being bored and thank-less with the flat landscape that makes up most of Oklahoma… but when I do STOP… and begin to thank the Lord for where He has placed me in this current time of my life… I suddenly begin to see and appreciate the beauty (albeit different than what I am used to) of the land around me.  They don’t call this area of the state “Green Country” for nothing. 

When I take the time to not complain, but instead to be thankful for where I am… I can see and ENJOY the green lawns and fields, the beautiful trees and the abundance of creeks and lakes that populate the area… as well as the friendly and helpful folks that I am blessed to call my neighbors!

It would seem that we can be BLESSED just about anywhere the Lord sets us… all we have to do is to look for it, EXPECT it and then allow ourselves to be a part of God’s “HOW MUCH MORE” that He wants to present to the world!

I like that idea… HOW ABOUT YOU?

I made up my mind after all the rain we had this spring, that I was NOT going to complain about the summer heat that is now beginning to settle in amongst us… so here we sit at 96 degrees, with a fair amount of humidity… but I am happy and thankful and available to become a vital and active part of the “HOW MUCH MORE” that God wants spread throughout my city!

What do you think… How ‘bouts joining me where you live today?

 

*Many of the modern translations bring out the deeper intent of the question Paul asks by adding “how” to the “much more they which receive abundance of grace…”

Attention and Interest on Father’s Day!

I don’t really remember when I got into the habit of getting up early and spending time studying the Word of God alone, in the quiet of the morning, before my wife or the kids arose for the day.  I do have memories of reading the Word and praying in the formal living room of the house we bought in the late 1980’s, just north of our hometown of Santa Rosa, California.  So, I most likely began the practice sometime in the years previous to that… probably even before we started our family in 1980.

One of the things that I have enjoyed throughout the years is walking into my Bible time… whether it be in my study at home, at a camp table in a campground where we were camping, or alone in the backyard in the cool, crisp morning air, with the birds singing their morning wake up calls… with an excited and heightened sense of awareness and interest to what the Lord was going to show me that day!

Hopefully you are like me, in that I tend to keep an eye and ear out for the little “HINTS” that the Lord might be sending me throughout each day, concerning practical information that I may need for a project I am working on, for a life lesson or a Biblical revelation that He wants to confirm in me from something I was previously studying in His Word.

I often wonder how many times we miss vital information that the Lord is trying to give us, simply because we have allowed the cares, concerns and just plain noise of the world around us, to distract our attention from hearing and obeying the loving, faithful and timely inputs that He has for us in the course of our daily lives?

I was reading this week about the BLESSINGS of the Lord that Moses was reminding the Children of Israel about, before they entered into the land that the Lord had promised them.  And throughout the entire dissertation, He continued to bring them back to the central point, that all these blessings were theirs to enjoy… as they continued to read and obey His Word.  He told them that,

“The LORD will give you plenty of blessings…  He will open the heavens, His rich storehouse, for you. He will send rain on your land at the right time and bless everything you do. You will be able to make loans to many nations but won't need to borrow from any.  The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. You will always be at the top, never at the bottom, if you faithfully obey the commands (or Word) of the LORD your God that I am giving you today.  Do everything I'm commanding you today. (&) Never worship other gods or serve them.” (Deuteronomy 28:11A, 12-24 God’s Word ©) 

The phrase translated “if you faithfully obey” in this modern translation, is rendered in the King James Version as “if that thou hearken.” With the word “hearken” in the original Greek meaning “to hear intelligently” and/or “to hear with attention or interest.”*

So, you can see that Moses was telling the people under his charge, to intelligently hear the Word of the Lord that He was teaching them.  But in order to do that… you have to have some level of understanding to the subject being taught… and then to listen with rapt attention and personal interest.

And… if you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, then you know that we gain understanding of the Word of God through time spent in the study of the Bible at church, with other believers and most importantly… through personal Bible Study that is pursued on a regular and consistent basis.  Then if you are anything like me… the more you get… the more of His Word you’ll want… and you’ll excitedly and expectantly look forward to your regular fellowship with the Lord with rapt attention and personal interest!

You know?  I always enjoyed spending time with my earthly Dad… and likewise… I love spending time with my heavenly Father in His Word, beginning first thing every morning and then staying alert and at attention for “HINTS” and/or leadings that He gives me throughout the rest of the day.

Do I have a personal interest in the things of God… YOU BET!

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Have a wonderful FATHER’S DAY weekend as we celebrate our earthly DAD’S and then continue to celebrate our heavenly Father, through our intelligent hearing of His Word with our rapt attention and personal interest… in the things that interest HIM for our lives!

 

*Strongs and Brown-Drivers-Briggs Greek Dictionaries

Stretch Out!

Okay… This may sound a little corny… but I always loved to watch my wife STRETCH!  She was very active, exercised regularly and kept a fit figure.  Therefore, she tended to select clothing that best accented her slender physique and normally wore T-shirts and tops that were less bulky and more form fitting… which… to my personal delight… would define even more of her wonderful shape, whenever she raised her arms when yawning, STRETCHING out a kink, singing funny action songs with the kids, reaching up to take something down from an upper cabinet in the kitchen or even climbing up into the cab of her Suburban.  To me, when she STRETCHED out… it showed off new and exciting aspects of her beautiful self.

She was not very ticklish, so her STRETCHING out did not avail itself for me to tickle her… but it did present an opportunity for me to slip in close for a tight, but gentle hug!  Which actually seemed to happen fairly often… which makes me think, as I look back today… that she may have done it on many occasions, fully EXPECTING the hug that it would elicit from me!  As I have stated before, she definitely had a playful, adventurous and even mischevous side to her!

I have to admit, that it was a portion of scripture that I have been studying all week, that stimulated the “STRETCHING” memories and caused me to take another delightful stroll down memory lane.  In talking about his ever increasing desire to intimately “know Christ and the power of His resurrection,”* the Apostle Paul declared his need to continually STRETCH out from his comfort zones, in order to reach the things ahead, that God had for him to accomplish.  He put it this way, saying,

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and REACHING FORTH unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (KJV) 

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges informs us that the term “reaching forth” is “The Greek (one compound verb) that gives the double thought of the runner STRETCHING out his head and body towards his goal.”

I was a member of the track team in Junior High and understand the need for the runner to keep his or her focus on the goal… and not look back or to the side, as that would cause them to lose precious seconds in the race… but to STRETCH toward the finish line and particularly, as they would STRETCH out in order to be the first to move the ribbon. (of which I never had the honor… but I did come close on various occasions and earned a letter at the end of ninth grade.)

The point that I believe that Paul was trying to bring out in his example, was not just how it brought out some of Piper’s beautiful attributes, but that we are to continue moving forth throughout our lives and not be afraid to STRETCH out from our comfort zones… as we persevere in our regular efforts to intimately know, act upon and share more and more of Christ and the power of His resurrection in and through our daily lives.

What I have repeatedly learned since Piper’s homegoing, is that the more I STRETCH out and away from the comfort zones that I enjoyed in my life with her and lean into the new and different life that God has for me today… the more I see, experience and enjoy the beauty of His plans for me.  And you know… it makes me want to come in and share a close and gentle hug with Him!

When is the last time that you stepped away from a comfort zone and STRETCHED out to follow through on something special that God has presented to you?  It may not always be an enjoyable process… but the feeling is euphoric as you break the ribbon at the finish line!

Have a wonderful weekend, and as you do… enjoy a good STRETCH along the way!

 

*Philippians 3:10 – (KJV)

My Tool Box

I spent the majority of the twenty years that I worked for Hewlett Packard and after they split off their instruments divisions, Agilent Technologies, as a Production Supervisor in the fabrication areas of their two Santa Rosa locations.  Throughout that time, I spent many a day’s attending Leadership training classes.  The company offered a vast array of training and education courses and encouraged their leadership teams to take advantage of the different skill development classes.

As it turned out, these classes not only helped me to become a better leader in my secular job but also with my responsibilities at the various churches we served in!  One of the many things that I remember from these classes was the idea of learning new and or improved skills that we could add to our supervisors “Tool Box” for the daily management of and interactions with the individuals we worked with… and that idea or term of our “Tool Box” popped up once again, as I continued my study of Romans 14:17-18.  If you recall from our last blog post,* the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome concerning the Kingdom of God and stated,

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of rules about food and drink, but is, in the realm of the Holy Spirit, filled with RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE and JOY.  (& by) Serving the Anointed One by walking in these KINGDOM REALITIES, you please God and earn the respect of others.” (TPT) 

As I studied these verses in different translations, I especially liked the way The Remedy New Testament explained verse eighteen by saying,

“For anyone who COOPERATES with Christ IN this way pleases God and is admired by people.” 

The first thing that caught my eye as I studied and combined both of these translations was that the key to Paul’s teaching centers around the need for us to COOPERATE with Christ** IN THE REALM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.  So, we immediately understand that as Christians, we are dealing with two different realms within the course of our daily lives.  And in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul tells us which realm is more powerful than the other by declaring,

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty by God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (EMTV)

The word “carnal” is defined in the original Greek as “being governed by mere human nature, temporal (or temporary) and low in spiritual knowledge and frame.”  Therefore, Paul is teaching us that the spiritual weapons that we have at our disposal in the Word of God, are much more powerful or “mighty by God” than the temporary situations and circumstances that come against us in life.

The second point that arrested my attention as I studied Romans 14:17-18, was the little preposition “IN” that connects or relates COOPERATING with Christ** to the KINGDOM REALITIES of RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE and JOY in the Holy Spirit.  Another peek into the original Greek informs us that “IN” as used here, means “to be equipped or furnished with.”

So, with that added revelation, I can literally translate and apply these verses into my everyday life with the understanding that,

“Anyone who COOPERATES with Christ and the truth of His Word, by being EQUIPPED or FURNISHED with the KINGDOM REALITIES of RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE AND JOY in the Holy Spirit, pleases God and is admired by people!”

And that my dear reader, is how these verses directly relate back to my HP/Agilent concept of the “TOOL BOX.”  For you see, Paul is telling us to view the KINGDOM REALITIES of RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE and JOY as “TOOLS” (or weapons in relationship to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) for us to keep in the “TOOL BOX” of life that we can use to work through the various situations and circumstances that arise in the course of our daily lives.

It all makes clear sense, especially when we understand that our RIGHTEOUSNESS or as I like to say, “OUR STANDING RIGHT THERE WITH GOD” gives us the ability and strength to stay in His PEACE and be filled with His JOY… in the midst of anything that tries to come against us.  Then, as we begin to utilize these TOOLS… as well as all the others that are available to us in His Word… we can’t help but to eventually come out on top of any situation that comes across our path!

Pretty cool… wouldn’t you say? 

I’m always looking for new spiritual TOOLS to add to my personal TOOL BOX… HOW ABOUT YOU? 

Have a great weekend… and as you do… go ahead and share some of the Righteousness, Peace and Joy that you carry with you… with those around you!                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

*5/25/24 – Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood  https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2024/05/mr-rogers-neighborhood.html

**To cooperate with Christ or with His Word, for He and His Word are one. (See: John 1:1, Revelation 19:13