Musings From A Rolling Eyed Turtle

I find it intriguing, both delightfully so and sometimes annoyingly so, when words don’t seem to fit… For example, normally when I think of the words “power to grasp”, I think of physical strength to grasp an object. So when I read this verse, I was definitely intrigued:   “may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Eph 3:18)   I can see grasping, in a tactile manner, to explore the dimensions of width, length, height and depth of an object.  I can also see the need for power to grasp things that could potentially be immense.  But how do you grasp those dimensions when it comes to love?  And where does power come in? So I decided to see what words were used in other translations in order to get a sense of what it might mean.  Here are some ways other versions translate “power to grasp”:   Able to comprehend May be strong to apprehend Power to unde...

If you are going to flee, do it right! What?   Give me a chance to explain! But first, let’s land on what it might mean to flee.   To flee is to run away from a place or situation of danger or evil.   It also means to hurry toward a place of safety. So, here are some possible explanations: 1.   Flee when God tells you: Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt , and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”  (Matt 2:13)   2.   But don’t try to flee from God: But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord . He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord .  (Jonah 1:3)     3.   Flee from danger: For they have fled from the ...

In my last post, I wrote about despair.   But I also pointed out an antidote so you wouldn’t be left without any possible way out of that dire place.   If you need a refresher, take a look at my previous post. In this post, I want to take a look at some other disorienting feelings that a Psalmist honestly wrote about.  He wrote this:  “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” (Ps 42:5) In regard to feeling “cast down”, other versions translate the phrase using these words:   Despair Dejected Depressed Discouraged Not exactly what you and I might want to experience!  But I’m guessing that many of us have faced some of those in the past.  And I’m also guessing that some of us are facing some now.  In regard to feeling “disquieted”, other versions use words such as:   Restless Disturbed Turmoil Troubled Aga...

Have you ever lost hope?   If so, what you experienced is commonly known as despair! Despair, according to the dictionary, is the complete loss of or absence of hope.  And if that isn’t bad enough, a sense of helplessness, kind of like feeling that you are caught up in a current with no way of escape, often comes with despair.    The temptation to despair is actually fairly common.  We live in a fallen world deeply impacted by sin and there is no shortage of things that can crush our hope. In one particular Psalm, we find the writer referencing some things he was experiencing that could have led to despair.  He was facing evildoers, adversaries, foes, false witnesses, an army encamping against him and war rising against him.  Other translations bring out different aspects of what the word “despair” might have meant to that writer of the Psalm, such as “I would have lost heart” and “I would have been without hope”. Lost heart, without hope, no...

Who best? If you had an important message to share that was designed for all people, who would you share it with who might best represent all people?  Perhaps it could one of the following: The political leaders; The religious leaders; The rich; The powerful; The social elites; The influential.   But it seems to me that those listed above only represent certain segments of society.  In some ways those segments also represent the top echelons of the population.  Typically, access to such is severely limited. In the realm of mathematics, there is a term called the “common denominator”.  It is defined as a feature shared by all members of a group.  In some non-mathematical settings, it is something that is the same for all the  members  of a  group  that might  bring  them together. When we look at those top echelons of the population, they actually represent the “lowest common denominators”, that is, the level ...

Won’t – it’s the contraction for “will not”.  It’s often used as in “I won’t do it.”  The shortened, emphatic version is “ I won’t!” But it can also be used as a question that suggests longing or desire or anticipation, such as “won’t you join me?”   There is a profound question that starts with the word “won’t” and longing and desire and anticipation are deeply embedded in the context.   While the exact words of the question may not appear in the passages below, they are yet at its core and the answer to the question is life changing.    Won’t you come?   This had been asked through the ages by God as an invitation for us to come to Him:   “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.   Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.”   (James 4:8) Won’t you come?   This had been longingly asked by people who were waiting for the promised Messiah:   “For to us a child is born, to us a son...

Worth – the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held. Consider what the Bible has to say about what has real worth: “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing   worth   of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ.” (Phil 3:8) The worth of knowing Christ surpasses all else.   In fact, everything else should be considered as loss.   Worthy - having sufficient worth or importance; having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in a specified way. To find out what is truly worthy, we should look at God, who is the epitome of worthy: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”   (Rev 4:11) Only God alone is worthy to receive all glory and honor and power.     Unworthy - not...