It Didn't Pan Out

It sounded like a good idea at the time. 5 sets of 5 pull ups daily for 30 days. 

Then I went to the mountains for several days only to come down with a chest cold afterwards. But I tried. Stay tuned to see if I jump start the challenge in October. 

"American Patrol"

No wonder why we won the war. I could win one myself with this kind of music. 

It's All about Priorities

"I don't have time for that" is really "I don't want to take time for that." Friend, if you want it to happen it will happen. It doesn't mean it will be easy. But you've gotta want it. It's all about PRIORITIES. So instead of saying "I don't have time," say "It's not a priority." 

Retirees Ask ...

"What to do with all this leftover life?" Here's my answer. 

"I Don't Feel Like It"

The fact that you don't feel like reading God's word today is a sure sign that you need to read God's word today. 

Unbelievable

DID YOU SEE THAT MIAMI GAME? 

Romans: Salvation Issues in Service!

All In

I'm either hot or cold. Lukewarm is not in my vocabulary. I'm either all in or not in at all. This fall I will have been teaching for 47 years. I can tell you, I am more passionate about the classroom than ever. This November I will have been blogging for 20 years. I can honestly say that I love blogging more today than when I first started. I have been surfing for 62 years, running for 7, mountaineering for 6. Have I lost my passion? Not on your life. 

"All in" means you accept every aspect of your life as a gift from your loving heavenly Father. It means you go through this life being yourself, but your best self. It means what Jim Elliot meant when he said, "Wherever you are, be all there." It means what John Newton meant when he wrote:

I'm not what I ought to be. I'm not what I want to be. I'm not what I hope to be in another world. But I'm not what I used to be. By the grace of God I am what I am.

It means what Paul meant when he said, "For me, to go living is Christ." 63 years ago I began my life with Christ. It was as though life began all over again. Since my conversion, there has never been a day when I have not lived in his presence. To all of his followers, Jesus gives his all-sufficient grace that is made perfect in our own weakness. If Christ were to be removed from our lives, there would be nothing left.

For Paul, each day's journey was one step closer to Home. But until then, his desire was to be ever willing and ever able to help and serve others. If we can learn to live like that, we will set such an example that unbelievers will be revolted with their way of life and will seek to possess what we possess. 

Don't Miss This!

On this blog we talk a lot about this or that detail about the Bible. We even get into the minutiae at times. All well and good I guess. But what I don't want you to miss is the greatness of God. He's not just good. He is great. Great in every way. I mean, we don't have only one written account of the life of his Son. We have four. How great is that! Furthermore, I can literally hold in my hands the New Testament in its original language. 

How amazing! It's easy for us to miss that when we come to the Scriptures. If we're not careful, the more knowledge we acquire, the more theological degrees we attain, our God can become too small. As our head enlarges and our pride increases and our egos get out of control, rather than increasing our fear of the Lord, the Bible can become an object to pique our interest. It can become merely another analyzable datum of linguistic investigation. Ho hum.

Don't go there. Don't miss the greatness of our God! 

"Let Me Give You My Translation"

Been listening today to J. Vernon McGee's Thru the Bible audio sermons. I absolutely love it when he says, "Let me give you my own translation of this verse." I heard him do this twice in the same message. I wish more shepherd-teachers would do this! 

One More?

Staring at the 4,000 meter peak in the Swiss Alps called the Breithorn. Later I would summit it. 

Do I still have another peak in me? That is the question. 

When God Closes a Door (Acts 18:1)

More than anything -- even my morning cup of coffee -- I love reading my Bible at the break of dawn. I never fail to see something in the text I've never seen before. Never! Here's what I saw this morning. 

While reading Acts 18 (the account of Paul's trip to Corinth), I was struck by Luke's use of an unusual verb. 

It's chōrizō. Most English translations say that Paul "left" Athens and then went on to the city of Corinth. However, Greek has a perfectly good word for "leave." Luke does not use it here. Instead, he uses a term that often has the meaning "separate." Not only that, the verb Luke employs here is in the passive -- not the active -- voice. What could this mean?

Word study time! I looked up the occurrences of chōrizō in the New Testament and found a very interesting parallel in the book of Philemon. 

In verse 15, Paul refers to the time when the slave Onesimus had left his master Philemon's home and had run away. But notice: Paul doesn't say that he "ran away from" or "left" Philemon. No, he says that Onesimus "was separated from you" (NIV) or "was parted from you" (ESV). (Please note the passive voice.) I think the idea is that the flight of Onesimus from his master was, however unconsciously, overruled by the hand of God. I might render the verse as, "For perhaps because of this he was separated from you (providentially) for a time so that you might have him back forever." I like how MacLaren puts it:

He "was parted" -- not that he was not responsible for his flight, but that, through his act, which in the eyes of all concerned was wrong, Paul discerns as dimly visible a great Divine purpose.

Isn't that great? In short, Paul is stressing the fact that the escape of Onesimus happened providentially. Oh how I wish I could see the events in my life through the same eyes!

Anyways, back to Acts 18:1. In my opinion, Paul didn't just "leave" Athens. Apparently events had forced Paul to alter his intended plan. Thus he was, in a sense, compelled to leave the seat of Greek culture for the seat of Greek commerce. Paul didn't know it at the time, though God did, that much greater fruit was awaiting him in Corinth than in Athens. The idea is that Paul was providentially separated from Athens. Interestingly to me, the NIV and ESV get this right in Philemon 15 but seem to to miss the very same point in Acts 18:1. 

Sorry to bore you with all these details about Greek verbs and Greek voices and translation issues. But to be honest, I have a love affair with the Scriptures. As early as the age of 16 in Hawaii, I was drawn to the truths of God's word and captivated by its wisdom. My current dedication to the Scriptures can be traced in large part to my teachers in seminary who modelled for me careful attention to detail. And talk about the personal enrichment that comes from such study! Not long ago God seemed to close a door on a 10-year ministry I had to a nation that is now closed to me after over a dozen trips there. At first it was very difficult for me to "leave" this ministry that I believe God had called me to. But then I gradually realized that I had not "left" anything at all. God had been providentially separating me from that work for reasons known only to him. I venture to insist that we missionaries of the gospel (yes, I am a missionary, and so are you) have only one proper activity, and it is to be sensitive to the ministration of the Holy Spirit in our midst. We must not admit for one moment that our plans are indispensable to the work of Christ. Since the Day of Pentecost, followers of Jesus no longer insist on their own way; they obey a spiritual impulse. This is due to the fact that they did not begin their work under the direction of their own intellect but under the direction of the Holy Spirit. This explains why Luke, in the book of Acts, is always keen to show how the apostles went forth as men moved by the Spirit to communicate the Spirit to others. This guidance of the Holy Spirit is the key to all apostolic or missionary work. It alone explains how Paul could make his plans so flexibly, as I too must make my plans flexibly. At Pentecost, the apostles had received more than intellectual illumination. They had received the Spirit of Christ. 

Obviously, the appropriate attitude is to embrace this fact: We are not the masters of our own fate. We depend on the living Christ for guidance in all we do. Never complain about a closed door. You weren't responsible for it opening in the first place. Remember: God has prepared ahead of time the good works he has for you. Don't miss them! 

Harpers Ferry Resplendence

The climb to the Harpers Ferry overlook is brutal but well worth the effort if you enjoy photography as much as I do. Sunset is the best time to go. 

Weight Training After 70? YES!

Many people think you shouldn't weight train after 70. 

I wish they would read this. 

Church Elders = Older Men

"Younger elders" is an oxymoron. 

But Do They Mention "Jesus"?

"Politicians frequently gush the politically correct, 'God bless America,' but none dare use the politically incorrect J word." -- Chuck Swindoll. 

Your "Boring" Greek Class

The more "boring" a beginning Greek class is (basic exercises, paradigm memorization, vocabulary acquisition, in-class recitation) the more likely it'll produce long term results. 

Storm Coming

The kids have been working super hard. Every barn is now full. 

Good thing too. Huge storm about to dump some serious rain! 

It Ain't That Easy

"I have been studying the warning passages in the book of Hebrews for two years now and can finally understand exactly what they mean" said no one ever. 

Embarrassing Much?

Who else can vividly remember the embarrassment of ordering a pepperoni pizza in Germany and getting a pizza topped with red peppers? 

My Grammar in Spanish: On Sale at Amazon

If you or someone you know would like to study Greek with me in Spanish, Amazon is offering the Spanish translation of my beginning grammar for only $0.99. Please prayerfully consider joining me in this wonderful journey! 

Interdependence Does Not Negate Independence

There is in Christianity a delightful duty to help and support financially those who cannot support themselves and equally a proud independence that scorns to take money from others as long as we can supply our own needs. 

Our Plumb Line As Christians

No tradition or teaching can be Christian tradition and teaching which is at variance with the written word of God. 

What Is Wisdom?

It's a very precious thing to glean the wisdom of a mentor. Years ago one of mine gave me his definition of wisdom. "Wisdom," he said, "is looking at life from God's point of view." He added, "We're not born with it. We don't inherit it. We can't take a seminary course in it. We don't get it by osmosis. Wisdom is housed in the mind of our God, and he delights to share it with us when we need it the most."

Right now I'm facing a situation that calls for wisdom. It's a situation part of which I caused and part of which I didn't. I need God to enable me to see through his perspective what I can learn through this. I need his wisdom, and I don't have it in myself.

Wisdom is the ability to deal triumphantly with anything life can throw at us. It's something no circumstance of life can ever defeat, no trial can ever vanquish. Through wisdom we receive one of God's greatest gifts to us -- knowledge plus power. 

My Porch

I love spending time on my front porch in the evening praying for my kids and grandkids. 

Because Jesus is man, he understands them. Because he is God, he can help them. He is uniquely qualified to see them through. 

GRACE

We learned this word on Monday in Greek class. 

Charis is my favorite word in the entire New Testament. Paul always ended his letters by commending others to that grace he himself had found sufficient for all things. "Grace is all you need," Dave. Remember that.

My View about the Rapture

A question that often came up in private conversation during last weekend's conference was, "Dr. Black, what do you believe about the rapture?" I am pre-trib. But that is irrelevant. I told my new Romanian friends that, in effect, the best way Jesus Christ could come to us is that he would find us quietly, efficiently, and diligently fulfilling our daily responsibilities. The doctrine of the Second Coming is not a reason to stop working. It is a reason for working all the harder for the sake of the kingdom. 

Obey Christ!

A reminder to my students: In matters of personal decision making, always follow your Scriptural convictions. Your parents are not God. Furthermore, your pastor is not the head of the church. Christ is the head of the church. A teacher's greatest glory lies in those whom he has set or helped on the path to obeying Christ and not man. 

Better Than a Rebuke

People react better to encouragement than to rebuke. 

Three Simple Words (Phil. 1:10)

Phil. 3:10 begins with three simple words in both Greek and English. 

• tou gnōnai auton
• to know him 

Paul uses a word for "know" that very often refers to personal rather than intellectual knowledge. The Hebrew equivalent is yada. 

The aim is not to know about Christ. The goal is to know him. This can't be taught in seminary. Theological knowledge is hardly the same as personal knowledge. "To know him" is to experience him with such intimacy that we are as united with him as we might be with our spouse. 

We cannot know everything about Christ. But we can all know him.