"And my tongue will continually mutter Your righteousness and your glory all day." (Ps. 35:28, my own translation)
"And, having the same spirit of faith, according to what has been written, is still written, and will always be written: 'I believed, therefore I spoke,' we also believe and, for this reason, we speak." (2 Cor. 4:13, my own translation)
Continually, on-going, not-stopping, never-ending...continually. This word describes God's Word and our words.
2 Corinthians 4:13 talks about how we speak because we believe. The "continually" part of this is not so much our words as it is God's Word. The original Greek throws a perfect participle in here when it talks about what has been written. The perfect tense carries with it a sense of eternity, a continual aspect that is rarely translated. The NIV and the KJV both say "It is written," which leaves the door open for the question "Is it still written?" The perfect in the Greek lets us know, as I have pointed out, that what is written in God's Word will always be written in God's Word. It does not change. It is continually eternal, just as the Spirit who inspired it is continually eternal. How great is that?!
I think there's some movie line that says, "The only thing that is constant is change." As I look at my life, I can't help but agree. Change is a constant in my life, whether it's my schedule, my attitude, my priorities, or my perceptions. These are always changing; they never stay the same. The good news is that God does not change. His schedule is the same; His attitude toward me is the same; His priorities in this world are the same; His perceptions are the same. Even though I may not know where I am or what I am doing or where I am going or what I am thinking, I do know where God is, what He is doing, where He is going and what He is thinking because it has been written down forever in His Word. This unchanging Word speaks to me in my changes, calling me home to a God who is waiting with a continual love for me that doesn't care where I haven't been and what I haven't done.
So, I use my tongue to continually mutter the glory and the righteousness of God. All day, I will continue to speak about His righteousness. As I mutter this Word, it is not God who changes; I do. I am changed by the Word. I am the metal that is formed by the hammer and the anvil. I am the clay that is changed into a beautiful pot. His Word does this change in me. Continually.
"And, having the same spirit of faith, according to what has been written, is still written, and will always be written: 'I believed, therefore I spoke,' we also believe and, for this reason, we speak." (2 Cor. 4:13, my own translation)
Continually, on-going, not-stopping, never-ending...continually. This word describes God's Word and our words.
2 Corinthians 4:13 talks about how we speak because we believe. The "continually" part of this is not so much our words as it is God's Word. The original Greek throws a perfect participle in here when it talks about what has been written. The perfect tense carries with it a sense of eternity, a continual aspect that is rarely translated. The NIV and the KJV both say "It is written," which leaves the door open for the question "Is it still written?" The perfect in the Greek lets us know, as I have pointed out, that what is written in God's Word will always be written in God's Word. It does not change. It is continually eternal, just as the Spirit who inspired it is continually eternal. How great is that?!
I think there's some movie line that says, "The only thing that is constant is change." As I look at my life, I can't help but agree. Change is a constant in my life, whether it's my schedule, my attitude, my priorities, or my perceptions. These are always changing; they never stay the same. The good news is that God does not change. His schedule is the same; His attitude toward me is the same; His priorities in this world are the same; His perceptions are the same. Even though I may not know where I am or what I am doing or where I am going or what I am thinking, I do know where God is, what He is doing, where He is going and what He is thinking because it has been written down forever in His Word. This unchanging Word speaks to me in my changes, calling me home to a God who is waiting with a continual love for me that doesn't care where I haven't been and what I haven't done.
So, I use my tongue to continually mutter the glory and the righteousness of God. All day, I will continue to speak about His righteousness. As I mutter this Word, it is not God who changes; I do. I am changed by the Word. I am the metal that is formed by the hammer and the anvil. I am the clay that is changed into a beautiful pot. His Word does this change in me. Continually.
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