The word for this week is "benevolence". It is found only one time in the Bible and I ran into something that required a little more study! As I was checking my Interlinear New Testaments I found that one of them had this word in the verse and one of them did not! 1 Corinthians 7:3:
3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
KJV
"Benevolence" is the Greek word "eunoia". Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: good-will; kindness. Vine's Expository Dictionary also says: good will. The Theological Dictionary says: to be well-disposed; friendly; attached; to meet half-way. Louw and Nida Greek-English Lexicon says: a state of zeal based upon a desire to be involved in some activity or state; zeal, eagerness, wholeheartedness; serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord.
Given the context of the surrounding verses, many commentaries and other translations have stated this as referring to physical relations. That has never seemed quite right to me and now I think I have a better handle on it! Everything pertaining to God and His Word begins in the spiritual realm. WE are first of all living spirits. We possess souls, which consist of our minds, emotions, and wills, and we live in physical bodies. Our commitments to others, including friends, begins in the spiritual realm, continues into the realm of our souls where we develop our attitudes towards others, and then is expressed in the natural realm. I believe that this verse, FIRST OF ALL, is referring to our having an attitude of putting the other person before ourselves, being thoughtful, considerate, looking after their welfare. In other words, treating them in our thoughts, words and actions as we would Jesus Himself! Everything else will flow from this naturally! I have often said that there would be no need for marriage counselors or marriage seminars if each person would fall in love with Jesus most of all, and then treat each other the way we treat Him. LOVE! I KNOW that you have a handle on this, because the light of your love shines from the eyes of your beautiful girls! They are loved and they know it! You are truly a blessing! Here is a slower song from Hillsong called "I Keep Falling In Love (With You Lord)":
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Hi Brian!
The word for this week is "evidence". The only place it appears in the New Testament is in Hebrews 11:1:
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. KJV
This is the Greek word "elegchos". Strong's Concordance says: proof; conviction. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: a proof; that by which a thing is proved or tested. Louw and Nida Greek/English Lexicon says: the evidence, normally based on argument or discussion, as to the truth or reality of something - 'proof, verification,, evidence for'. A 'proof of the things we cannot see' or 'evidence that what we cannot see really exists'.
So the "faith" that comes from hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17) is an actual substance in the spiritual realm! Jesus told many people that it was THEIR faith that made them whole! Faith for finances, healing, favor, wisdom, or anything else that we are believing God for, comes the same way. We must hear, and keep on hearing, what the Word of God says about these things. Hearing ourselves speak these things is a very powerful way of to cause faith to rise up. We will reach a point where we will be thoroughly convinced that the Word says is true no matter what the situation looks like, and then we WILL have it! Here are a couple of other translations that I like:
1 NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. AMP
1 Now faith is the title deed of things hoped for, the proof of things which are not being seen. Wuest
11 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. NLT
The more times we exercise our faith by believing for small things, the stronger and more powerful our faith will become to believe for even bigger things! The best time to "practice" walking by faith is when things are going well and we don't really NEED anything! Then, when we face more serious situations, the faith will already be there and, as we continue hearing the Word, will grow stronger all the time! Avery's trust in you is a great example of the attitude WE should have towards the Father and His Word! He loves it! Here is "We Will See Him" by Hillsong:
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Hi Brian!
The word for this week is "hope". Romans 15:13 says this in the New Living Translation:
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Then again in 1 Peter 1:3:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. NKJ
This is the Greek word "elpis". Strong's Concordance says: to anticipate, usually with pleasure; expectation; confidence. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: rarely in a bad sense (of evil or fear); in a good sense: expectation of good; joyful and confident expectation. Vine's Expository Dictionary says: favorable and confident expectation; It has to do with the unseen and the future; the happy expectation of good (the most frequent significance). It is the expectation we develop in the promises of God when we meditate on His Word! Then we mix that hope with our faith, that comes from hearing and hearing and hearing that Word (Romans 10:17) and we become fully persuaded that God meant what He said and said what He meant! Then we see the manifestation of what we believe IF we walk in love! 1 Corinthians 13:13:
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. NKJV
One of the reasons that love is the greatest is found in Galatians 5:6:
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love. KJV
The Amplified Bible says this:
6 For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love. AMP
We must begin with the promise of the Word (hope), then develop the faith to believe for it, operate in the love of God by treating every person as precious and valuable, the same way HE sees US, and then fully expect the manifestation of the promise, giving all the glory, thanksgiving and praise to HIM! This is a pretty wonderful life, don't you think? We are believing God that every good thing that you and Kristine and Avery are "hoping" for will be fulfilled, many of them this very year! Here is a song from Hillsong that I have been singing all morning, so I felt I should share it with you! It is called "With Everything":
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Hi Brian!
The word for this week is "persuaded". This is found in 2 Timothy 1:12 and Romans 8:38-39:
12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is the Greek word "peithoo". Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: to persuade, to induce one by words to believe. It also says: to be persuaded, to be induced to believe, to listen, to obey, to comply with. We also see "persuaded" as the phrase "fully persuaded" in Romans 4:21:
21 And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.
This is the Greek word "plerophoreo". Strong's Concordance says: to carry out fully (in evidence), i.e. completely assure (or convince), entirely accomplish. God wants us to be so aware of what He has already accomplished in our lives that there will be no room for doubt about anything else that He has promised! Avery will learn to have confidence in Him and in His Word from you and Kristine, and we can already see that happening, as young as she is! You are both wonderful parents, and it shows! Here is one of my favorite songs from Hillsong called "Where We Belong":
