Psalm 40

April 8th-9th, 2007

April 11th-12th, 2007

April 20th-21st, 2007

April 23rd-24th, 2007

Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, "Here I am, I have come - it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as you know, O LORD. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly. Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" be appalled at their own shame. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The LORD be exalted!" Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.

Psalm 40:8 (New International Version; emphasis mine, of course)

• "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

Now, I am going to pick over this verse. This is going to be etched into my heart. And it needs to be along with the rest of the Bible. First, a look at different translations:

Psalm 40:8 (New Living Translation)

• "I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your law is written on my heart."

Psalm 40:8 (New Century Version)

• "My God, I want to do what you want. Your teachings are in my heart."

Psalm 40:8 (New Century Version)

• "My God, I want to do what you want. Your teachings are in my heart."

Psalm 40:8 (The Message)

• "And I'm coming to the party you're throwing for me." That's when God's Word entered my life, became part of my very being.

I'm not sure that The Message is accurate in comparison to the others. It just seems strange to me, and I'm a strange guy. Some people like it. Then again, some people like liver and onions. To each their own, I guess.

Psalm 40:8 (NIV; emphasis mine, of course)

• "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

Desire is a song by U2, but also is a verb coming from the Hebrew word châphêts meaning to delight in, take pleasure in, desire, favour, like, and to be pleased with.

Desire in today's dictionary is defined as followed:

Desire (verb):

• To wish or long for; crave; want.
• To express a wish to obtain; ask for; request.

Do today's versions capture what was written in the Hebrew? I know they are definitely different, and the English can only do so much to try to capture the meaning of the Hebrew language. Will an English Bible ever capture all the Hebrew meaning? I don't it, at least not sounding like it would make any sense (hhhmmm... the Message?).

Psalm 40:8 (NIV; guess what - emphasis mine!)

• "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

I feel I have to share this with you. It's pretty interesting. It's a link that takes you to the beginning of the Internet. Here's the link: The Beginning. Since it is the beginning, the site is really come a long way.

Another thing I have learned today is this: traveling from New York to London has actually become a very low-cost travel experience. You don't think so? Try these six simple steps.

1. Go to GOOGLE
2. Click on "maps"
3. Click on "get directions"
4. Type "New York" in the first box (the "from" box)
5. Type "London" in the second box (the "to" box)
6. Hit "get directions"

Now, at this point, you will already be laughing. But wait, there is more... scroll on down to step #23 (Michael Jordan's number, if you like basketball) - you will really enjoy the reading there. Now, back to the Quiet Time (actually, today is the 11th, so I'm actually getting into the swing of things).

I'm looking at the "your will" part of the scripture. The phrase "your will" comes from the Hebrew word "râtsôn" meaning:

• (Be) acceptable (-ance, -ed).
• Delight.
• Desire.
• Favour.
• (Good) pleasure.
• (Own, self, voluntary) will.
• As . . . (what) would.

Will (noun):

• (control over) one's desire(s) or wish(es); determination.
• Diligent purposefulness.
• Self-control; self-discipline.

The word "will" in the English language can be very confusing. I will do this or that. Let's write a will for when I die. I submit to God's will. Three sentences with three different contexts. And when you go to the dictionary at dictionary.com, there's even more. It feels like there's a hundred different type's of Will's for law alone (probably only between 15-20, but it feels like more), and did you know that the word "will" is also a medical term? I just looked at it not five minutes ago, and I already forgot. That's probably why I didn't make it long in Pharmacy School. It's a good thing I got out when I did (it wasn't much of a no-brainer for me, though). Anyway, I sifted through the definitions and when I got to the "Mutual Dictionary", which is generally closer to the bottom of the web page, I REALLY started to pay closer attention, due to how they show words spelled in other languages (like in Greek and Hebrew, if it was available). One popped out to me as the definition to be specifically looking for in all of these, which I had, but I had some of the others as well. I am glad I did edit those others out, because I looked at the list and it didn't make much sense to me.

So, I desire to do God's will. I'm craving to be in his favour. I take pleasure in what God desires. It could be translated that way. But there is still so much more to this passage. So much more...

Psalm 40:8 (NIV; you know...)

• "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

Now, I already know before I even look that LORD is Yahweh, but this is God in the OT. Honestly, I have already forgotten when Hebrew word God.

Here's what the phrase "O my God" comes up in the dictionary that I have: 'ĕlôhîym (el-o-heem')

• Gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: angels, exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), (very) great, judges, mighty. (Strong Dictionary)
• (Plural) rulers, judges, divine ones, angels, gods; (Plural intensive - singular meaning) god, goddess, godlike one, works or special possessions of God, the (true) God, God. (Brown-Drivers-Briggs)

And so, I don't know about the "O my" part, but "God" is definitely next. Looking at the context,

Psalm 40:8 (NIV)

• "I desire to do your will, "O my God"; your law is within my heart."

I desire to do your will, O my God. I'm craving to be in your favour, my God. I take pleasure in what your desires, my God. I'm sure it could be taken further since, it is the true God, we could go further and use LORD. But that would be a personal translation and reference and not necessarily from the Hebrew meaning. I still like the idea, though.

Psalm 40:8 (NIV)

• "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

It's time to look at the law. And it's not just any law, it's God's law.

Law (tôrâh)

Pronounced: to-raw'

• A precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch: - law. (Strong's)
• Law, direction, instruction
• Instruction, direction (human or divine)
• Body of prophetic teaching
• Instruction in Messianic age
• Body of priestly direction or instruction
• Body of legal directives
• Law of the burnt offering
• Of special law, codes of law
• Custom, manner
• The Deuteronomic or Mosaic Law (BDB)

Now, I could look in the English dictionary and look under the word "law" and come up with a zillion definitions and filter and filter through them to find something that might make sense. Or...

Torah (noun):

• The first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures.
• A scroll of parchment containing the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures, used in a synagogue during services.
• The entire body of religious law and learning including both sacred literature and oral tradition.

The law on which Judaism is founded (torah is Hebrew for “law”). This law is contained in the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Torah can also refer to the entire body of Jewish law and wisdom, including what is contained in oral tradition (Torah at Dictionary.com).

And so, David, who is the writter of Psalm 40, has the torah written on his heart. He knows the law. He knows what he can and can't do. There is no doubt that if he does something, whether it is for or against the law, whether it is for or against the one true God. Which is maybe - MAYBE - why God had said that Samuel shouldn't look at the outward appearance, but at the heart (1st Samuel 16:7). I would say that would be a good guess.

Psalm 40:8 (I think you've even seen this before... NIV)

• "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

OK, so I am starting this one up again (I put the scripture in yesterday and did "O my God; your law"). I think I need to just be me for a minute and relax - breathe - and share a little something funny. You should check out this link to see George W. face off against George W. In all actuality, it really is George talking and George thinking - and it took place at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2006. It's a real treat, so enjoy. The link: Inside George W Bush's Mind

The word "within" is a preposition. I am not sure if I have ever done a dictionary, Hebrew, the whole works, on my QT blog. If I have, it has been some time ago. I guess I should say that the REALITY is the last time I did a preposition was yesterday, but the work didn't save properly, so I get to do it again. It feels disappointing, but I can't help but remember what one of my professors saying: "I should be like Jesus and SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!!!" Lesson learned... again.

Within (prep.):

• In or into the interior of or the parts or space enclosed by.
• Inside of; in.
• In the compass or limits of; not beyond.
• At or to some point not beyond, as in length or distance; not farther than.
• At or to some amount or degree not exceeding.
• In the course or period of, as in time.
• Inside of the limits fixed or required by; not transgressing.
• In the field, sphere, or scope of.

Now, with this definition, I would think this is all I need to do. I really do. But curiousity does get the best of me (after all, it does kill the cat - and I do like cats).

Within (tâvek):

Pronounced: taw'-vek

• A bisection, that is, (by implication) the centre: among (-st), between, half, (there-, where-) in (-to), middle, mid [-night], midst (among), out (of), through, with (-in). (Strong's)
• Midst, middle; into, through (after verbs of motion); among (of a number of persons); between (of things arranged by twos); from among (as to take or separate). (BDB)

Psalm 40:8 (JRV - this is, of course, the Johnny Ray Version.)

• "I take pleasure in your desires, my God; your scriptures are in the center of my heart."

OK, onto the last part of this study: THE HEART! Actually, it's MY HEART! Now that is a bit scary. But before I do, I don't know if any of you have seen "Pirates of the Caribbean", but do I have some luck for you. You can watch it online for FREE! That's right - FREE! (My goodness, I should be ashamed of myself by now... but I'm not. But if you actually think this IS the movie, then... yeah.) And the lucky thing about this FREE offer is that you catch not only the first "Pirates" movie, but the second "Pirates" flick as well!!! ABSOLUTELY FREE! (note: this is a free movie offer: all movies are played online and consist of 30 second films acted out by bunny's, as in bunny rabbits. There is no cost, as in $0 and 0¢. I hope that clears it up. Thanks, the Johnny Ray Quiet Time un-official Legal Dept.)

THE LINK: Pirates of the Caribbean (Curse of the Black Pearl AND Dead Man's Chest)

I feel sick to my heart... I mean stomach. Seriously, the heart was considered to be in the abdomen 2,000 years ago. When I first heard this, I thought: "How could they think the heart was in the stomach?!" And then I thought about when someone stresses out, they get acid reflux (upset stomach). They worry about getting caught in a lie? Are they a sluggard and aren't doing the good they are supposed to do? Let's look at the heart:

Heart (mê‛eh):

Pronounced: may-aw'

• From an unused root probably meaning to be soft; used only in plural the intestines, or (collectively) the abdomen, figuratively sympathy; by implication a vest; by extension the stomach, the uterus (or of men, the seat of generation), the heart (figuratively): - belly, bowels, heart, womb. (Strong's)
• Inward parts, digestive organs, organs of procreation, womb, place of emotions or distress or love (figuratively), external belly. (BDB)

Now, get this - back in the day, they didn't think the "brain" (as we know it today) was all that important. The knowledge that they believed to be true was that the abdomen area was the "brain" and heart of the body. It makes the most sense to think they believed this way. The Jews spent a long time in Egypt where the Egyptians didn't value the human brain when the mummified someone. In fact, they would extract the brain through the nose of the person they were mummifying. It wouldn't be impossible for a "people who struggle with God" to carry some Egyptian ideas with them when they skip town. In the BDB Dictionary, I do like the way they define the heart as a place of emotions or distress or love.

And so, to wrap this LLLOOONNNGGG Quiet Time up... It's time to see what I started with and what I finished with...

Psalm 40:8 (NIV)

• "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

Psalm 40:8 (JRV - Johnny Ray Version)

• "I take pleasure in your desires, my God; your scriptures are the center of my love."

This was extremely fun to do, time taking, worth-while, and thought provoking. I have another scripture in mind for another one to do. Anyway, I know this is as long as a thesis or something... I hope you enjoy it as much as I did putting it together. All the same, Johnny Out!

Marriage Dynamics - Homework Part II

April 10th, 2007 (Session 6)

April 12th, 2007
We've moved the desk from my sons room into the living room. And when I say "we", I mean my wife, my mother-in-law, and brother-in-law, and not me. My doctor's are wanting to strap me down to a bed and never let me back up as it is after my birthday. But I am stuck in a habit that when I start one of these "Online-Quiet-Times", I look up to the wall behind the computer to check the calendar for the date. Well, we do not have a calendar behind the computer here and most likely will never have a calendar here. It doesn't seem to work with everything else we have in the area and would really be out of place.

Notes:

• Earn enough to support at least myself
• "Verbally Rigid"

Rigid (adj.):

• Stiff or unyielding; not pliant or flexible; hard.
• Inflexible, strict, or severe.
• So as to meet precise standards; stringent.

Notes (con.)

• "Verbally Rigid" is what happens to someone before they can not take a behavior any longer. It is an attitude where the person is unyielding to see things from a different perspective (personally, I call that being prideful, but being "Verbally Rigid" sounds like a disease! I love it!). Because they are not allowing others, even "professionals", to help them or give advice, severe harm can and normally is done to their life and those around them, particularly the spouse and loved ones.

How could budgeting your money wisely keep you from the sin of loving money (1st Timothy 6:10)?

1st Timothy 6:10 (NIV)
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

The love of money expresses itself in many ways, but it always leads to sorrow. It can lead to debt (it most cases it does lead to debt). It can lead to long hours at work or working two or three jobs. It can lead to a husband and wife working, thus putting stress on the marriage. It is important to have a good budget and be dedicated to to that budget, so that it can prevent these things, and the sins I haven't even thought of.

The Needs Budget:
The needs are the things that HAVE to be taken care of, such as utilities, rent, food, etc...
The Wants Budget:
These are not necessary, but would be nice to have or do, I.E.: Movies, Cable TV, Opera, Video Games, Dining Out, etc...
The Affordable Budget:
A Merger of the Needs and Wants budgets, the needs comes first, and the wants are picked through together (see Financial Peace Class on this one)...

How does Ephesians 5:21-33 apply to the fulfilling of this emotional need?

Ephesians 5:21-33
Yield to obey each other because you respect Christ. Wives, yield to your husbands, as you do to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. And he is the Savior of the body, which is the church. As the church yields to Christ, so you wives should yield to your husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it to make it belong to God. Christ used the word to make the church clean by washing it with water. He died so that he could give the church to himself like a bride in all her beauty. He died so that the church could be pure and without fault, with no evil or sin or any other wrong thing in it. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself. No one ever hates his own body, but feeds and takes care of it. And that is what Christ does for the church, because we are parts of his body. The Scripture says, "So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body." That secret is very important -- I am talking about Christ and the church. But each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and a wife must respect her husband.

This was from the New Century Version.

If Christ would do anything for the church, if Christ would DIE for the church, shouldn't I be doing the same thing for my wife? I mean, I get up and get myself a drink and a bite to eat, shouldn't I offer to get something for my wife while I am up? I love myself enough to get myself food and a drink, why would I be so unloving and selfish to not get her anything? It's the little things that add up and steal from my "love bank".

What do you think about Dr. Harley's ideas on Solving the Division of Labor Dilemma on pages 137-139 of the His Needs, Her Needs book?
Actually, I love the ideas - the four steps. Especially the 4th step of assuming responsibilites while grabbing extra Love Units. It's a great way to get a clean house or whatever and build up a bunch of love for each other! It's a really great idea and it works!

The War Within – Part IV

February 17th, 2007

The War Within – Part IV

I can make decisions to do wrong:

• I can create actions to feed those decisions.

I can make decisions to do right:

• I can create actions to feed those decisions.

I can do something and feed whatever I do to create a world in my mind that says that it is right. The Bible talks about this and I will get into that in a minute, but before I do there are some words to consider:

Delusion (noun):

• A fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact

Self-Deception (noun):

• The act of deceiving oneself or the state of being deceived by oneself

Ignis Fatuus (noun):

• Something that misleads or deludes; an illusion
• (Also called a “Jack-O’-Lantern” and “will-o’-the-wisp”)

Galatians 6:1-10
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

February 23rd, 2007

Proverbs 16:33 says “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”

April 7th, 2007

This is a perfect time to pick this one back up. I'm taking this Marriage Dynamics class and have really learned about myself. And being that this has been about as tough a time for me and my health, I could make about a mountain of excuses as to why I shouldn't and blah, blah, blah... but the fact is, I'm a liar. I'm not a born liar, which is good. I'm not chronic. But I have lied about certain things, to protect myself (from being caught IE: getting out of trouble) and my wife (or so I thought). I've repented from these actions.

I'll be honest here. I'm not exactly sure what my thoughts were six weeks ago, when this one was started. But I will tell you this, I'll do the best I can to figure it out. So I will look at this:

Psalm 12:1-4

Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, "We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips - who is our master?"

OK, I think I figured out what I was thinking from before... so work with me. In Galations, it talks about being delusioned, self-deception, and Ignis Fatuus. How is this? When someone decieves themself, they are delusioned. They are a self-decieved. There is something in their life that is a Ignis Fatuus or misleading them, thus that person is on the wrong track. But as Galations says: the "one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." And that would be the difference between the two. I can make wrong decisions and support them. I can make right decisions and support them. The wrong ones, I would be self-decieved. The right ones I wouldn't. So what's the choice? RIGHT!!!

You're All I Have

March 30th, 2007
April 2nd, 2007
April 3rd, 2007

April 6th, 2007

“You’re All I Have”

Strain this chao$, turn it into Light.* I've got to see you one last night before the lion$ ** take their share, leave us in pieces, scattered everywhere. Just give me a chance to hold on. Give me a chance to hold on. Just give me something to hold onto. ***

It's so clear now that you are all that I have. I have no fear **** 'cuz you are all that I have.

You're cinematic razor sharp: a welcome arrow through the heart. Under your skin feels like home, electric shocks on aching bones. Give me a chance to hold on. Just give me something to hold onto.

It's so clear now that you are all that I have. I have no fear 'cuz you are all that I have.

There is a darkness deep in you… a frightening magic I cling to. ***** Give me a chance to hold on. Just give me something to hold onto.

It's so clear now that you are all that I have. I have no fear 'cuz you are all that I have.

* 1st John 2:8
** Daniel 6:16-23
*** John 8:31-32
**** 1st John 4:18
***** Ecclesiastes 4:12

I love you!

This is something my wife sent to me yesterday. I’m not sure that I am going to email this out to everyone on my distribution yet. I will make that decision as I go on. This is a song by Snow Patrol, by the way. The asterisks and scripture are, of course, by my wife. It’s kind of a little piece of home-work for me, I guess.

Time to dig…

1st John 2:8
Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

Strain this chao$, turn it into Light.*

My wife is telling me, encouraging me to be more like it, to be righteous with the finances. She knows this is something I desire. She knows it is God’s desire. Based on the last quiet time I sent out, she simply is building on something that I have expressed. Turn the mess into something good. The darkness is passing and the light is starting to shine through…

Daniel 6:16:23
So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions' den. The king said to Daniel, "May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!"

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel's situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"

Daniel answered, "O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

I've got to see you one last night before the lion$ **

“…because he had trusted in his God…” I love that statement. And yet it is so convicting to read and think about. It is getting a little more comfortable to wrap my mind around, though. I am working on trusting others, and my wife and I discussed about how God always trusts people. God ALWAYS trusts people. It is a fairly simple guess to say that a few of the 6 ½ plus billion people in this world let him down on a daily basis. Let’s say that there are people who always trust God. Let’s also say that there are some people who do not God at all. And there are some who trust God “some of the time”, so they make mistakes here-and-there. And being that the “not trusting God” people are going to let God down on a high scale, let’s say the average per person of “letting God down on the trusting level” is three per person per day. That would be 19 ½ billion times in just one day where people betray Gods trust. Multiply that by 365 and that would be how many times in a year. Just 19 ½ billion in one day is a huge number. And here is the kicker… God still HAS A HEART TO TRUST the next day. Irregardless of the garbage put in his way, he still trusts; me, my wife, you, he still trusts. And I have been hurt a few times and can’t get past it. God’s been hurt 19 ½ billion times in ONE DAY, and returns to trust the next. WOW!

John 8:31-32
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Just give me a chance to hold on. Give me a chance to hold on. Just give me something to hold onto. ***

The key part here is “hold”. I have to “HOLD” to Christ’s teaching. It’s an action word. It is from the Greek work “men'-o” that means to stay, dwell, remain, and endure.

Hold (verb): menō

• To stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for).
• To remain, abide
• In reference to place; not to depart, to be held, kept, continually
• In reference to time; to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure, of persons, to survive, live
• In reference to state or condition; to remain as one, not to become another or different
• To wait for, await one

Hold (verb):

• To have and keep in one's grasp
• To keep from falling or moving; support
• To retain (one's attention or interest)
• To make accountable; obligate

I have to keep Christ’s teaching within my grasp. I have to retain it within my mind and make it an obligation so that it can hold me accountable. I have to keep from falling or moving from his teaching. I have to support his teaching.

And that’s just from the dictionary. And guess what? There’s plenty more definitions on hold in there. I just took but a mere few. But the Greek says that I should not depart from the teaching of Christ but be there continually. That’s a constant basis. I personally wouldn’t take the word “hold” as seriously when reading something, even in the Bible. I’m just being honest. But when I think about the phrase “do not depart” or even the scripture “pray continually”… those things sink in a bit deeper for me, and I take them very much seriously. The real point is: the Bible is serious. Every book is serious: every chapter, every verse, and even down to the word choice. When it gets down to translating it into English, maybe something gets a little lost, and that is why there is so much debate about it in today’s society. I really don’t know. I try not to get too caught up in it anymore. Idle arguments are the devil’s work, they say. Just agree to disagree and move on, has been the advice I was given. And it really helps me sleep at night instead of wondering what to say to a person who simply wants to argue and frustrate me. I fell off topic here – sorry about that. The Greek brings it back home. That is how it was written originally. And not much debate can be made about that. My wife wants me to give her a chance to hold on, I believe by me holding onto Christ’s word in a stronger and more dedicated way. And that is something that is just going to have to happen.

1st John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

It's so clear now that you are all that I have. I have no fear… ****

Fear (noun): fob'-os

• (To be put in fear); alarm or fright: (be afraid, exceedingly, fear, terror)
• Fear, dread, terror
• Reverence for one’s husband

It is interesting that fear is considered reverence for a wife towards her husband. That to me is strange. The reason I think it is strange is becuase to revere someone is to look at them with awe and devotion. Where does fear come into play with that?

Fear (noun):

• A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
• Concern or anxiety; solicitude.
• Reverential awe; Extreme reverence or awe, as toward a supreme power.
• A feeling of disquiet or apprehension.
• A reason for dread or apprehension.
• A feeling of profound respect for someone or something.

Looking at the fear definition from dictionary.com is really helpful when comparing it to the Greek definition. "A feeling of profound respect for someone" and "reverence to one's husband" and then I think about how I am to fear God. I'm also to love God. So, I'm supposed to love and fear God at the same time. The fear is a profound respect and awe toward God, not some kind of trembling and being afraid, not wanting to pray or go toward God. That would be conterproductive, and missing the point completely. The same goes with a wife fearing her husband. You want it to be a healthy fear, one that's of an awe and profound respect. And the husband is to present the wife as a shining beauty, radient in every way. Isn't that cool? Good scripture. My wife isn't afraid, but I believe she has the healthy fear...

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (New International Version)

• Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

There is a darkness deep in you… a frightening magic I cling to. *****

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (The Message)

• By yourself you're unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (New Century Version)

• An enemy might defeat one person, but two people together can defend themselves; a rope that is woven of three strings is hard to break.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 (GOD's WORD Translation)

• Though one person may be overpowered by another, two people can resist one opponent. A triple-braided rope is not easily broken.

Now, if I am able to upload an art-piece I created, it will show a three strand colored piece of rope labeled God (Purple, a royal color), His (Blue) and Her (Red). The pieces are all inter-twined and work together to make the rope strong. Without God and woman, man is weak. Without God and man, the woman is weak. God has the Son and the Holy Spirit, so in a sense, he has three strands already with him, so it would be hard for me to say that he would be weak without a man or woman... it wouldn't make much sense to me. And he's already proven that he can wipe us out (IE: The Great Flood, plagues on Egypt). So the thing is, God is already committed to being apart of this rope. There's already one strand committed here. My wife is committed, that's two. And I'm committed, That's three. And a triple-braided rope is not easily broken. That's awesome!

Trust Fund

March 27th, 2007

Psalm 40
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced; burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, "Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as you know, O LORD. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly. Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace. May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!" be appalled at their own shame. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, "The LORD be exalted!" Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.

That was from the NIV. This is from the New Century Version.

Psalm 40
I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of destruction, out of the sticky mud. He stood me on a rock and made my feet steady. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many people will see this and worship him. Then they will trust the Lord. Happy is the person who trusts the Lord, who doesn't turn to those who are proud or to those who worship false gods. Lord my God, you have done many miracles. Your plans for us are many. If I tried to tell them all, there would be too many to count.

You do not want sacrifices and offerings. But you have made a hole in my ear to show that my body and life are yours. You do not ask for burnt offerings and sacrifices to take away sins. Then I said, "Look, I have come. It is written about me in the book. My God, I want to do what you want. Your teachings are in my heart." I will tell about your goodness in the great meeting of your people. Lord, you know my lips are not silent. I do not hide your goodness in my heart; I speak about your loyalty and salvation. I do not hide your love and truth from the people in the great meeting.

Lord, do not hold back your mercy from me; let your love and truth always protect me. Troubles have surrounded me; there are too many to count. My sins have caught me so that I cannot see a way to escape. I have more sins than hairs on my head, and I have lost my courage. Please, Lord, save me. Hurry, Lord, to help me. People are trying to kill me. Shame them and disgrace them. People want to hurt me. Let them run away in disgrace. People are making fun of me. Let them be shamed into silence. But let those who follow you be happy and glad. They love you for saving them. May they always say, "Praise the Lord!" Lord, because I am poor and helpless, please remember me. You are my helper and savior. My God, do not wait. For the director of music. A psalm of David.

And last, but not least, this is from The Message. I want to get a spectrum of versions on this. I will tell you why in just a minute.

Psalm 40
I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened. He lifted me out of the ditch, pulled me from deep mud. He stood me up on a solid rock to make sure I wouldn't slip. He taught me how to sing the latest God-song, a praise-song to our God. More and more people are seeing this: they enter the mystery, abandoning themselves to God. Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God, turn your backs on the world's "sure thing," ignore what the world worships; The world's a huge stockpile of God-wonders and God-thoughts. Nothing and no one comes close to you! I start talking about you, telling what I know, and quickly run out of words. Neither numbers nor words account for you.

Doing something for you, bringing something to you - that's not what you're after. Being religious, acting pious - that's not what you're asking for. You've opened my ears so I can listen. So I answered, "I'm coming. I read in your letter what you wrote about me, And I'm coming to the party you're throwing for me." That's when God's Word entered my life, became part of my very being. I've preached you to the whole congregation, I've kept back nothing, God - you know that. I didn't keep the news of your ways a secret, didn't keep it to myself. I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough. I didn't hold back pieces of love and truth For myself alone. I told it all, let the congregation know the whole story.

Now God, don't hold out on me, don't hold back your passion. Your love and truth are all that keeps me together. When troubles ganged up on me, a mob of sins past counting, I was so swamped by guilt I couldn't see my way clear. More guilt in my heart than hair on my head, so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out. Soften up, God, and intervene; hurry and get me some help, So those who are trying to kidnap my soul will be embarrassed and lose face, So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable will be heckled and disgraced, So those who pray for my ruin will be booed and jeered without mercy. But all who are hunting for you - oh, let them sing and be happy. Let those who know what you're all about tell the world you're great and not quitting. And me? I'm a mess. I'm nothing and have nothing: make something of me. You can do it; you've got what it takes - but God, don't put it off.

I will be honest. I am not a fan of “The Message” translation. I don’t think that it is all that great of a translation in comparison to the others that are out there. That’s my personal opinion. But even with that said, I like some of the things that it says in the translation on Psalm 40. In fact, all three translations here create a really great picture of Psalm.

Again, I have to be honest. I didn’t dig up this Psalm by myself. My wife read it to me last night. You see, I have discovered that I have been struggling with trust. I prayed with her about it on Saturday and then heard a wonderful message from Marvin on Sunday about having a child-like heart. One of the things that really stabbed deep into my rock-like heart was when he brought up trust. I was thinking, “Was he outside my window when I was praying or something?” Another friend gave me a book titled “Called and Accountable” and I again wondered: WHAT’S GOING ON?! How do they know? I even asked my wife about it. She responded that they didn’t, but God did. She’s right. I did marry a smart woman. It was one of my requirements.

So, what is trust? What does it mean to trust someone or to trust God? It is one thing to say it; it is another to do it. God prefers action, over words (see James). This is going to be filled with a plethora of definitions on trust. I am going to look at the dictionary and the thesaurus. I may even check out the encyclopedia, if time is willing. I will check out the Hebrew dictionary on this, however, just to get a full understanding. This should be good and enlightening.

Time to dig…

Trust (noun):

• Reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.
• Confident expectation of something; hope.
• A person on whom or thing on which one relies.
• Reliance on something in the future; hope.
• Custody; care.
• Something committed into the care of another; charge.
• The trait of believing in the honesty and reliability of others.
• Complete confidence in a person or plan.

Trust (verb):

• To rely upon or place confidence in someone or something.
• To have confidence; hope.
• To have trust or confidence in; rely or depend on.
• To believe.
• To expect confidently; hope.
• To have or place reliance; depend.
• To be confident; hope.
• To place in the care of another; entrust.
• Allow without fear.
• Have confidence or faith in.
• Be confident about something.

Synonyms: assurance, certainty, certitude, confidence, conviction, credence, credit, dependence, entrustment, expectation, faith, hope, positiveness, reliance, stock, store, sureness.

OK, so I do trust, but I don’t trust enough. I know I trust myself. YEA!!! Oh, wait, that’s not a good thing. I mean, self-confidence breeds arrogance. Who likes arrogant people? Arrogant people are definitely not humble. And people who aren’t humble don’t go to heaven. That was a double negative, but it works.

This is from WikiPedia.org: In the social sciences, the subtleties of trust are a subject of passionate debate. In sociology (and psychology) the degree to which one party trusts another is a measure of belief in the benevolence and competence of the other party. A failure in trust will be forgiven more easily if it is interpreted as a failure of competence rather than a lack of benevolence.

From this perspective, trust is an internal state, and cannot be measured. Only confidence, which is expressed as behavior, can be measured. Trust may be considered a moral choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trust_%28sociology%29

It does go on, but it seemed to talk about more about a trust in computers from there… I’m not really sure why. But at least that part was good.

(Added March 28th)
So here is what I think and know about trust.

• So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? (Luke 16:11)

God won’t give me heaven with him unless I handle my finances here. That’s what it says.

• “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” (John 14:1)

It is a command to trust in God and Christ.

• As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (Isaiah 28:16; Romans 10:11)

This sounds like a promise to me. I should place my promise on Christ, who the scripture is referencing, and when I do so, I won’t be put to shame. I will not carry with me shame if I trust in Christ. And trust is depending on Christ, it is believing in Christ, it is relying on Christ.

(Added March 29th)

• May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

There is a certain peace and joy that comes with trust. With trust, there is an overflow of hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t indicate that it is a promise, due to the word “may”, but it is something that can happen. I’m sure that it is more of a normalcy and not more of an exception. But then, you never know.

• It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1st Corinthians 13:7)

It, of course, is referring to love. Love always trusts. I’ll leave it at that and expand on my next scripture.

• Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1st John 4:6) And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1st John 4:16)

God is love. Love always trusts. God always trusts. God loves me. God always trusts me. WOW! That is convicting. Again, that convicts into my deepest core of my being. I have this overwhelming heartbreak of what I have held back and yet God and Christ haven’t withheld anything.

This past week has been difficult and eye-opening. It has been a learning experience and I’m still learning. I can’t say that it has been easy in the slightest. I know this is a really long quiet time to read. If you read it all, I hope it encourages you. If anything, maybe a little more learned about me. Anyway, have a wonderful. Until next time, Johnny Out.