My Covenant of Purity…to God (My First Love), to My Number Two, and to Myself

Scripture References

“I have made a covenant with mine eyes to never again look upon another woman lustfully.”—Job 31:1

Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field:  Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.—Song of Solomon 2:7

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude [does not dishonor others], it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.—1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings.  We have depended on God's grace, not on our own human wisdom.  That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.—2 Corinthians 1:12

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.—Galatians 5:22-23

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.—Ephesians 5:25-27

“For God is at work within you both to will and to do His good pleasure.”—Philippians 2:13

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.—Hebrews 13:4

My Covenant

Lord, I wish to be pure and to preserve holy purity in my life.  Provided below, is my covenant with You regarding my relational and sexual purity:

I covenant with You, Lord, that You are my First Love.  Even if I am blessed to remarry, someday, You will forever remain my First Love.  You are my Life Partner, Jesus.  My love for you far exceeds, and will always far exceed, any love I have for anyone else on earth—PERIOD.

I covenant with You, Lord, that, in any interaction with a woman, I will remember that she is first and foremost Your friend and daughter; furthermore, should I desire to pursue a relationship with such a one, I covenant with You that I will honor her, pray for her, and seek to preserve her purity at all cost.

I covenant with You, Lord, that I will not engage in any sexual activity, outside of holding hands, kissing, or enjoying a loving embrace, prior to or outside of a marriage covenant.  Even though it may be my preference, now, to refrain from kissing until our pastor turns and says to me, “You may now kiss your bride,” such a preference is really just that:  my preference and is not, necessarily, a command from You.  I feel very secure in writing that if the expressions of such affections become really important to me and to the woman with whom I am in love, than, by all means, we will, together, enjoy such expressions.  The foundation for the above will, of course, be love, friendship, respect, and grace—NOT legalistic adherence to man-made rules.

I covenant with You, Lord, that, if—and when (it is hoped!)—I am privileged to remarry, I will love my wife with all that's within me; furthermore, I covenant with You that I will not do anything willfully that dishonors her or harms her or leads her away from You in any way.  As her husband, Lord, I will pray continually for her, seek always to communicate lovingly and honestly with her, and, under the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, lead her to You in all things...even that which might seem trivial.  In all humility and submissiveness, Lord, I will put her well-being ahead of my very own.  And should we be blessed with children, Lord, she will remain my top priority—my second love—after You.

Married to Jesus

God and I have been conversing about a lot of things lately.

During one such conversation, I heard the Voice of God ask, Dave, am I enough?  I mean…if I desire for you to remain single for the remainder of your life, will I be enough?

Don’t  you just hate it, sometimes, when God asks you such things?

I do.

But I love it, too, you know?  For I know that God loves me more than I could ever fathom, and I know, too, that He always gives me His best:  that which is intended to bring me maximum joy (even when I’m feeling sad or broken) and Him maximum glory.

So…faced with THE QUESTION above, I voiced to God, “How shall I answer such a question, God?”  (It’s always cool to answer a question with a question, you know?  Especially when done with a Winnie-the-Pooh-and-Piglet-Too kind of cadence.)

And what does your heart tell you? was God's simple response—with a question!  God's pretty good at playing along with my little games. :o)

Yeah…so seeing that I was not going to get anywhere by asking more questions, I offered God what was truly on my heart:  “You already know, Lord.  For YOU are my heart’s desire.  With all that's within me, I just want to be where You are, to know Your Mind, and to feel Your Heart.  But...if I do choose to remain single (in an earthly sense) and to be married only to You, I need to know, Lord, that it’s something that You wish for me and not just something I wish for in order to run away from something.”

Such a life is not necessarily something that I’m asking of you in this moment, Dave.  In fact, right now, all I wish is for you to see where your heart is.  For I already know where it is, my friend; I just want you to know, too.   

But…

I want to tell you, too, that it doesn’t have to be an either or kind of thing, you know?  You can be married to Me and to another.

Ah, yes…the genius of the AND…

“Thanks, Lord.  THIS has been really cool and helpful—as always.”

-----

God’s blessings on all’y’all, today!

Daver

Thou wilt show me the path of life.  Thy Countenance is fullness of joy; at Thy Right Hand [Jesus!] are pleasures forevermore.—Psalm 16:11

Provided below is a clip from one of my favorite authors and Bible teachers/preachers…

"God is Enough," John Piper (Speaking-out Concerning the "Prosperity Gospel")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s

I hope you enjoy the following CCM classics on the joys of knowing Jesus... 

“1974 (We Were Young),” Amy Grant

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fzgxZcwPUU

“Faithful,” Paul Smith (Formerly of The Imperials)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3dfYBj9Ubo

Baptism—Part III (The Baptism of Jesus by John: Stream of Consciousness Exercise)

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about Jesus’ baptism by John.  In between church services at newhope this past Sunday, I decided to do a little stream of consciousness exercise concerning this very thing.  Again, this is still just a part of my whole practice and process of dropping the dots on the table and giving them a long look before beginning to make connections or draw conclusions.  As I sat writing in the Higher Grounds Café area, here’s what came to mind:
 

Potential Reasons Why Jesus May Have Felt the Need to Submit to John’s Baptism…

Note 1:  Since Jesus was without sin, I have concluded that He did not need to be baptized in order to obtain forgiveness or to be cleansed.  This is fact as far as I am concerned.  For any of you who wish to argue with me on this, please know that you’re going to have a fight on your hands until death parts us.

Note 2:  Even though I have laid out things below as separate and individual reasons, I am quite certain that there were many reasons for why Jesus did what He did and that each “reason” overlaps with many—if not all—of the others.

Potential Reason 1

Jesus wished “to begin with the end in mind” with regards to His public ministry.

Ultimately, Jesus came to earth to accomplish five things:  (1) To bring glory God (which included Himself); (2) To introduce us to the Father and show us what He is really like; (3) To demonstrate what Love is; (4) To define and show us what real living is like; and (5) To fulfill the Law (basically by dying for our sins that we might have life eternal, which, as defined by Jesus, was to know the Father and Jesus, Whom the Father had sent [see John 17:3]).

So, with aim #5 above in mind, it is quite possible that Jesus submitted to John’s baptism as a way of declaring to all of creation, to His Father, and to Himself the true and ultimate destiny of His mission on earth:  His “final baptism” of death (on the cross) and subsequent resurrection just three days later.  As the scriptures have indicated elsewhere, Jesus set His Heart and Face like flint to “taking up His Cross” and to fulfilling the Will and Purposes of God (see Isaiah 50:7, Ezekiel 2:8-3:11, Matthew 16:24-25, Luke 9:51, and John 6:35-40).  By submitting to John’s baptism, Jesus’ path toward death was set within His entire Being.  It’s almost as though, in His baptism, His Life was immersed in that which would “stain” and set in stone His mission from that point onward.  The man, now the Master Warrior, the Sensuous Lover, the Sagely Prophet-Priest, and the Beneficent King, would fulfill His destiny as the God-man and secure the destinies of every one before and after who would, by grace, look upon Him as Savior and Lord.

Potential Reason 2

Jesus wished to inaugurate His public ministry by dying to His previous life as a wood carver in exchange for stepping back into His eternal role as Prophet, Priest, and King and the Carver of Souls.

Much like the way in which Jesus, probably just a few weeks later, called a few fishermen to lay down their nets and to become fishers of men by following Him, Jesus, in submitting to John’s baptism, was acknowledging His Father’s call to lay down His “carpenter’s nets” that He might receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit and begin the work of re-carving men and their hearts and their individual and corporate destinies.

Potential Reason 3

Jesus wished to submit to the order of ministry ordained by God from the foundations of the earth and needed a man’s and God’s affirmation to establish a New Covenantal Order and extend God’s kingdom into the very marrow of mankind’s existence.

Just as the angel’s heralded the physical birth of Jesus, John the Baptist, with his own words and as a mouthpiece for God Almighty, heralded the spiritual birth and anointing of Jesus as the Messiah:

“Behold the Lamb of God, Who [as the Son and High Priest of God] takes away the sins of the world.”

“This is My Son—My Beloved, in Whom I find ALL My delight!  Listen to Him.”

In the Law of Moses, priests were ordained from the tribe of Levy.  Jesus, however, came from the tribe of Judah.  In addition, Levitical priests were not permitted to be king.  In Jesus, God set in place a New Order, wherein a royal priesthood of kings and queens would be established forever…a priesthood of “beloved” sons and daughters of the Most High, who would reign throughout eternity—and to the delight of God, with Jesus to the praise of His glory.

Potential Reason 4

Jesus wished, except in the committing of sin, to identify completely with mankind and to set an example for how one can turn ones back on one’s former life or previous ways of living and set one’s will toward doing only that which he or she sees the Father doing.

As Hebrews 4:15 reads, in Jesus, “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.”  In Jesus, God became intimately acquainted with the grief, suffering, hardships, and emotional ups and downs of life on earth.

In Johns gospel, Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except by Me (see John 14:6).”  There is THE Way to the Father, and that "Way" is Jesus.  But there are lower case ways—specific ways of being (in Jesus), ways of living (in Jesus), and ways of turning (in Jesus) toward the very Face of God—that Jesus demonstrated to all of us.  One of those “ways” was demonstrated in Jesus’ baptism by John.  Even though John’s baptism was one of repentance, Jesus demonstrated His own humility and submission to God by admitting that He could do only what He saw the Father doing…that He could do only that which the Father had ordained for Him to do (much the way our good works (again, in Jesus) were ordained by God [see Ephesians 2:10]).

For the first 30+ years of Jesus’ life, Jesus was content to live a life of relative obscurity as he learned and grew as a human being.  As many would ask, during His public ministry, “Is not this the carpenter’s son?  Where did he get all of this (meaning, the wisdom and power that seemed to just flow effortlessly from within Him)?”  Many saw what appeared to be a disconnect and, as such, took great offense at Jesus.  It was sort of like, “Who is this nobody now trying to be somebody?  Where did he get all these things?  They, most obviously, did not originate from within him, for he is nothing but a carpenter’s apprentice and certainly not capable of acquiring such resources on his own.  Pay him no mind, for he is but the puppet of another.”  And so, again, many took offense at Him.
Ironically, though, they were not far from the truth, were they?  No.  In coming to earth, Jesus had, as the scriptures indicate, “emptied himself, and took on the form of a servant (see Philippians 2:8).”  Throughout the gospels, we read again, and again, and again, the words of Jesus concerning these very things:  “I can do nothing on my own (see John 5:30).”  In many ways, Jesus epitmoized the "poorness of spirit" He seemed to laud so much in the beatitudes recorded in Matthew's gospel.  

And so, in great humility and in accordance with the ordinances of God, Jesus submitted to baptism as an example of reliance upon God for everything.  Jesus took nothing into His Own Hands.  He placed Himself totally in submission to His Father’s will.  And that, my friends, is the “way” to live—by definition.

So…those were my thoughts from this past Sunday morning's exercise.  Of course, some distillation has occurred over the last two days since then, but they are still just my initial thoughts on this whole subject.  As is "my practice," I’m going to continue to just sit with these things for a while and, of course, pray through them.  May God to speak into my soul that which I am so desperately in need of hearing.  I promise to share with you all that “I hear,” okay?

Peace out, y’all!

Daver



Acknowledgment:

Recently, a very dear friend of mine wrote and asked me the following:

“Also, when you write, do things pop up in your mind from other writers?  Like you wonder if what you are writing is original because you write something and then realize it sounds similar to something you read?  Or it sounds like you have picked up the rhythm and cadence of other writings in certain parts?  Like, I have to go back and see how similar it was to something else I read.”

I thought her questions were absolutely fabulous.  My answer was, quite simply, as follows:  “Yep...all the time.  That's ALWAYS a consideration, and it's a really good thing to be conscious of and to pay VERY close attention to.”

I share this particular conversation with you as a preface to writing the following:

So many people have influenced my thinking down through the years that it is hard for me to know when it’s “me” writing or when it's just me regurgitating back what I was so privileged to read at some point in my life.  So, with that written, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to the extraordinary voices of Henry Nouwen and C.S. Lewis, who have shaped much of my thinking about so many things for close to three decades now.  I cannot wait to meet both gentlemen in heaven someday.  Aside from Albert Einstein, the Three Stooges, Victor Frankl, and Mother Teresa, they are, perhaps, the most intelligent people that walked the face of the planet during the twentieth century.  I thank God for them.  D...

Hiking and Feeling the Heart of God

For my birthday a couple of years ago, I took myself on an all-day hike.  And it was fabulous!

At one point—maybe at about the half-way point, something really significant occurred…

I got lost.

And it scared me.

I’d heard the stories before of those who’d gotten lost hiking, and had heard, also, how sometimes things didn’t turn out so well.  Sure, I’d gotten lost before—as a very young child, but this was the first time I’d gotten lost in the wilderness and not just in a small park close to my childhood home.

The trail I’d been on for some time was, in fact, a blazed trail, but it had been a really long time since I’d seen a blaze.  And, as the trail had not been traversed by anyone in some time, the newly fallen leaves had, essentially, obscured the trail from the rest of the forest.

At the very moment when that sickening feeling of being lost came over me, I heard a Voice from within say something like, “Stop, and just breathe, Dave.”  And that’s exactly what I did…for close to 30 seconds or so.

Breathing in and out slowly, while focusing almost completely on each breath, can bring great calm to a racing heart beat, which is exactly what I needed in that moment.  And then I heard that same Voice say (from within me) something like, “Tell Me what you see, Dave.”  And, again, I did exactly what the Voice asked.  I pointed out various trees and undergrowth…I noted all of the different leaves and branches that had fallen around me…I noted the somewhat overcast skies, which I could see through the bare branches in many of the trees…I noted the sound and movement of the wind as it blew through the forest.

This little “observation exercise” went on for no more than two or three minutes before I began to point out my observations of what I thought looked a little like a trail.  Had I not stopped to engage in such an exercise, I might not have noticed the subtle differences in the terrain and undergrowth in the area that was looking a lot like a trail to me.  I remember concluding my observations with saying something out loud like, “Lord, that looks a lot like a trail!”  And, once again, that little Voice from within said something like, “Why don’t we see where it goes?”  And so I did—or, rather, WE did (that is, God and I)—as I resumed my trek onward.

About fifteen minutes later, guess what appeared on one of the trees not too far in front of me?  Nothing less than a blue, diamond-shaped, trail blaze!  I remember breathing a huge sigh of relief and offering a hearty “thanks” to He Who had been with me the entire time.

I laughed a little at myself, too.  :o)

As I continued to hike, that little Voice from within began to stir again.  It was as if God, Who lives inside me in the Person of His Holy Spirit, had engineered all of what had just happened to teach me something profound.  In my heart, this is what I heard (Note:  What is provided below is just as I wrote things down in my God's Voice Journal.):

—  11/27/09 Entry  —

Dave…

The path you are on is the one I have for you.  Fear not, for I AM with you, and I have given you the wisdom to discern where the path is heading.  Use your instincts, Dave, for they come from Me.

What I wish to begin communicating with you, Dave, are the things on My Heart.  Less and less will what I have to Say be about your direction day to day.  There will still be some—more like a blaze every half-mile or so—but the bulk of what I wish to Speak to you concerns those things on My Heart.

I want you to know Me, Dave.  I want My Thoughts to become your thoughts, and I want the beat of My Heart to become the very beat of your own heart.

I just want you to enjoy Me, Dave.

Come and see…taste…and share My Song.

May God bless all of you in this very moment,

Dave

Angels at the Foot of My Bed

Do angels exist?  Yep.  Without a doubt.  In fact, I’ve had multiple encounters with them in my life, and yet I've never seen them. 

In this post, I would like to tell you of one such encounter that happened early one Saturday morning during the first week of February 2009.

Here's how things transpired...

At about three in the morning, I was awakened with the feeling that I was to pray for my friend, Ken.  For some reason, though, I was REALLY tired, so I said a very short prayer and went right back to sleep.  Perhaps “short” is a bit of an understatement.  My prayer was tantamount to, “God bless Ken.”

The same thing, though, happened about an hour or so later, and, because I was still so very tired, I responded with another “God bless Ken” prayer and, again, went right back to sleep.

Now, I ask You:  Does God hear and respond to “God bless Ken” prayers?  Yep…without a doubt.  I think, though, that in this particular instance, God desired more.  The situation at hand required special intervention by God and, as such, He desired from me considerably more than just a God bless so and so prayer.

As a preface for what I’m about to write, I need to tell you that I sleep on a queen bed and that when this particular situation occurred, I was living in a first floor apartment, where the floor underneath the carpeting was an 8” thick slab of reinforced concrete, and where my bed was propped-up on hard plastic risers, risers that I am convinced, as a civil engineer with some training in structural engineering, could support a small car.

Yeah, so my bed was like elevated on these plastic risers, and, having brushed-off the impressions from God to pray for my friend, something happened that I will never forget…

The riser at the foot of the bed on the side where I sleep collapsed, and my bed fell through to the concrete floor with a very hard thud.  This time, obviously, I got the message, got up from my broken bed, and began, immediately, to pray for my friend, Ken.  After a few minutes, I felt prompted to take a shower, get dressed, and head-out toward my friend’s house in Raleigh.  I continued to pray through out all of this.

If I recall, I arrived at Ken's house in Raleigh (I live about 40 minutes away in Durham) at a little past six in the morning, but no one was home.  Having brought something with me to give to Ken’s wife, Kimberly, I left it inside the screen door and proceeded to drive back home.

About an hour after arriving home—I think it was close to eight in the morning, I got a call from Kimberly.  She was at the hospital in Raleigh.  My friend, Ken, had suffered a heart attack earlier that morning and had been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

So…what do you think caused the plastic riser at the foot of my bed to fail? 

There are, perhaps, several explanations, but all of them, barring one, seem fairly unlikely to me.  As I wrote above, those little plastic risers could support a small car. 

Want to know what I think?  Well…here it is:  God desired me to pray for my friend Ken, and, when I failed to respond twice to His gentle proddings, He sent one of His heavenly friends down to push down on my bed in such a manner as to not just wake me up but make it pretty much a given that I would not be able to do anything but get up and pray for my friend.

NOW…whenever I feel a prompt to pray for someone, I do just that.  And, the really cool thing, too, is that I know that God hears me and responds in accordance with His glory and delight.

When I was out to dinner with a very dear friend last week, she was reminding me of this very occurrence and told me to write about it in my blog.  And so, my friends, that’s what I’ve done.  May it speak to you or encourage you in whatever ways you need.  :o)

May God’s holy angels watch over you throughout this night!

Bling

P.S.  Baptism—Part III coming up tomorrow night.  Lord-willing, of course!!

“Angels Watching Over Me,” Amy Grant

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUKcUxnvHEw

Baptism—Part II: Why Was Jesus Baptized by John?

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  But John tried to deter Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”  Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.  As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him.  And a Voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, Whom I love; with Him I AM well pleased.”—Matthew 3:13-17
 
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove.  And a Voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, Whom I love; with You I AM well pleased.”—Mark 1:9-11

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too.  And as He was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, Whom I love; with You I AM well pleased.”—Luke 3:21-22

The scriptures above are the only gospel references to the baptism of Jesus performed by John the Baptist.  In John’s gospel, John (not John the Baptist, but John the Apostle and Disciple of Jesus) writes of the aftermath of Jesus’s baptism, but he never even mentions the baptismal event.  I find such things fascinating, don’t you?

John (as in John the Baptist and cousin of Jesus) preached (and practiced) a baptism of repentance and purification, which was, I believe, consistent with the purification rites required by the Laws of Moses.  Johnny Bee’s overarching mission (and I hope I’m not being disrespectful in referring to him in that way) was to be “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him (see Matthew 3:3 [which directly quotes Isaiah 40:3]).’”

So…given that John preached a baptism of repentance and purification, why did Jesus submit to such a baptism?

In the words of a great evangelist of which I know of (I borrowed that quote from Pooh Bear)…

I          DO          NOT          KNOW…

…why Jesus felt the “need” to submit to John’s baptism.  It is, I feel, beyond me.  For the scriptures themselves teach very clearly that “in Him (that is, Jesus) there is no sin (see 1 John 3:5).”  Given John the Baptist’s reaction (“I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me? [see vs. 14 above]”), it is apparent that John, too, felt a certain befuddlement over what His cousin, Jesus, was requesting of Him.

So, again, given that Jesus was without sin and, clearly, DID NOT need to repent of or be purified from sin, I ask:  Why did He undergo John’s baptism?  Again, and quite honestly, I have to write that I really don’t know.  But, as a lover and follower of Jesus, I feel compelled to not just let things lay there, you know?  So, with that said (or written!), let’s take a closer look at the text…

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”  Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness (see Matthew 3:13-15).”

It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness?

What did Jesus mean by that?!?

In order to delve adequately into the meanings behind Jesus's Words, I'd like to begin by engaging in a little word study by comparing how things were written in other translations and versions of the Bible and then look, also, at the New Testament Greek, which was the original language in which the New Testament was written.  The verse I'd like to focus on is the one I just wrote above (vs. 15), and, more specifically, I’d like to focus on three words within that verse.

It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.

Proper…

The word “proper,” as it is used in this verse, is translated in other versions and translations of the Bible as follows:

“Proper” in the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version;

"Necessary” in the Common English Bible;

"Becometh” in the King James Version, the Darby Translation, the Wycliffe New Testament, and the Rheims New Testament;

"Becoming” in Young's Literal Translation;

"Fitting” in the Amplified Bible, the New American Standard Bible, and the New American Bible;

"How it should be” in the Contemporary English Version; and

"God’s work” in The Message.

In the Greek New Testament, the word translated “proper” is the Greek word, “ASTEIOS,” which can be translated also as “goodly” or “beautiful” (see Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by Vine, W. E., MacDonald Publishing Company, Publication Date Unk, Pg. 903). 

To fulfill…

The words “to fulfill,” as they are used in this verse, are translated in other versions and translations of the Bible as follows:

“To fulfill” in the New International Version, the Common English Bible, the American Standard Version, the Amplified Bible (along with “perform completely”), the Rheims New Testament, the New American Standard Bible, the New American Bible, the King James Version, the New Revised Standard Version, and the Darby Translation; and

“Because we must do” in the Contemporary English Version.

In the Greek New Testament, the word translated “to fulfill” is the Greek word, “PLEROO,” which can be translated “to fill,” “to fulfill, complete,” “to make full, to fill to the full,” “to fill (as in to fill a net or a building),” “to fill (as in to fill with Joy or with the Holy Spirit),” “to fill (as in to fill a valley),” and “to accomplish, finish” (see Vine’s, Pp. 436 and 475). 

Righteousness…

The word “righteousness,” as it is used in this verse, is translated in other versions and translations of the Bible as follows:

“Righteousness” in the New International Version, the Amplified Bible (along with “whatever is right”), the King James Version, the New American Standard Bible, the New American Bible, the New Revised Standard Version, the Common English Bible, and the Darby Translation;

"Justice” in the Rheims New Testament;

“[What] God wants” in the Contemporary English Version; and

“[To put things] “right” in The Message.

In the Greek New Testament, the word translated “righteousness” is the Greek word, “DIKAIOSUNE,” which can be translated as the character or quality of being “right” or “just.”  In more distant history, it was, apparently, translated “rightwiseness,” which is a pretty cool word, I think.  This word, DIKAIOSUNE, denotes an attribute of God that is, essentially, the same as His faithfulness or truthfulness.  It is a word intended to demonstrate any conduct or attitude that is consistent with the character of God, and it is intended to demonstrate, also, that God is most definitely NOT indifferent toward sin.  On the contrary, the “rightwiseness” of God demonstrates the quality of holiness in Him which finds expression in not just His abject condemnation of sin but in His desire to eradicate sin as well as its effects and affects.  It should be noted, too, that “righteousness” is a gift of God imbued to men for the purposes of showing forth His grace and glory to all creation.  (See Vine’s, Pg. 980.)

Okay…so there you go.

What I’m going to do, now, is call it a night and just let these things sit and marinate within me for a while.  With each passing day, I am becoming more and more convinced of just how important it is to, with anything, just let “the dots” drop on the table and then sit with them for a while before trying to make connections or draw conclusions.  So, with that written, that’s EXACTLY what I’m going to do.  Will answers come in future posts?  As Robert Fulghum might write, “Maybe, maybe not.”  In fact, I’m leaning toward the “Maybe NOT” side of the equation.  Sometimes (and I’m just being honest here), it’s the questions that seem to thrill me more than any particular discovery.  Yes, discoveries will be made (and they will be thrilling), but how cool is it, upon making any discovery, to discover, too, just how much there is yet to uncover?  Ah yes...living of the life of one who wishes with all his heart to mine the depths of the Mysterious Unknown, Who is our God and Father.  Thoughts of such things bring a tear to my eye and a smile to my face—ALL at the same time!!

Alas…it has become time for me to hit the weights and go for a little run.

Peace out to all’y’all!!

Your friend and brother,

Bling

PS...To my dear friend, whom I wrote to earlier:  The passing of the last two hours has, in deed, felt like a mere five minutes.  And, yes, I am happy—of this I am quite certain!!   Peace...

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The Baptism of Jesus, from Jesus of Nazareth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgpGidtTV2I

Pray for Me

Good morning, everyone.  This past week, a very dear friend of mine asked me how she could pray for me.  With great delight, I provided her with what I’ve written below.  And it is with great delight—and gratefulness, too!—that I offer these to all of you as well.

I LOVE IT WHEN MY FRIENDS PRAY FOR ME!!

In addition to praying about my involvement in missions, please pray…

That God's Name would be hallowed in my life and throughout all creation.

That my heart's greatest desire would be to enjoy God directly and in every aspect of my life so completely that He is nothing but glorified.

That I would hear my Lord's Voice clearly and that I would obey Him immediately.  I long for a greater desire and ability to hear His Voice and to respond to what He says (see Phil 2:13—this a life-verse for me).

That God would use me in prayer and spiritual warfare.

That the fruit of God’s Spirit would be cultivated in the gardens of my soul, my relationships, and all my “doings” and “non-doings.”

That the gifts of God’s Holy Spirit would be operate in and through me.

That I would be the best friend possible to each of my closest friends and family members.

That my relationships would be as God would have then to be:  inspired by and grounded in Him and guided by His Love and His Truth.

That I would be an open conduit of God's loving-kindness, joy, compassion, and equanimity (soundness-of-mind) to those around me.

That I would, in Jesus, become love, my friends.  Oh how I long for God to look down upon me and see His Own Blessedness smiling back up at Him.

That I would cease trying to do for others what they can do for themselves.  Jesus is the Savior; I am not!

That my eyes, ears, and heart would be attuned keenly to the communications of those around me.

That my writing would be a genuine expression of my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, that the spark of inspiration would pervade every word, that my writing would continue to be an outlet of joy for me and a comfort to others, and that God would be timelessly magnified in and through every pen stroke and individual key depression.

That I would train well throughout every activity in my life such that the criticisms, complaints, pain, anger, and frustrations of those I love would no longer be a threat to me—not even a little bit.  I want to train such that I can be completely present in and with the great sadnesses in the people and conditions that surround me.  I want my life to become like a flourishing garden centered on an Overflowing Well, and I want to attract those in need to that Well, which is God's overflowing and superabundant Spirit and Presence.

That I would be yielded talent, creativity, and inventiveness.

That I would be open to exploring whatever ideas God brings to me.

That I would be just me and not try to be anything or anyone else other than me.

That I would find the balance God has for me between frugality and just relaxing and enjoying life.

That God would wonderfully bless me, that He would help me in my work and expand my territory, that He would be with me all that I do, and that He would keep me from evil and disaster that I might not cause pain.

And, in addition...

That the Lord of the Harvest would raise up workers to go forth into His harvest fields, for they are, indeed, ripe and white for harvest…

Thank you for praying for me!!

I hope you all have a fabulous Saturday.

Bling

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P.S.  Lord-willing, I’ll bring you Baptism—Part II tomorrow or Monday.  CU!

“Lord of the Harvest,” The Imperials

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WN7ezuRYpA

"Lifesong,” Casting Crowns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaia32TsPq0

The Sacred Path of The Warrior—Reloaded

Yesterday, my friend Benji Kelley, Senior Pastor of newhope church in Durham, NC, began a new series entitled, MAN UP.  It was so cool when he drove into the sanctuary on his Harley.  Anyway,  I was so inspired by his message, that I feel compelled to share something I wrote for a friend and his son a few years ago.  At the time of writing, my friend was in the process of creating a ministry to the junior high boys at his church in Virginia and asked me if I would write what's been provided below .  Enjoy…


A Warrior’s Child...

I am a warrior, created in the image of God, the only true Ultimate Fighter.  It is my desire in life to follow the path He has laid out for me.  It is not an easy path, but it is the best path, and, for me, it is the only path that allows me to be me—in the fullest sense of the word.  It is the path with heart, and it is the path on which I can discover and recover my own heart…my male heart…that which was entrusted to me at my birth.  My heart is my birthright, and I must do everything within my power to strengthen and build it up so that it can be devoted fully, in its purest sense, to God, to my loved-ones, to myself, and to the mission God has given me to fulfill in life.

The Dare...

Life is dangerous.  I can either face that danger head on, or I can hide my head in the sand and pretend it doesn’t exist.  As far as my own personal safety is concerned, it really matters not which option I choose because, in the final analysis, both options will, more than likely, result in my sustaining injuries—perhaps, even, life-threatening injuries.  Let me ask you a question:  Which would you prefer?  To stumble through life, hiding from and living in fear of any and every thing that could possibly harm you?  Or, would you prefer instead to train yourself to be able to recognize your enemy, stare him down, and then throw the full force of your being into warring against him for the sake of God, your loved-ones, yourself, and your mission?  Choose you this day, which path you will take.  It is my prayer that you will choose the latter path…the warrior’s path…the path with heart.  I cannot make the choice for you.  You must choose it for yourself, just as every warrior has done so since the beginning of time.  The dare I place before you today is the dare to make the choice to be a warrior every second of every day for the rest of your life.  Do you have what it takes within you?  Do you have what it takes to be an ultimate fighter, forged in the life-giving image of the Ultimate Fighter of all time?  I believe you do.  Dare to believe it, too.  Dare to believe in yourself and in the God Who made you, this God Who moves you and is moved by you, this God Who loves you more than you could ever think or even imagine, and this God Who’s placed His own warring Spirit within you.  Dare to allow the warrior within you to rise up and take his honored place at the forefront of your life.

Practice...

A warrior’s life consists principally of two things:  (1) combat; and (2) the preparation for combat.  Training is the warrior’s constant companion.  Training flows into everything he does.  A warrior practices everything:  how he eats; how he sleeps; how he walks; how he listens to others; how he does his homework; how he washes the dishes; how he throws a left jab at an opponent’s jaw; how he thrusts a spinning back kick into an opponent’s stomach; and how he executes a hip-roll to slam an opponent into the ground.  There is an old saying, which has become a personal slogan in my life, and here it is:  “The more thou sweatest in training, the less thou bleedest in battle.”  Train, my friends, and practice—practice everything…practice all the time…even when your distracted, discouraged, tired, or just don’t feel like it.  The warrior’s life is a training ground.  It can become your training ground as well…your training ground for discovering, recovering, developing, strengthening, protecting, and, ultimately, giving away your heart.  As a warrior, you must commit to training as a way of life.  Life is the real deal.  Live it.  Work at it.  Practice it.  And let life express itself through you in whatever forms it might take.

To Fight or Not to Fight:  Listening to Your Fear...

Contrary to popular belief, a warrior is not fearless.  In fact, a warrior is afraid every time he confronts danger.  A warrior is, though, courageous.  Even though he feels and listens to his fear, he pushes through it, draws upon his training (his life of continuous practice), and confronts whatever it might be that is posing a threat to him or to those he loves.  Pushing beyond his fear, he courageously moves into action and enthusiastically crosses the threshold of safety into the lion’s den.  Listen to your fear.  It can teach you a great deal about yourself and about the threatening nature of a particular situation. Listen to what’s going on inside you.  This very thing will help you decide when to fight and when not to.

To Fight or Not to Fight:  Remembering that Which Matters Most...

What matters most to you in your life?  Take some time to think deeply about this question.  Your answers will help you decide when to fight and when not to…when to make war and when to make peace.

To Fight or Not to Fight:  A Little Guidance...

Everyone needs guidance.  Everyone needs a coach.  Mohammad Ali had a coach.  Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris both had many coaches.  I have (and have had) many coaches.  Jesus had many coaches.

Here’s a little guidance from me (a coach of sorts) that may help you in deciding when it’s right for you to fight and, perhaps, when it’s not.  Fighting is not about having your way physically with another person (or with a group of people) so that you can obtain something you want but don’t have.  That’s not fighting; that’s just being a bully, a thief, a murderer, or a rapist.  Fighting is about protecting that which you hold most dear:  (1) your physical safety; (2) your ability and freedom to be and express who you are genuinely (e.g., your dignity as a person); (3) the physical safety and dignity of those you love; and (4) the physical safety and dignity of those around you (whether you know them or not).  If any of the above are threatened, you have every right (and, in many instances, the obligation) to stand up and fight.  Part of your purpose in life may well be to do just that.

As I wrote above, everyone needs a little guidance.  Some need it more than others.  Warriors, especially warriors-in-training (like myself), often need the most guidance.  The reason being is that sometimes the very lives of those within the sphere of a warrior’s influence and protection may depend upon that warrior’s success.  If he wins, they live; if he loses, they die.  History is replete with many such examples of this relationship.  If you want to be able to come through when it’s asked—or demanded (!)—of you, you’re going to need to train, and you’re going to need to avail yourself of and submit to the best training available to you.  Who in your life is giving you guidance?  Are you guidable?  There’s an old saying, “When the student is ready, the master will appear.”  Who’s your master?  Mine is Jesus Christ.  Is He yours?  As a warrior-in-training, I also avail myself of many of God’s under-masters…those who’ve gone on before me and pointed out the way…those who are a little older than I and who’ve been around the block a few times…those who can help me grow in skill to a much greater degree than I ever could if I were left only to my own devices.  Jesus still has disciples.  Are you one of them?  Are you a disciple of anyone?  Humble yourself, and submit to the leadership and guidance of another.  Devote your life to soaking up as much as you can from those around you.  May everyone—and everything—be your teacher.

Jesus, the Bearded Woman...

Jesus was not mild-mannered during His life on earth.  He still isn't.  While He may be a perfect gentleman, He is also the most dangerous being anyone or anything could ever encounter.  Jesus was and is God-incarnate…God-with-Us.  He is the Ultimate Fighter, and He loves the wild and dangerous places in life.  As the scriptures indicate, through Christ all things were made and brought into being:  snowflakes, hurricanes, kittens, cobras, grass hoppers, deadly spiders, aloe, poison ivy, you, and me.  The scriptures also indicate that in Him we live and move and have our very being.  This Jesus, the absolute and undisputed Ultimate Fighter of all time, lives inside you and animates every aspect of your being as a person.  Jesus was and is drawn to the dangerous.  In His life on earth, He picked fights with community leaders, He overturned furniture, and (at least once) He used a whip—that He, Himself, fashioned—to drive a crowd and their animals from the temple in Jerusalem.  This same Jesus, the very one who did all these things, lives inside you.  In my opinion, I think Jesus was a lot more like Indiana Jones than most of us were taught in Sunday School.  I don’t want to be overly dramatic here, but I also don’t want to mince my words.  Jesus was and is a warrior.  He understands the necessities of war and combat.  But, like any true warrior, His strength was, when He lived on earth, under the complete and total influence of the Holy Spirit.  His strength was channeled (this is the definition of meekness, btw), much like high-pressure water in a fire hose.  Be like Jesus.  Be like the water in a fire hose…powerful, channeled, and devastating to that which seeks to steal, kill, or destroy.  Jesus, the bearded woman?  Not in my mind, but you need to decide that for yourself.

Doing Unto Others; Turning the Other Cheek...

“But I tell you who hear me:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.  If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.  Give to everyone who asks, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you.”—Luke 6: 27-31 (NIV)

The above passage is, in my mind, the definitive standard for the kind of person a warrior trains to be.  To love one’s enemies, to give freely, to do unto others, to turn the other cheek…these are the attributes and endowments of the trained warrior.   And they are qualities that can be discovered, recovered, and strengthened only along the warrior’s path.  They are the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work in the regenerated and regenerating heart of the warrior.

I want to be perfectly clear on something that many, I feel—including myself, have misunderstood about the whole concept of turning one’s cheek.  First of all, one cannot turn one’s cheek until one has first developed one.  By the development of one’s cheek, I mean the recognition and development of one’s own personal dignity, freedom, humanity, and mission as a child and servant of God.  Secondly, in the passage above, I believe that the “strike (or slap),” to which Jesus refers, speaks more to that of an insulting gesture than to that of a physical assault.  As warriors, we train so that the physical—and “threatening”—gestures of others more and more take on the appearance of insults rather than that of physical assaults.  This is part of the purpose of our training.  Because it’s so grueling, the threats of others no longer seem like much of anything at all.  There’s an old saying (and, again, a personal slogan of mine), “If, in your training, you’re not pushing yourself to the point of risking death, you’re probably just going through the motions.”  Train so that your confrontations with the real deals in life become easier than slogging through another day of your own personal training regimen.

I’d like to propose an analogy to illustrate a little of what I’m trying to drive at here.  If someone had a small stone in his hand and was taunting you with it and you had nothing at your disposal to help you defend yourself, would you consider that to be a fairly threatening situation?  I would.  Okay…What if you, too, had a stone in your hand?  Would the situation seem a little less threatening?  Perhaps.  How'bout if you also had with you a wrist-rocket sling shot that you knew how to use well?  If such were the case, I would imagine that the situation would no longer feel nearly as threatening as the original scenario I painted above.  That is what I mean when I say that a warrior trains to keep threats to a minimum.  His training as a warrior enables him to deescalate threatening situations.  To a warrior, that which was threatening yesterday no longer seems as threatening today.  That’s the path we’re on.  It’s the path that leads ultimately to the ability to love one’s enemy and to truly turn one’s cheek in the face of persecution for your faith.  It also allows the command, “Do unto others as they would have you do unto them,” to, at times, morph into a more personal slogan, such as, “You may do unto me that which causes you no harm.”  Think about those words for a moment:  “You may do unto me that which causes you no harm.”  It has been a long time since I, personally, have been in a true physical fight with an attacker.  But, had I not trained as a warrior all these years, it is quite possible that I would not be breathing right now or writing these words.  The above slogan is now a part of my own consciousness as a warrior; I meditate on it many times throughout the day.  One way I can interpret this slogan down to a real world scenario is as follows:  Let's say that I’m in downtown Durham, NC, it’s late at night, and a man I do not know approaches me on a sidewalk.  As the man approaches, I think to myself and project (to the man coming toward me) the following thoughts/feelings:  "Greetings, my friend.  I wish you well in life.  Please feel free to pass by unhindered, but do not engage me aggressively.  For, if you do, I will be compelled to defend myself.  And, while I may be harmed in the exchange, I have no doubt that such a situation will, at best, land you in the hospital.  If you try to harm me, you will, no doubt, be harmed yourself.”  In the above, I am referring the physical injury of an attacker, but I don’t think it should stop there.  When someone tries to hurt you or me intentionally, the dignity of such a one dies piece by piece.  I do not wish such a thing on anyone.
 
All of the above said...there may be a time in your life as a follower of Christ when you will be brought to your knees because of your life and faith in Christ.  It will be in those moments—those life-defining moments—that we will need to look to (and upon) Jesus, the undisputed Ultimate Fighter of all time, and identify with His own obedient act of turning His Cheek and allowing His Life to be taken from Him.  The Spirit of Jesus in you will guide you in those moments...if you will only choose to submit to Him.

I’m With You...

I believe in you, my friend.  You have what it takes.  Choose today, and walk the path with me.  Stand with me, will you?  Be who you are, and be the warrior that resides within you.  You have been raised for such a time as this.

God bless you.
 
Your friend,

Dave

"Man Up,” Dr. Benji Kelley

http://www.benjikelley.com/

“The Champion,” Carmen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUzR4HKbi9w


Note:  In addition to the insights of Holy Scripture and many of my martial arts mentors over the last thirty years, I am particularly indebted to the writings of John Eldridge, Richard Marcinko, Chogyam Trungpa, and Pema Chodron in shaping some of my thinking in this post.