Sabotage!

I am continually amazed at the way our President Donald Trump communicates though his speeches, during question and answer sessions with the press and yes, even with his tweets!  The more I watch and listen to this man, the more I am convinced that much of the media analysis of him is incorrect!  What I see is a highly intelligent man that I believe has a plan behind almost everything he does…

I know, I know, some of you out there probably think that my brain is sleep deprived and not operating correctly… and while there may be some truth to sleep deprivation, I think my picture of Donald Trump is gaining a lot of merit as time goes on.  I have followed him fairly closely since the beginning of the presidential campaign a couple of years ago and noticed  that over time, much of the so-called “reckless comments” he made have actually come to pass!

I believe that he knows exactly what he is doing with many of the things he says.  I laugh pretty much everyday at the way he masterfully plays the mainline media. He’ll throw out a thought and without any depth of analysis the press goes into a feeding frenzy with their conspiracy theories, self-righteous editorial comments and all out criticism of anything that has to do with him or his administration!

These interesting interactions play right into line with what Pastor James says in James 1:19 when he wrote: “Remember this, my dear brothers and sisters: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and should not get angry easily.” (God’s Word ©)  In regard to our President and the press, I see the exact opposite of this verse happening.  What seems to instantly unfold when these interactions take place is that the press is SLOW to hear, QUICK to speak and gets angry RATHER EASILY!

I noticed a similar pattern over the years when people around us questioned our actions and I was quickly frustrated because I couldn’t understand why they reacted the way they did and what facts their words and actions were based on.  It definitely didn’t line up with the truth of the situation.  But as I have been studying this verse over the last few days, I have begun to receive a clearer picture of what may have been happening in our experience as well as with the mainline media in regards to the President…

The word “hear” that we are called to be quick about is the same word from the scripture we studied at the beginning of the year as found in Luke 2:18.  If you’ll recall, the Apostle wrote concerning the events surrounding the events of the night when Jesus was born in Bethlehem at the beginning of the gospel story saying “Everyone who heard the shepherds' story was amazed.” (God’s Word ©) 

The Greek translation of this word means: “to understand, perceive the sense of what is said.” (Thayer’s)  What I am beginning to sense in both situations I spoke of, is that the responders seem to totally miss the true sense of what was said.  They were so quick to give their two-cents of the situation that they by-passed the real meaning of what was stated.  I’ve also noticed that these quick responses are usually accompanied with and fueled by anger.

James addresses the destructive consequence of the anger in the next verse by stating: “An angry person doesn't do what God approves of.” Or as the Good News Translation puts it: “Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose.” (James 1:20)  I found it even more interesting when I read the definition of “anger” or “wrath” as the KJV puts it, in The Preacher’s Homiletical commentary where the action is described as “an abiding, settled habit of mind with the purpose of revenge.”

Ah!  Now that begins to put the picture together for me… how about you?  The reason that God’s order for us to really hear and understand the “sense” of what is being communicated before responding gets mixed up is because the hearer has already formed their own opinion of the situation… no matter what the speaker is attempting to convey!  Thayer’s Greek Definitions defines “anger” as “the natural disposition, temper, character or impulse.” For Christians, I deduce that to mean that we would be too quick to respond to what our eyes see without first running it past God’s thoughts on the situation as stated in His Word!

I read an interesting statement in a book by E.W. Kenyon last night just before I turned the lights out.  It set off so many bells within my heart that I thought on it all night long!  Mr. Kenyon wrote concerning the Word of God that “It becomes a Living thing in my heart as I lovingly act upon it.  It becomes a living thing on the lips of love.  It has no power on the lips of those whose lives are out of fellowship with Him, who live in the reason realm.” (New Creation Realities, E.W. Kenyon, page7)

I have come to believe that as Christians we can be strong and firmly committed to God in certain areas of our lives but yet be lacking or even out of fellowship with Him in others.  In the sense of what we are discussing today, we could say that there may be areas in our lives where we still live within the “reason realm” and therefore have a hard time “hearing” the words of others who have turned that area in their lives over to God and His truth on the matter.  It is almost like we’re living in two different worlds… because we are!  It’s hard to talk about another’s world if you’ve never been there and know nothing about it…

So, what is our responsibility in line with the previous verse in James that we talked about in Monday’s blog post ("Special Words"-4/2/18)?  Well, since we have a special place in God’s heart and in His sight, we are to humbly do today’s verse that starts out by saying “Wherefore!”  in others words, because of our special place and calling as a Christian, we are to treat others correctly by being “quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (GNB) 

I once had the nickname of “The lawyer” with my new boss at Agilent Technologies after we attended a meeting with the Personnel Department where we were discussing the termination of one of my team members.  He liked the idea that I took my time before speaking and considered everything that was said and documented about the situation before giving my opinion.  To be perfectly honest though… some of that was simply because I was new to the area and didn’t know all the facts of the situation that I had inherited!  But still, it is the way that I’ve always tried to operate… not that I’m always successful… but it is a goal I strive for!

So, hopefully that will give you something to consider this week!  Take the time to really understand what is being said before you give your opinion and refrain from getting angry about the situation… even if you don’t agree with what’s happening.  I’ve found out the hard way that ANGER SABOTAGES GOD’S GRACE!  Think about that!

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Am I expecting to really ‘hear’ what others are saying to me today?”

Special Words...

My wife spoke her last full sentence to me about two or so years ago.  It was a simple three-word phrase that has many times over, given me the strength to go on when it seemed like I had no more to give.  As I was helping her with a meal one day, she suddenly looked at me with a clear focus and declared “I LOVE YOU!” 

As you might imagine, I was overtken with emotion as my heart soared toward the one I have loved just about all of my life!  And you know… that simple comment made me feel quite special!  With this attack on my wife’s health, I have had a few who questioned my allegiance to her, they’ve challenged my firm commitment to her in this the roughest patch of her life and worst of all… they doubted my love for her.  But anytime I have been faced with such persecution, I always return to those three, heartfelt words that we have spoken to each other on a daily basis throughout our 42-year marriage.

That last full statement that she made to me is the only thing that I need (besides God’s sustaining Word, His love and His grace), to do every and any-thing that I am required to accomplish in her daily care… and let’s face it… some of it is not what one would ever expect that they would need to do within the life of their spouse.  When push-comes-to-shove, what other people think or say about me in my relationship with Piper doesn’t really hold any value to me.  The only thing that really matters is what SHE thinks and knows about me!  In her eyes, I’m pretty special!

And did you know that this is exactly the way Papa God feels toward YOU?  James 1:18 tells us that: “He wanted us to be his own special people, and so he sent the true message to give us new birth.” (CEV)  Now that’s what I would call some good news… wouldn’t you?  The Good News Bible says “that we should have first place among all his creatures.”  But wait… it gets even better!  The King James version explains it a little deeper by calling us “a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

Most of the commentaries that I have, and I have thirty-three on my computer Bible study program alone, agree that James is telling us that we are a type of THE first fruit which is Jesus!  This gets better and better the more we look at it!  According to this verse we are so special in God’s eyes that when He sees us, it is as though He is looking at Jesus! 

So… lets get this straight… If all it takes for me in order to have the ability to push on when I am dog-tired and/or fighting discouragement… is to remember Piper’s last full sentence of how she thinks about me… THEN just think what you and I should be able to do – in the midst of ANY situation, no matter how weak we may feel, or how bad the situation is – when we remember how Papa God thinks about us!

Again, according to this verse, when He looks at you and me, He sees the wisdom, the strength, the love and the grace of His Son working in and through us!  Like us cool guys used to say in the ‘70’s… “Wow!  Cool man!”

So, if that doesn’t spike your coffee this morning, I don’t know what will!  YOU ARE SPECIAL TO GOD!  Take a moment and recall that truth the next time the kids are being a bit squirrely, or you have to go in and talk to your boss at work, or when someone says something terrible about you… suddenly all those things are not going to seem so important to the way you respond… the important thing… above everything else… is that YOU ARE SPECIAL TO GOD!

Now, this important position that we have be given does come with some responsibility though… but we’ll talk a little about that part of the package next time!  Until then, have a great new week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “How am I expecting the truth that I AM SPECIAL TO GOD to influence my life today?”

Earthquake!

I realized this morning as I was studying the Word of how much I have been striving for stability in my life over the last ten or more years.  With the attack on my lovely wife’s health, my life has gone into a tailspin.  When we moved back to our home in California after living in Oklahoma when I completed my Bible College studies, I expected to find the stability that we had felt there for the majority of our lives.  But as I have stated on previous occasions… it was not to be found!

We changed in those three years away, friends and family changed as did many of the places and things that we frequented and depended on in the past.  While I believe that the Lord had instructed us to return home to, among two other things, “re-establish our network of family and friends,” what I didn’t understand was that we were to “re-establish” a whole new and potentially different network of concerned and helpful family and friends.

To put it mildly, those five years back in our hometown were anything but stable for us!  The Message Bible paraphrases the end of James 1:17 by saying in our modern vernacular that “There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle.”  The two words “deceitful” and “fickle” perfectly summarize our experiences as we finally saw the need to break away from parts of the old network and replace them with new occupants.

Dictionary.com describes “deceitful” as one who attempts “to mislead by a false appearance or statement,” and “Fickle” as one “likely to change, especially due to caprice, irresolution, or instability; a sudden, unpredictable change, as of one’s mind or the weather.”  As it turned out, some folks whom we had close relationships with and trusted, suddenly turned to show us a side of them that we had not seen in the past. Out of the blue we started hearing misleading stories and facts being passed on to our kids and friends.  After a while, I never knew from day to day how stable they were going to be concerning Piper and I as we faced her rapidly down-graded needs.

At one point I felt like I had returned home only to experience an earthquake in my life that rivaled and maybe even surpassed the great 1906 earthquake that actually hit our town harder than it did San Francisco!  With my personal emotions shaking wildly, I desperately sought stability in my devasted world.

And thank the Lord that I was to find that stability in the Word of God along with old friends I hadn’t seen in a while and extended family on my side that seemed to come out of the woodwork to reach out to us!  The King James version says that with God there is “NO variableness” or “shadow of turning.”  While everything else in just about every area of one’s life may be shaking and falling apart, Papa God assures us that His Word doesn’t vary or shake you and your surroundings.

Those words spoken to us from the New Testament haven’t changed since they were spoken and then written down over 2000 years ago.  They are as truthful and sound as they were then as they are today… for you and me!  The writer of Hebrews confirms this when he (or she?) stated that: “Jesus Christ (Who is the Word: John 1:1) never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” 

Now that folks, is the stability that I have needed!  I am still using the same 100 verses on Healing that I got from my Pastor back in 2009 as the foundation for all the DAILY scriptures I declare over my wife first thing in the morning and last thing at night… and many times in-between!  Piper’s medication list may have changed over the years, her condition may have changed as well… but we are still stuck like Gorilla Super Glue on the Word as the foremost and major prescription for her.

Are you reeling from a lack of stability in your life?  Do you ever feel like you’re in the midst of an active earthquake fault zone… even though you may not even live in California?  Well, God and His Word is the answer, the safe zone, the solid-unshakable Rock for your life!  Rest assured that you’ll find NO deceit in His Words, nothing two-faced and absolutely NOTHING fickle.  He’ll tell you the same story, the same word of truth day in and day out… to your face and behind your back!

Have a great and fickle-less weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Who’s WORD am I expecting to believe and stand on without fear of shaking… for my life today?”

Giants in the Yard!

One of the first things I do each morning is to pull the drapes in the dining room and lift the blinds over the two windows in the living room.  Then after the coffee is brewing and I’ve got all of Piper’s meds ready for her, I’ll shuffle back into the bedroom.  Once there, as I’ve mentioned before, I’ll sing my wife a soft and funny wake-up song while I open up the blinds in the corner of the room. 

If you’re a regular reader of this blog you’ll know just how much I like the natural light glowing throughout our home!  But I would much rather open up the curtains and blinds to a sun-shiny day than to a grey overcast one like what greeted us today!  The sun finally broke through this morning about 10:00 AM as I was preparing my breakfast and as soon as I caught a glimpse of the bright rays from the corner of my eye, it was like a jolt of electricity went through me.  With the sudden brightening outside, I felt encouraged and recharged and began to grasp a more positive vision of everything that I needed to do today.

Whew!  It was kind of incredible.  The clear, warming and bright rays of the sun quickly transformed everything in our front and back yards from black and white images that looked a bit dull and gloomy into a joyful scene that is in the process of bursting out with its spring-infused new life!  And because the sun was high enough in the sky there were very few shadows to distort the true beauty of what my eyes were beholding.

On a clear day the first early morning sun that I see is still low in the eastern skies and cast some dark, looming shadows as its rays pass through our neighbor’s pine trees on the east side of the yard.  After the hurricane passed through our area a couple of years ago, that first morning glance with the dark looming shadows combined with the branches and everything else that wasn’t tied down that the high winds had strewn all over the yard made it look like we had giants stomping through our property!

Well you know… God’s Word also talks about shadows in James 1:17.  The leader of the church in Jerusalem wrote: “Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn't change like the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon.” (God’s Word © Hummm… there’s those stars again! – See yesterday's post “Night Lights”)

It would seem that God knows how shadows caused by the passing sun can shift or change throughout the course of a day and can even serve to distort the reality of whatever the object that is casting the shadow really is.  Sort of like the giants (ie; pine trees) that I saw in the yard in that post-hurricane morning view!

As I dwelt on this particular line of thought the other morning, I deduced that the writer of the verse was trying to convey the idea that God’s Word does NOT change in difference to the shifting shadows we encounter daily.  His Word does not distort the truth because… IT IS THE TRUTH!  It is the one thing that actually gives us life as the very next verse in James 1:18 tells us.  His Word is the only substance known to man that breathes life into the situations of our lives… WOW!  Think on that for a moment!

So… no matter what you might see changing right before your very eyes, you can rest assured that God’s Word WON’T be a part of it.  For it doesn’t change but stays as the rock-solid foundation that you can safely anchor your life to.  Therefore when problems arise - the first thing to do is to search through His Word, as found in your Bibles, and with the prayerful guidance of the Holy Spirit, find scriptures that apply to your situation, write them down and commit them to memory – and then STAND on them by concentrating your vision as well as your confession on what God says and take NO stock with the shifting shadows that are constantly changing around you!

I’ll warn you ahead of time though, that this process is not always easy especially when things in the natural seem to be getting worse… BUT I encourage you to stick with it and eventually you’ll see those things that are parading around as giants in your land shrink back into a shape that looks a lot like God’s victory for you!

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “What TRUTH am I expecting to SEE today?”

Night Lights

In between the scattered rain we have had in our neck of the woods throughout this last month, we have had some gorgeously clear and bright starry nights.  Each night as I stand on the patio while Fiver, our young Australian Shepherd mix, does his final check of the backyard before we retire for night, I can’t help but look up and be mesmerized by the heavenly scene that projects itself on the skies that overlook our home.

As with many other times, I could not help but think this last week about how sweet it will be when I can finally enjoy this view in the quiet of the evening while holding hands with my lovely wife.  Piper loved the stars!  I’m sure that I have told of the science course of study that she taught our kids during their homeschool years about the constellations. 

Ever since that class she always enjoyed pointing out the various star formations and sharing a little bit of their history and while I am not too sure that she actually knew all the names of the 88 officially recognized constellations, she sure seemed to know a lot of them!  I have many fond memories of evening walks with Piper amongst the towering redwoods or pine forests in the different California State Parks that we liked to frequent during the summer months which began on our honeymoon and ended (at least at this point…) during our 30^th anniversary camp celebration in July of 2005.

During those many walks we both enjoyed holding hands in the serenity of the mountain air, looking up into the starry night with the only sounds meeting our ears being the swish of the wind blowing the tops of the trees, the crackle of fire pits around the campground and the occasional sound of campers quietly laughing in the background.

The other special thing I relished during those times was seeing how Piper’s whole countenance would brighten up when sharing her knowledge with me or the kids.  Her passion for homeschooling would become very visible at times like those!

Genesis 1:14-19 tells us of the day that God created the lights in our sky:

“Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs and will mark religious festivals, days, and years.  They will be lights in the sky to shine on the earth." And so it was.  God made the two bright lights: the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars.  God put them in the sky to give light to the earth, to dominate the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.  There was evening, then morning-a fourth day.’” (God’s Word ©) 

Those few quiet moments of solitude that I spend every night alone with our dog have been some of the most reflective and strengthening opportunities that I have after a stressful day caring for my wife’s needs as well as with everything else that needs to be accomplished during the day… Today, along with the normal activities, it is all about getting a new water line installed for our home which includes digging a trench, burrowing under the driveway, getting permits etc… Thank God we have insurance to help… PTL!

Many times, the evening get-Piper-ready-for-bed routine is the most difficult care activity of the day.  Piper is usually at her weakest point and many times so am I… which doesn’t always make for an easy transaction!  So, without much need to say so, Philippians 4:13 where Paul declared that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Has become my standby, my foundation and the necessary muscle for our nightly activities!

I think that God not only put those stars in the sky for physical light but also for a vivid picture of His love, His faithfulness and His watchfulness over us who look up to Him.  A moment or two lost in the overwhelming expanse of the night sky with the thousands of heavenly lights shining upon me each evening reassures my soul, strengthens my tired body and mind and encourages me in my unshakable knowing of how much He loves and cares for Piper and I. 

It is also an amazing tell-tale sign that He is always at my side with a fresh anointing for me and a new resolve that will enable me to do all things that night through Him who is strengthening me… and in the morning, the light peeking under the blinds on our bedroom window immediately reminds me that He hasn’t left and is still there to help me through the new day.

So, I encourage you today, to think on the beauty of all that He has placed around you… JUST FOR YOU!  Then the next time you’re feeling a little low, depressed or thinking that you are all alone, remember that He is ALWAYS there for you… For the stars in the evening skies accompany you through the storms at night… and the sun in the morning expanse of the heavens above gives new hope for a fresh, peaceful, wonderful and miracle-packed new day!

Have a great new week… and as you do, keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting the stars that God placed in the heavens to remind me of tonight”

Changing My Understanding...

I began my employment with Hewlett Packard back in 1980 and in looking back today, I can see that I came on board at such time that would prove to be an end of an era.  The company was founded in a one car garage in 1939 and quickly grew into a large corporation building top of the line electronic measurement devices, computers, printers and medical equipment that at one time were the norm in every hospital across the nation.  Each time Piper went to the hospital for the birth of one of our four children, I would always smile… with a little pride, at all the HP equipment that filled the delivery room!

But around the mid-eighties things began to change as many smaller companies began building products specifically designed for a single signal frequency measurement, while HP’s boxes covered a large range of frequency measurements… which many customers did not really need!  Well, needless to say, things began to change rapidly within the company in order to stay not only relevant in, but on top of the field.

As the 1980’s ended and we moved into the 1990’s it seemed like the once stable company that most other newbie’s in the business sought to emulate, was constantly changing its business model, updating its product line and just about every part of the business including the methods it used to hire, evaluate and train its employees.

By that time, I was supervising in a fabrication area with many long-term employees who felt very settled into the way HP used to do business and the barrage of changes did not come easy to them.  During the final years of my time there it seemed that I was spending the majority of my time explaining the new changes to my team, counseling the workers who were not happy about them, and attending higher lever meetings where the ever-coming new changes were introduced and explained to management.

Let’s face it… change is NOT easy for most of us!  But like I often heard said, the only thing constant in life is change!  I freely admit that while I didn’t always personally like the changes that were being introduced, it was part of my job to get used to them, to understand them, to embrace them and then explain them to my team in simple and encouraging terms.

I still don’t like certain changes that have happened in my personal life, but just like my secular professional career I have learned to embrace them and more importantly to trust the Lord for them… and then move forward with the eyes of faith!

I mentioned in yesterday’s post some thoughts concerning the idea stated in the beginning of Hebrews 11:3 were the unknown writer of the book declared “By faith we understand…”  And I asked the question: “Understand what?” to which I quickly answered “Everything!” 

Now I am not sure if I rattled a few folks there or not… but think about it for a moment.  Those employees who complained the loudest about all the changes that were going on in the workplace that the company was initiating in order to stay in business and at the top of the food chain (sort of say!) were seeing the changes through their understanding of the way things used to be. 

Then with that basis of understanding all they could imagine was doom and gloom for the company and their futures!  Their understanding was based entirely on what they thought they saw happening before their eyes.  And they refused to see or better yet, attempt to even believe the rational and potential end results of the new changes that I was painstakingly presenting them.

I’ve seen it over and over again during the last ten years as Piper and I have had to deal with all the changes going on with her health.  I have found myself in a similar position as when I was at HP trying to explain the current medical reports on Piper and the steps we were taking to handle the situation to loved ones and experience almost the same kinds of reactions as my teams back in the 1990’s at HP (or actually Agilent Technologies by that time!).

It would seem that when our eyes are focused on what we see in the natural instead of what God in His Word says about the situation, and then refuse to hear or acknowledge all the facts of everything that had been and was currently going on behind the scenes, that it is way too easy to begin to formulate fearful and most likely incorrect scenarios of what the future holds for us.

But… think about a positive scenario for a moment.  When we choose to understand what we see with our natural eyes consequent to what God’s Word says about his view of the situation and agree with Him, then we have a totally different view of the potential outcome!

Wuest’s Word Studies explains the New Testament use of the word “understand” in Hebrews 11:3 saying “The word ‘understand’ is the translation of noeo which means ‘to perceive with the reflective intelligence.’ It is distinguished from the mere physical act of seeing. It is the perception of the mind consequent upon seeing. In the New Testament it is never used of mere physical sight. Vincent (Vincent’s Word Studies) says: ‘Here is meant the inward perception and apprehension of the visible creation as the work of God, which follows the sight of the phenomena of nature.’”

To me this idea talks of a process that goes something like this:

1)    We see the situation with our natural eyes.

2)    Our brain and spirit immediately connect to God’s Word and what it says about what your natural eyes are viewing and immediately processes this added information and sends it back to your eyes.

3)    Your eyes adjust to the new complete information and you see what God’s Word declares as the truth concerning what or who you are looking at… in other words, you are now seeing the situation through the eyes of faith that are founded on the unchanging truth of God’s Word and not on the “variableness (or) shadow of turning” that occurs in the natural world around you. (See: James 1:17)

What do you think about that?  I might suggest that you let this idea percolate inside of you this weekend!  Take a look at the scriptures and then give it some prayer .  Who knows… it might just give you an entirely NEW outlook on life!

Hope that you have a great weekend!  I have a newly discovered water leak in my pipes coming from the meter to the house that I am dealing with!  Thankfully I have a Water Pipe Protection Plan that I opted into a year or so ago!  Isn’t God good… I have a whole story to tell about how I got my understanding of that situation changed in the middle of the night…

And while you’re thinking about today’s post… keep asking yourself… “How am I expecting to understand my world today?”

Everyone's an Expert...

Hummm… today is the first full day of Spring (as it officially began at 12:15 PM EDT yesterday) and it’s snowing outside!  Oh well… I guess you just can’t really depend on anything… except for the Word of God…

Point in fact… The first thing that I did once the doctors began to have an idea of what was happening with my wife back in 2009, was to pray and get into the Word. After committing everything, every step, every medical procedure, every medication, every examination, every doctor’s visit, every hospital visit, every medical report, everything that I would need to do for her, and every conversation that I might have with anyone be it family, friend or a complete stranger in a store, I continued to depend on the Word in order to fortify both of us for what looked like would be a long road ahead!

Once that first step was progressing along a steady path, I began to do all kinds of research in the scientific journals, on the National Alzheimer’s Association and other similar websites, with whatever published results of documented current test cases and studies around the world that I could find and even looked into homeopathic medicine.  After that I even spent hours reading through all the “natural” cures and information posted on the internet by a vast variety of individuals from doctors to the people who live off the grid and follow a back-to-nature course for their lives!

As it worked out, both of these two courses of action turned out for the good, as it seemed like everybody I ran into suddenly became an expert on Alzheimer’s!  I began to hear all kinds of so-called reasons and/or causes for the disease and then of a great myriad of “cures” to use on Piper.  

I was told that the cause was “in the water we drink,” or “it’s the mercury in her fillings” which is weird because she actually has very few fillings! Then there were those who said it happened because of our “lifestyle” or “our diet” or that “it’s in her genes” and the best one of all was that I was at fault! (?)

We were given suggestions to “drink this supplement,” or to add a certain substance to her water, or to eat this food and stop eating that food or to do this exercise so many times a day, and do this and don’t do that… Like I said, everyone thought they had a special insight into our needs!

I discovered very quickly that God and His Word were the only foundation that I needed to discern between the old wives’ tales, the false information and the bits of truth that might be scattered in-between!  The scientific research combined with the multiple in-depth conversations I had with the medical specialists we saw helped to dispel the mis-truths of the many so-called “cures” that some were “sure” would work for us.  I’ve often caught myself wondering where people came up with some of these ideas!

Lately though, I’ve been studying in my Bible within the book of Hebrews, chapter eleven, and the writer’s discussion and explanation of “FAITH.”  Over the last week or so I have not been able to move on from verse three which states: “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (KJV)  

In speaking on this subject and Bible chapter, the well-known Pentecostal evangelist Smith Wigglesworth taught in a sermon back in December of 1941 and declared: “On any line or principle of your faith you must have something established in you to bring that forth.  And there is no establishment outside God’s Word for you.  Everything else is sand.  Everything else shall sunder (or break up!).  If you build on anything else but the Word of God – on imaginations, sentimentality, or any feelings, or any special joy, it will mean nothing without you have a foundation, and the foundation will have to be in the Word of God.” (“Smith Wigglesworth on Prayer, Power, and Miracles” compiled by Roberts Liardon, © 2005, pg 139)

Yesterday afternoon it hit me that the first few words in Hebrews 11:3 says it all and answers a lot of my questions when it states rather matter-of-factly that “Through faith we understand…”  Understand what? EVERYTHING!  The verse finishes by describing how God created or formed EVERYTHING we now see and know to be by His Word… So then, it makes sense to me that in order to correctly look at and understand the world and its ways that we have to look at it and understand it through FAITH in the truth of God’s Word!

No Faith = No Understanding!  Hummm… interesting concept… wouldn’t you agree!

Well, I’ve whet your appetite today and hopefully got your spiritual thinking going… so I’ll stop here for now but continue to dig into this revelation more in our next post.  So, think about it!  Just how do you look at and understand everything around you? (be honest now!)

Have a great rest of the week, we’ll enjoy our snowy spring day (although it looks like it stopped now and is supposed to be sunny for a few days), and keep thinking about… “How am I expecting to understand my world today?”