"Occupied" with the Word

“Occupied” with the Word

Acts 18:1-5: After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. (ESV)

As I was reading this chapter, those 4 words jumped off the page at me—“occupied with the Word.” I had never seen that particular wording before, but this year I’m doing my daily reading from the ESV and there it was. I began to think about that word “occupied.” It conjured up many mental images, but the first one to come to mind happened to be the sign I’ve often seen near the latch on a bathroom. Paul was occupied by the Word, by the Gospel. It was on his mind night and day and he spent many of his waking hours reasoning, persuading, testifying, defending and proclaiming it. That’s exactly what he was doing when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia.

I decided to look up the word “occupy” in Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. Here’s a summary of what I found:

1. To take possession. To keep in possession; to possess; to hold or keep for use. To take up; to possess; to cover or fill. Paul took possession of the Gospel, it was very personal to him. He made it his own. In fact, in Romans 16:25-27, he actually calls it “my gospel.”

   “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith--to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen”

   Don’t be confused here, he was not preaching a gospel about himself or a gospel he invented, Romans 1:1-6 makes this very clear,

   “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”

   It was God’s Word—the Gospel—that Paul possessed and that possessed him.
   
   
2. To employ; to use, to busy one's self. Paul busied himself with the Gospel. It was what he did. Paul is first introduced in Acts while present at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7) In chapter 9 of Acts, he is confronted by the very Jesus he was persecuting. Upon his conversion, within a matter of a few days, he is in the synagogue proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God.
   
   

   “For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” (Acts 9:19b-22)

   Paul busied himself, kept himself employed, by proclaiming God’s Word—the Gospel.

Is there really anything better that we can occupy ourselves with than the Word? There are many good and noble things that are begging that we be occupied with them, but they are not the best, we MUST be occupied by the Word. Why?

It is God breathed. The Word is actually the Words of God, as if He is speaking them to us Himself. He breathed them upon the inspired writers and we need to read them as if He were speaking them directly to us, as if they were coming from His mouth.

It is our Weapon. Ephesians 6 tells us to “Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” It is our best and surest defense. But to use it effectively, it must occupy us and we must know it.

It is Truth. In this world of relativism and pragmatism, His Word stands alone as truth. It is Truth that can be lived by, stood on, fought for, lived for and maybe even defended for....to death.

It Sanctifies us. The same passage that tells us God’s Word is Truth, tells us it sanctifies us. His Word purifies us, but as we read it and apply it to our lives, one of its wonderful benefits is that it brings healing to our brokenness.

Are you, like Paul, “occupied” with the Word?

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Today, January 20, is my son Matt’s birthday. He is 23. When I think about him and reflect on his birth I’m amazed and truly grateful that he is alive today. He chose to make his appearance in very dramatic fashion. Following a full day of work for me, I went home, had dinner with Randy and two and a half year old Jonathan, and began my usual routine of stationary bike riding. Shortly into my exercising, I felt moisture and realized there was blood on the seat of my bike. I was hemorrhaging. I quickly called my doctor and was told to meet her at the hospital. I called Randy and he returned from work and made arrangements with my mom to watch Jonathan. Within two hours, our son was delivered by emergency c-section at 32 weeks.

He was critically ill, so ill, that the Neonatologist told Randy that he had a 50% chance of making it. That first week he spent in the NICU, he was lifeless, often too sick to even breathe. I will never forget the Sunday I walked into the NICU, one week after his birth, to find him screaming at the top of his lungs and bright red with emotion. The doctors and nurses told us he had turned the corner, he was going to make it! He spent another couple of weeks in the NICU and we were finally able to bring him home along with all kinds of monitors....but he was home and we were so thankful for that.

He was such a cute toddler. When he was in the NICU, they had to shave his head for IVs. So we decided that we would not cut his hair. That all changed when one day, while grocery shopping, I was told by an older gentleman that I had such a lovely child, “she looks like Marilyn Monroe.” He was a beautiful child, but he was not in any way a girl.

The nurses had told us that the babies that make it out of the NICU are strong willed—that describes Matt perfectly. He is and always has been determined. He’s always worked to be the best he could be and because of a strong competitive nature, better than anyone else. In academics, he excelled in every subject. In sports, a standout soccer, roller hockey and lacrosse player. He has the ability to visualize a sports move and then replicate it; he is a truly natural athlete.

Beneath that strong competitive nature is a tender heart. He is very thoughtful and considerate of what makes his family happy. He always seems to know what would bring a smile to our faces. He has become a young man of honor and integrity with a great work ethic. We are very proud of him.

So today, Matt, Happy Birthday! I want you to know that I love you and am so very proud of you. I pray that God will continue to work in your life and give you direction as you seek His will for your life. May He continue to bless you in all you do.

A New Year for Transitions

A New Year for Transitions

As I look to 2009, I see that this is going to be a year of transitions for me. One of my biggest transitions is into the work force. I have not been employed since 2002, when I quit my teaching job to home school my daughter. In the fall of 2008, I began looking for a job. I had done a variety of things over the years—Medical Technologist in a Medical Laboratory, taught word processing, along with a few other subjects in a Christian school, and managed our church’s computer network. I wasn’t really sure what would be available to me—especially in Michigan’s tough economy—but God provided a perfect fit for me at a local community college.

The transition that I’m really looking forward to going to happen in August—when I become a grandmother. We’re expecting our FIRST grandchild. That makes me sound so old...but it sounds so good, too. Almost all of my friends have already experienced this and are thoroughly enjoying the experience. I look forward, with eager anticipation, to this transition. In the meantime, we are praying daily for a healthy child and for God’s blessing on this new life.

With each transition comes the uncertainty of the unknown. But I quickly call to mind that God is in control of every aspect of my life—His thoughts are continually toward me and for my good. When I’m tempted to get anxious about what might happen, I remember that God gives grace for each and every need and He will never leave or forsake me. He is the “with us” God, Immanuel, and the God who sees, “El Roi.” But He’s not just a God who is with us and sees what’s going on with us, He’s also the God of might and power and He can and will meet those needs. He has the power and ability to meet us in our time of need. So I trust Him with every detail of my life, for He is faithful and true.