DECEMBER 13 RISING TO THE OCCASION By Tom Davis E.D. Word of Life, Distinguished Professor
Romans 8:37 “No pain, no gain” is a phrase from my athletic past. “Grow where you are planted” is a phrase from my agricultural past (okay, small vegetable garden!). “A person’s gifts make room for him” is a truism that King Solomon would probably agree with. Since they are so brief and easy to remember, they run through my mind whenever I face situations that seem to be larger than my capabilities.
Certainly, this year has stretched every human on the planet. Rising to the occasion is the proper response. Those without a firm foundation – an anchor for the soul – either stumble about confused or lash out in anger.
Those of us with a sense of destiny will rise to the occasion, using the Word of God to provide hope for the hopeless. We will not accomplish this in our own energy. Acts 2 is the secret power source. Fifty days after the veil into the Temple’s Holy of Holies was ripped from top to bottom with the death of Christ, on the day in the Jewish calendar when thanks was given for the wheat harvest (bread as the “staff of physical life”) and the anniversary of the giving of the Law of Moses (“staff of spiritual life”), the Holy Spirit of God was transferred from a building made of stone in one place on the planet into buildings made of flesh that can be anywhere on the planet. In Romans 8:37 Paul explains the explosive nature of this power: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” “More than conquerors” is hyper nikon in Greek. We bring “hyper” right into English as “over the top” or “don’t give that person anymore coffee!” “Nikon” is seen in our “Nike Missile System” (to “conquer” the enemy!). Also, it is the name of the athletic shoe worn by “victorious” athletes. When this was translated into Latin, it came across as super vincimus . We can see “invincible” in vincimus . And super? In Christ we are “super men” and “super women” set out to minister to the hopeless!
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