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)!