And once again Lord, we lay behind us yet another lovely weekend filled with family, friends and Your obvious Love for us all. While the scorching weather restricted our outdoor activities, there were many Blessings to be found inside with good company, good food and great fun to be had by all. Thank You so much for those days of respite Father!
Today’s Meditations Monday Scripture comes from Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John:
“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”” – John 9:1-3 (NIV)
Now Father, something I hear quite regularly from people going through difficulties in their lives is “What did I do to deserve this?” or “Why is God doing this to me?”. I’ll admit it, I’ve even had those thoughts myself over the years. In the case of this passage, when Jesus and His disciples came across a man who had been blind since birth, the question was raised as to whose sin was at fault for his affliction; the man’s or his parents. Jesus clearly replied that it was in fact neither, but instead was intended to allow for Your Grace to be made manifest.
This is an important and powerful truth Father, and one that I fear we all miss now and again. As the limited beings we are, we try desperately to put everything into a “Cause and Effect” bubble. And while quite often there are certainly consequences for our actions, not all earthly suffering is a direct result of a specific “Instigating” sin.
When my son Jonathan was born and we were initially given his grim diagnosis, I spent many hours asking “Why?!?… Why would You do this to us?!?” I was angry, and scared, and very insistently sought answers that at the time, seemed never to come. Ten years later, I realize now that Your Plan for his life, and for mine to a great extent, needed those events to unfold as they did. Our lives, and the lives of many others were altered by his struggle, and Blessed in ways we’re still unraveling today. We weren’t being persecuted for something we’d done, but were instead walking a journey designed by the One with the “Big Picture” in His sight.
“but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
Heavenly Father, as this week begins I pray that in times of trial you open our hearts and minds to this fundamental truth. Let us see past our desire to seek fault and lay blame, and gain strength from the knowledge that Your Path for our lives comes from a far greater perspective than our own.
You know Lord, I love it when You plant a seed in my heart and it drives me to seek out answers. Such was the case with the Scripture verse I posted to my Facebook Wall today:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” – 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV)
But apparently You weren’t done with me on this one. Over the following hours, the phrase “Strive for full restoration…” kept running through my head, over and over. Finally, I decided to do some research on that particular expression in context and see where it led me.
Now Father, as You know I usually reference the New International Version (NIV) Bible as that’s the version that speaks to my heart most often. However, when I run into a passage that churns in my head one of the first things I do is to compare it to other translations to see it from other perspectives. In the case of this verse, the variance seems to be significant across translations… even in the case of the previous NIV (1984):
“Finally, brothers, good‑by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.” – (NIV 1984)
“Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” – (KJV)
“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, set things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.” – (NET)
“And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure.” – (MSG)
Wow… There’s obviously some differences there Lord. Realizing that these translations stem from words that may not have an exact English equivalent, I then decided to dig deeper and see what the Biblical Scholars had to say on this phrase. From what I found, it appears the original word was Καταρτιζεσθε, which according to Clarke’s Commentary converts to mean : “Be compact; get into joint again; let unity and harmony be restored”. Other commentaries were similar, but the description that finally settled my heart was from Wesley’s Notes which stated : “Be perfect – Aspire to the highest degree of holiness.”.
Strive for full restoration…
I love seeing where Your whispers take me Father.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for making Your Presence known through these quiet instructions to my heart. I pray that You continue to challenge me to dig deeper into Your Word, so as to bring my Walk even closer to Your side. Amen.
Well Father, we come again to the end of yet another work-week and I’ll admit to being excited this time. Tomorrow morning, my family and I leave for a week’s vacation at Chestnut Grove Resort in the Pocono Mountains. The kids love it there Lord, and I’ve found that it’s someplace that I can truly relax and spend quiet, meditative time in Your Presence. As Internet connectivity is quite limited, I don’t expect to be able to post our conversations every day, but hope to be able to at least a couple times over the course of the week. Funny enough, it makes perfect sense that in places where my connections to the world are more limited, my connection to You opens up wider. 🙂
In preparation for our time away, I spent some time yesterday picking out new books to read, and music to travel by. For reading material (other than my trusty YouVersion.com Bible App on my Android tablet), I have “Heaven is Real” written by Don Piper, and “Just Too Busy: Taking your Family on a Radical Sabbatical” by Joanne Kraft (Thanks so much Elaine!). As for music, while my iPod is already quite loaded with inspiring songs, I just had to add the albums “Blessings” by Laura Story, and “On Fire” from Peter Furler to the mix. Peter’s song “Reach” has been running through my head a lot the last couple weeks, so I’m excited to have the rest of his solo premier album to enjoy as well…
While we’re up there, we’ve also been invited by friends of ours to attend services at Pocono Community Church. From what they tell us, it’s a wonderful House of Worship and we’re very much looking forward to hearing the Pastor’s message on Sunday morning.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for all the Blessings You’ve bestowed on us this week, and for Your abundant Presence in our lives each day. I look forward with anticipation to spending communal time with You this coming week, and pray that You’ll keep us in Your Loving Embrace as we venture away from home. Amen.
And once again Father, we come to the Thankful Thursday edition at phatherphil.org! It’s been an eventful seven days to be sure, and I’ve felt Your Blessings overflowing around me throughout. I usually have to take some time to go back over the past week carefully in my head to pick out the little Blessings I’ve missed, but today for some reason they sprang to mind quickly and easily. It’s wonderful to have days of such clarity, and to feel like I’m walking the right path with You. 🙂
Anyways Lord, on to the list! This week, some things I’ve been thankful for are:
121. Living in a country that allows me to worship You without fear of persecution.
135. The medical technology that allows Jonathan to live a normal life.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for all the Blessings you grace us with, both those that are seen and those that may pass unnoticed. You are indeed a God of compassion and of wonders, and I pray that my choices, decisions and actions will properly Glorify Your gifts to us all. Amen.
Today Lord, my heart is rejoicing in celebration. Sixteen years ago today, in a little church in Newark, Delaware, You joined together Shannon and I in the bonds of Holy Matrimony. Our marriage is by far one of Your greatest Blessings to me Father, and I can’t thank You enough for Your abundant Presence and support during our life together…
We felt Your Presence that day, when we said our vows to one another.
You comforted and strengthened us when my mother passed away less than a month later.
You led us to find our wonderful new home in Smyrna when building plans fell through at the last minute.
You faithfully held us in Your arms through a number of serious medical problems with Shannon.
After being told by a number of doctors that we couldn’t have children naturally, You proved them wrong… Twice. 🙂
When Jonathan was born with a life-threatening disease, You surrounded him in Your Healing and gave us the courage to fight for his life.
Although we’ve gone through periods of severe economic uncertainty, You’ve always provided what we needed and given us the fortitude to move past the situation.
You’ve connected us with so many wonderful friends over the years who have Blessed and enriched our family, and continue to do so.
You refresh and renew my love for Shannon each day, and bind us ever closer as we go through time together.
I view our marriage as a testament to Your Love and Compassion Father, and I lift my heart in thanks and praise for the Blessings You bestow on us each day. I pray that You continue to Bless our union, and that we’re effective in reflecting Your Light to those around us as well.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
