Hesitation and Vacillation

As I was re-reading from the first few verses of I Thessalonians again this morning, something jumped out at me that I hadn’t noticed before.  In the fifth verse Paul talks about the Gospel of Jesus Christ saying: “For we brought the Good News to you, not with words only, but also with power and the Holy Spirit, and with complete certainty of its truth.” (God’s Word ©)  The phrase “with complete certainty” seemed to be flashing in red and my interest was piqued!

Other translations define this as “deep conviction (ISV), full conviction (ESV),” or “much assurance (KJV).”  It definitely seemed like the Apostle was trying to make a point here, so I looked up the original Greek words as translated in the King James Version.  I think Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible put the most accurate spin on Paul’s point by stating that “The Holy Spirit which was given you left no doubt on your mind…”  Why else would Paul use multiple words to explain the intensity and depth of the Thessalonians conviction of the Word of God?

Paul was basically telling us that these people knew that they knew and were totally sold out and committed to the Word.  Something happened to these folks when they heard and assimilated the Word that was taught to them by Paul and his evangelistic team. The Apostolic Bible Polyglot which is an interlineal Septuagint and Greek New Testament translation from Greek to English defines this verse stating “that our good news did not take place in you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit and in much full assurance.”

After my study this morning, I believe that this is probably one of the more accurate renditions of Paul’s original meaning when he wrote this particular letter.  When meditating on this verse I heard the small still voice on the inside of me saying that the Thessalonian’s “faith was very solid, very consistent and was visibly active and successful!”  Then I sensed the Spirit stressing the point that “they had no hesitation or vacillation.”  

Those two words caused me to sit up straight at the kitchen table so I looked them up in the dictionary.  I have a quick link to Dictionary.com on my computer home page which makes this process very simple!  What I found quickly became an “Oh I see…” when I thought about some of experiences over the last four years.  The word hesitation is described as “a delay due to uncertainty of mind or fear.  A state of doubt or uncertainty.”  Vacillation is “a state of indecision or irresolution; fluctuation.”

These words clearly defined the types of individuals that we had to work with during the first three years after the initial diagnosis of my wife’s health deficiencies.  Now I understand the constant and increasing frustration, hurt and confusion that I was dealing with!  Having returned to our home town under the specific direction of the Holy Spirit to “reconnect with our network of family and friends” I came to the place where I felt like I had been side-swiped by some folks we thought we could depend on.  What we experienced was some Christians with little faith, faith that vacillated from week to week, or faith that was paused because of fear!

Out of this mess there arose another set of extended family members and friends whose faith, love for us and consistency of their reaching out to us I had greatly underestimated in the past!  It seemed like the Lord had a lesson for us as well as a whole new network of family and friends that we could depend on.  The Lord’s words to Joshua concerning the fact that “I will never neglect you or abandon you” (Joshua 1:5 God’s Word ©) have become a living reality to us throughout this entire journey!

A major part of the lesson has been to take what we experienced from others and turn it inward to see just how I respond and reach out to others in need.  As one’s who were always on the other side of the coin, reaching out as part of the pastoral staff to those in our congregation, I wanted to make sure that my input had always been loving, free from judgment and as gentle and patient as Jesus’s was.  But what I saw surprised me!  My response was not always as truly “Christian” as I have recently come to understand Paul, James, John, Jesus and other Biblical writers talk about!

Over the last couple of years I have had to make some quick adjustments, or in some cases, a complete turnaround in the way I do certain things when it comes to unconditionally loving others.  I don’t want those that I reach out to have the same experiences that I went through!  How about you?  Have you ever taken the time for a little introspection?  If you did, what would you find?  If Paul wrote about his interactions with you would he make a similar comment as he did about the Thessalonians saying “that our good news did not take place in you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit and in much full assurance.”?

Gives you a bit of food for thought to consider over this weekend doesn’t it?  Have a great weekend.  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”

Being With You...

Over the last week you may have noticed that I have been talking about some old family photos that I have discovered as I’ve been unpacking since our move to North Carolina a few weeks ago.  My walk down memory lane has had a special purpose as I and our youngest son’s future mother-in-law have been working on a special project for the upcoming wedding next month. 

Like I said in an earlier blog, this adventure has had its ups and downs as I’ve come across countless pictorial records of the life of my wife and I over the last 44 years.  Wow!  Stop and think about that for a moment… I’ve had the privilege and honor of being with the most fantastic woman in the universe (I’m sure that I might just be a little prejudice here!) for almost half a century!  And like I have said from the beginning, there is absolutely no doubt in either of our minds that it was a match made in heaven!

Yesterday I spent the majority of the day copying the pile of pictures that I had collected into digital files so that I could email them to Oklahoma City where Aubrey’s (Jeremy’s fiancé) mom lives.  Toward the end of the task my attention seemed to be focused on many of the family group shots taken over the years.  When I finally sat down and thought about things, I had the warm and happy feeling that we had done a pretty good job in the raising of our kids.

The various pictures taken over the year’s document kids that were laughing, smiling and having fun!  I believe our children had the opportunity to be themselves as they grew up.  Our youngest daughter recently told me that she really was thankful to her mom for always encouraging her to do the things that she dreamed of, no matter how silly or unusual it was to others who tended to plan their future in terms of how much money their chosen career might bring in.  Today all of our kids are very creative and musically inclined.

When we moved back to California after our stay in Oklahoma and my wife’s health situation came to full fruition, we (that means me…) took a lot of heat from some that were close to us because of the way they thought we sorely fell short in the way we provided financially and extended love and security to our family.  As I looked back at all the pictures though, I just don’t see that!  What I saw were kids that were free to try on different roles as they grew up. Kids that had a lot of fun throughout their childhood and in 2014 are individuals that love the Lord, are close knit, give freely to others around them, and are responsible adults that are living a happy and productive-to-society life!

The Apostle Paul told the church in Thessalonica that he knew of their success in life because he could see that “the Good News we brought came to you not only with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with complete certainty.” (I Thessalonians 1:5 God’s Word ©)  Like I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, Paul looked for and saw constructive actions that followed their faith and used what he saw as the bases of his positive discussion.

As I read through I Thessalonians I get the definite impression that Paul enjoyed being around the people in Thessalonica.  From what I see, these people were happy and fun to be around!  They took the Good News that Paul preached in exactly the same way he preached it and lived it out with power, the Holy Ghost and with a complete certainty in their expectations of it working in, for and through them to those they bumped into throughout their daily lives.

Do you know people like that?  I sure do and they are very pleasant to be with.  After having been around someone like this I always feel encouraged, built up and pleasantly happy!  On the other hand, I have also had the displeasure of having to spend time with others who are not like this and I always feel physically and emotionally spent after being in their presence.  Like I have written of before, one of the hardest things that I had to do over the last five years was to physically draw away from some folks that we had at one time been rather close to.  I had come to the conclusion that I had to protect my wife who would become so emotionally and physically withdrawn after spending time with these folks that it was visibly destructive to her recovery.

Have you ever considered how your presence might affect those around you?  Do your mannerisms project sadness in life or do you allow the joy of the Godly life you have chosen to live ooze out from you?  I have found that whenever I enter into a room with my wife in a transport chair, that I have to be on constant alert in order to control the emotional environment of the situation.  One of my most used phrases over this time period has been the interjection of “but we’re not giving up, because we serve a mighty God who is still in the healing business!”

Most times that statement of faith acts like a splash of cold water on the face and causes others to grab at the hand up that is being offered them.  Believe it or not, I have had the most problems from other Christians rather than from non-believers!  Go figure it?  How do others see you?  Are you like the Thessalonians whom the Apostle Paul enjoyed being with, or like some whom you can’t wait to say good-bye to?  Have a good day.  Stay in tune and in faith to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”

 

It's Your Story!

Yesterday brought back some memories of our three year stay in Oklahoma some five years ago.  In the late afternoon, clouds suddenly began to fill the skies, the wind picked up considerably and it was as if someone turned off the lights!  Then within a matter of moments the heavens opened up and it began to pour followed by the clap of thunder.  It was fascinating!  The dog and I immediately went out onto our covered patio to take in all the action that was happening around us.  Even my wife stared outside with a gleam of excitement in her eyes!

All this lasted about thirty minutes and I left the patio door open so that we could enjoy the sights and sounds of the event.  We all went out an hour or so later for a pre-dinner walk and deeply breathed in the freshly laundered air, the glitter of the water droplets on the grass and the sparkling tiny raindrops that rested on all the cars in the parking lot!

I decided after our walk yesterday that I needed to recommit myself to that sense of “Adventurous Expectancy” that Paul talked about in Romans 8:15 as stated in the Message Bible.  I’ve been getting very tired at the end of the day and was getting more than a little annoyed at the experience when my wise daughter reminded me that my body is probably still adjusting to the three hour time difference since our move from California.  Today I awoke with a fresh zeal for the adventures ahead and found myself praising the Lord before my feet even hit the floor!  (Then again… maybe it was boosted by the fact that the dog didn’t get me up to go outside at 6:30 like she’s been doing for the last few days!)

Paul again spoke of the adventures in our faith when he described what he saw in the believers in the church at Thessalonica.  In I Thessalonians 1:3 he said that “In the presence of our God and father, we never forget that your faith is active, your love is working hard, and your confidence in our Lord is enduring.” (God’s Word ©)  As I read this it dawned on me that Paul was judging these folks by what he saw them doing in their daily lives!  He was looking for and saw lots of action happening around them… and he liked what he saw!

All the action in those clouds followed by the pelting rain and thunder got me to thinking about the actions that people see in me.  Do they see someone who’s trying to put a wet blanket on everything and/or someone who simply puts on an air with lots of meaningless noise?  One thing that I have noticed since we reentered the world of apartment living is that people here in the complex tend to stick to themselves!  I even got slightly annoyed on our late walk yesterday when a father and his cute little girl on a scooter totally ignored us after I said hello and the dog was furiously wagging her tail in glee at their presence.

But, it didn’t last long.  I took it as a challenge to see God’s love break through the barriers.  I decided that my actions were going to mimic God’s!  That my faith for His peace to override their hesitations would be active, that God’s love working in and through me would go into overdrive around them and that my confidence or expectations in the Lord’s having His way at the Marquis on Cary Parkway would be packed with cheerful endurance!

That’s what I call the “Adventurously Expectant” resurrection life that was given to us by Christ!  Cool huh?  Hopefully you’ll think about that as you step out your front door today!  Who knows… maybe someday they’ll write a book about the adventurously expectant life that you lived!  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”

Steel!

I hope that all of you had a great Memorial Day weekend!  We intermixed some sight-seeing, numerous walks and the emptying and moving of boxes throughout the three day holiday.  At times it was sweet sorrow and at others it was recommitment and victory.  Let me explain…

Many of the boxes that I went through were filled with old family photos.  They covered many of the kid’s events as they were growing up like school graduations and special events, birthdays, soccer, ballet performances, and a multitude of church plays and other presentations.  There were also many long forgotten photos that I had taken of my wonderful wife during some of our various three day holidays at the coast away from the kids over the years.

One of these pictures that especially captured my imagination and my heart was a pose of Piper on the patio of our room at The Inn at the Tides resort in Bodega Bay, California.  The purpose of that stay was in celebration of our 25 wedding anniversary back in July of 2000.  Besides other things, it is another memory of how she has retained her youthful looks over the many years of our marriage (like I had mentioned in Friday’s blog post!).  While she was in her late forties at this particular time, to me she still looked like she was in her late twenties!

There is another picture that I had taken a few years previous to the Inn at the Tides photo, which is of Piper and our four kids during a camping trip in the Sierras as they cooked hot dogs around the fire.  As I looked at it over the weekend, it almost seemed like there were five kids in the picture!

My first response to the anniversary print was to become all choked up with emotions.  In the picture Piper looked like her normal perky, spunky self with that glint of mischief in her eyes.  You can almost see her mind working to come up with some unexpected action that would surprise me!  To climb up on the rail of the deck and pose for a picture was simply natural for her!  She was always at home in front of the lens of my camera.  And since I almost always had a camera in my hand… I guess that is a good thing!

After I fought off the tears and sadness at the current stage of my wife’s health in comparison to that picture taken fourteen years past, I suddenly found a righteous indignation rising up within me!  Before I fully realized what was going on I discovered that my mind was being filled with the Word of God concerning His thoughts on the current stage of my wife’s health.  It rapidly became clear that His thoughts were not matching the emotional thoughts that I had briefly considered!  At that moment I had a definite choice to make and to be honest… it was an easy one to make!  In an instant I chose life!  His Zoë, absolute fullness of life!  And just as suddenly as the emotions had come, they dissolved into a steely resolution and increased faith in the love and truth and infallibility of His Word concerning Piper’s total, complete recovery and as it states in Matthew 14:15, that at His touch, she has been “made perfectly whole.” (KJV)

I Thessalonians 1:5 in The Message Bible perfectly explains what happened to me over the weekend.  Here Paul writes: “When the Message (of God’s Word) we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words.  Something happened in you.  The Holy Spirit put steel in your conviction.” (parenthesis mine)  In the face of sorrow, mixed with a little self-pity, the steel in my conviction of God’s Word overcame the weakness of the moment.

That experience has given me a renewed resolve!  I sense that my faith has been revived and I am even more certain that we WILL see what the Lord has not only promised, but has already provided for Piper and any other Christian who is dealing with sickness and/or disease.  I Peter 2:24 gives us one of the clearest remembrances of this provision stating: “By whose stripes you were healed.” (KJV)  Hebrews 13:8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (God’s Word ©) and since He spent a great majority of His physical time on the earth healing the sick, why would He stop now?

So what do you think about it?  Isn’t it time for you to steel up your resolve in the truth of God’s Word that is backed by His tremendous love for you?  I think so!  Have a great week.  Stay in tune (and in faith) to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting (to believe) today?”

The Days of Your Youth

I came across a picture of my wife a few weeks ago as I was packing for our move.  I don’t remember taking the photo that seems to have been shot in the parking lot of the old El Rancho Tropicana Motel when we attended church in a rented room there in the early eighties.  It could also be when we did a weekly service in Napa California during that same time period.  There is very little of the background that is shown in the picture.  But it is easy to date from my wife’s haircut and the outfit she is wearing as well as from the unique print paper that came from a lab I used back then.

Even though she was in her early thirties in the photograph, she still retained her teenage young looks and displayed that special vibrancy, health and strength shining through her lovely brown eyes.  It reminded me of one of our healing scriptures that I confess over her on a daily basis.  The confession is from a personalized combination of Job 33:24-25 where I declare the Lord’s statement to her saying: “I have provided Jesus as a ransom for you, therefore your flesh is becoming fresher than a child’s and you are returning as unto the healthy days of your youth.”

The cool part of this particular scripture truth is that I had the privilege of knowing Piper as a youth as we started dating when we were in our teens.  Therefore I can easily relate to the spunkiness she possessed as a young High School student and envision that same zeal for life returning to her as promised by the Lord!

This morning as I studied out 2 Thessalonians 3:3, I discovered another fact in God’s Word that cemented my belief in my wife’s total recovery.  The 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible translates this verse as: “But God is faithful, who will strengthen and keep you from evil.”  What caught my attention was the original Greek intent of the word “evil.”  Strong’s defines the word as anything “hurtful, evil in effect or influence, malice or the devil himself” and “also ill, that is diseased.”  Thayer’s agrees saying that “in a physical sense: diseased or blind.”

So this verse is another of many within the Bible that define anything evil which includes sickness and disease, as coming from the devil.  It also directly backs up our confession from Job 33 where we have taken the stand that the Lord is not only strengthening my wife but is keeping her safe from the effects of this disease… and as part of that process, she will fully recover and return as unto the healthy days of her youth.

So that picture that I came across is not just a remembrance of times past, but is an ever present reminder of the Lord’s promise of healing and restoration to us His children.  I related some similar thoughts as these to my wife when we were out on a walk around our new community yesterday.  When I asked if she remembered a particularly funny incident that occurred on a family camping trip a few years back where she demonstrated her uncanny ability to surprise us with her spontaneity and spunk, she suddenly started laughing!  And while she was not able to express her thoughts in words, she definitely showed comprehension and remembrance to the experience.

Then when I shared Job 33:24-25 with her, she again laughed a giggle of solid agreement to the truth and faithfulness of God and His Word.  How is your commitment to the truth that is to be found in God’s Word?  Can you laugh along with my wife in agreement with Him and then solidly stand until you see the physical manifestation of that which you are in faith for?  I bet you can!  If not, the solution is simple, as “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 KJV)  Just spend more time in the Word and allow yourself to be built up in Him and develop your faith at the same time!  Have a great weekend.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”

The Wizard of Oz

Dictionary.com defines the word “standard” as “a rule or principle that is used as a basis for judgment.”  The phrase that the God’s Word translation states as “the standards of the Spirit” in Romans 8:2 is simply put as “the law” in the King James Version.  “Law” in the original Greek means “a rule producing a state approved of God” or “the rule of action prescribed by reason.” (Thayer’s)

As I considered these definitions in my morning quiet time, I meditated on what God’s standards just might be.  My first thought focused in on John 10:10 where Jesus tells us how He came to give us abundant life.  From there I remembered John 14:27 when Jesus promised His peace to those of us who actively believe in Him.  Then there is Ephesians 3:19 where the intimate knowledge of Christ’s love is discussed and Romans 15:13 where the great Apostle prays that God would fill us “with all joy… in believing.”

So let’s see… according to this line of thought, God’s standards would include abundant life, peace, love and joy.  Of course no list would be complete without the addition of the fruit of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5:22-23.  These then would be some of the standards that are approved of by God and are the characteristics of our lives by which we should live and consider in others as well as be individually judged by.  As usual, I personally think that all of these standards are dependent on our intimate knowledge of God’s love for us.  In talking about doing the things that are right and or approved in God’s sight, Paul prays for his readers in 2 Thessalonians 3:5: “May the Lord lead you into a greater understanding of God’s love and the endurance that is given by Christ.” (Good News Bible)  I really like the way the Apostolic Bible Polyglot defines this verse by saying “and may the Lord straighten out your hearts in the love of God…”

This verse is one of many in the New Testament that emphasizes the overall importance of our foundational and ever increasing personal and intimate knowledge of Christ’s love for us as the basis for every word, thought and action that we endeavor to take toward another individual.  According to the ABP the Lord is constantly working to straighten out our hearts so that our first response is always one of love.

I hold that idea close to my heart in knowing that I am not making the various decisions that I face each day alone, or that they are backed solely by my own education, background or experience.  The Lord is working with me in everything I do!  He’s in me switching the gears, and pulling the strings to assist in straightening my heart out to conform to His standards!  It kind of reminds me of that scene in “The Wizard of Oz” where the Professor is standing behind the curtain pulling the various levers and knobs that control what is happening on the stage.

Well folks, just like Toto pulled back the curtain to expose the Professor, the curtain of your heart has been pulled back and you can now walk in the full knowledge, with agreement and in total cooperation with the One who is in you as He works to straighten out your every action.  This way you will always be inclined to lean in such a way that meets His standards and works to bless your life and those to whom you minister to.  I like that!  How about you?

Have a great day!  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom are you expecting today?”

What Is Your Attitude?

I walked into the kitchen this morning with every intention of beginning a fresh study in a new chapter in the Bible… but God had a different idea!  I was immediately drawn back to Romans 8:2 where the Message Bible declares “A new power is in operation.  The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has cleared the air…”  Suddenly something clicked in me and I felt the refreshing wind of the Spirit blowing away any anxiety I felt about the day before me.

Romans 8:6 in the God’s Word translation says that “The corrupt nature’s attitude leads to death.  But the spiritual nature’s attitude leads to life and peace.”  At that moment the Lord reminded me that it is all about my attitude and if I choose to agree with the contrary things that I may see around me or with the unfailing word of God and how it defines my life.

Just before the Lord took him home, Moses challenged the Israelites saying: “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life…”  (Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV)  He also understood the importance of our daily choices.  He knew that how we choose would directly affect our attitudes and thereby guide the events of our lives.  Jesus told us that His words are “spirit and they are life”. (John 6:63 KJV)  It would make logical sense then to have an attitude that is closely aligned with the truth and life of His words wouldn’t it?

An attitude that is directed by the life-infused words of Christ brings hope to any and every situation no matter how bleak, hopeless, stressful or confusing it may look to be.  An attitude of His life will lead you to eventual success in everything you set your hand or your mind to!

Right now for me, it is looking past the piles of boxes in every room and see the finished vision that He has given me.  And while it is not going to happen tomorrow or probably even in the next week… it will come to pass!  My job is to see what He sees for me to accomplish each day!  When I look through His line of sight, everything looks possible for “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 MKJV)

Kind of puts a whole new spin on your day doesn’t it?  Remember when you get up each day that “a new power is in operation” in your life!  It will help you to face the day with a smile, a hope and a determination that can’t be derailed!  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”