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 ©