God Speaks 3-Letter Words

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  Are you a linguist? Do you enjoy language? Language has never been my top   subject.  I've always enjoyed reading and was decent at grammar, but never really   understood the whole system of language and identifying parts of speech and how   it  worked together.  Recently, I have discovered a couple small 3-letter words that really pack a punch. These simple words are: YET and BUT.  I did a post a while   back on these little words here, but this post will hopefully provide a deeper   understanding. 

 The words YET and BUT are both conjunctions. Conjunctions are used in language to link two parts together. These parts may be similar or different.  Both of these words generally introduce a contrast in ideas, giving a more powerful contradiction.   I was surprised at the number of verses in the Bible using these small, but intense, words. A few of them will be highlighted.  One of my all-time favorite verses is Habakkuk 3:17-18. I included it in the previous post linked above, but will again include it here.  Verse 17 sets up the story and verse 18 packs the punch.

Habakkuk 3:17-18--"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stall, YET I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior."

Mark 8:36--"What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, YET forfeit their soul?"

1 John 1:6--"If we claim to have fellowship with him and YET walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth."

John 1:12--"YET some people accepted him and put their faith in him. So he gave them the right to be the children of God."

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The use of yet in all of these verses, besides showing some contrast in thoughts or actions, implies a choice that was made.  Habakkuk: things are going bad, "yet" I choose to rejoice. Mark: gain the whole word, "yet" I choose to lose my soul. I John: Claim to love God, "yet" I choose to walk in darkness.  John: "Yet" some people choose to accept Him.  Most of these verses also include a consequence. Let's look at a few more verses with the word "but". These same verses, besides showing contrast, imply choices.

Galatians 2:20a--"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, BUT Christ lives in me." 

Matthew 24:13--"BUT the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."

Romans 6:23--"For the wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

2 Thessalonians 3:3--"BUT the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one."

Galatians: "But" Christ chooses to live in us. Matthew: "But" we choose to stand firm. Romans: "But" God chooses to give us eternal life. 2 Thessalonians: "But" God chooses to be faithful. These small words mean so much.  

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We have choices to make in our relationship with God. God then has responses that He chooses to give.  God does not simply put us into existence with a pre-determined will to obey Him.  Once Adam and Eve made their choice and brought sin into the world, God could have stopped it right there. God could have said, "That's it! Humans make bad choices. I'm done!" In Noah's generation, God could have chosen again to destroy everything and everyone!  He chose to save Noah and his family because they chose Him. Had God, at any point, chosen to wipe out the entire earth, you and I would not be here today, but God knew we were coming to the world and He chose to keep the world going so that He could choose to fellowship with us!  Just remember:  God chose you, He is just waiting for you to choose Him!

Next time we will look at another 3-letter word and maybe one with 4-letters as well! Stay tuned to read more about choices and the rewards or consequences that go with them. 

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God Speaks Even When...

Have you ever been discouraged or feeling run down? That is the way I have been feeling lately. It has taken me longer than I wanted to write this post because I have just been uninspired. Between CoVid stuff and other issues, I have truthfully just not FELT like writing. Many days I have prayed, "God I need some inspiration for my blog.  Give me inspiration!  How else do You speak to us?"  And then, after several days, God brings two things to mind.  The first is Habakkuk 3:17-18, which is one of my all-time favorite verses.  I've used it in a previous blog so didn't want to use it again, BUT when God is nudging you, you do it! 

Habakkuk 3:17-18, "Even if the fig tree does not blossom and there are no grapes on the vines, If the olive trees fail to give fruit and the fields produce no food, If the flocks die far from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls; Then I will still rejoice in the Eternal! I will rejoice in the God who saves me!" 

This is from "The Voice" translation. Another version says as its last line "YET will I REJOICE in the Lord" and another "YET will I TRIUMPH in the Lord".  What is exciting in this verse is the reminder that even when we feel discouraged, even when we feel down, we can and should still rejoice in the Lord. He is in control of everything and will continue to take care of us!

The other nudge that came to mind was "Seek God". Why should I just be sitting around waiting for inspiration when I should be seeking God for that inspiration?

Matthew 6:33, says, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you too."

Seek God first! He promises that if we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him!

Proverbs 8:17, "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me."

Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart."

Deuteronomy 4:29, "But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul."

God not only promises that we will find Him is we seek Him. He also promises blessings to those that seek Him.

Psalms 34:10, "The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

Psalms 119:2, "Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,"

Lamentations 3:25, "The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him."

It is good to remember; however, that even though God promises blessings to those that seek Him, this does not mean that things will always be good. Bad times can still come upon those that seek and love God. It just means that God's blessings are more prevalent for those who seek Him and we will also have blessings in the future.  Even now, God is waiting for those that will seek Him. He is always there, it is up to us to make the move towards Him. God is constant and always reachable, we just have to make the move. He is not far from us.

Psalms 14:2, "The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God."

Psalms 69:32, "When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive."

Acts 17:27, "that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,"

1 Chronicles 22:19a, "Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God."

18

God Speaks "YET"

Kari Farnell

In the last post, I shared with you one of my favorite Bible passages. I will do the same on this post. Both of these passages come from the “minor” prophets. If you’ve never read through them, I encourage you to do so.

Today’s verse is Habakkuk 3:17-18. I use Bible Gateway often to look at these verses in different translations. This excerpt was no different and I’d like to share it from a couple different translations.

The Contemporary English Version describes it this way, "Fig trees may no longer bloom,or vineyards produce grapes; olive trees may be fruitless,and harvest time a failure;sheep pens may be empty, and cattle stalls vacant—but I will still celebrate because the Lord God saves me."

The Voice (which is typically my favorite) says, "Even if the fig tree does not blossom and there are no grapes on the vines, If the olive trees fail to give fruit and the fields produce no food, If the flocks die far from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls;Then I will still rejoice in the Eternal! I will rejoice in the God who saves me!"

Kari Farnell

The New King James Version states, "Though the fig tree may not blossom,nor fruit be on the vines;Though the labor of the olive may fail,and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,and there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

And lastly, the Amplified Bible declares, "Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines,though the yield of the olive fails and the fields produce no food,Though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls,Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord;I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation!"

Verse 18 is the focus here, but it really needs verse 17 with it to get its full value. Verse 17 reminds me of Job. You may recall that Job suffered physically, emotionally, and mentally as a test to prove His allegiance to God. Despite all of his losses, he continued to serve God. That is what verse 18 is all about. Verse 17 speaks of all types of loss and sorrow, and then verse 18 responds that even with all of this, Habakkuk will still praise God. The translations I enjoy most are the ones that use the term “Yet”. 

Flaming Text

Isn’t it amazing how such a small word can just change the whole focal point of the sentence or phrase? That is the function of some conjunctions. The word “but” is one example. The day was warm, but the wind was cold. He was ill, but he went to work. The stick was thin, but it was strong.

The word “yet” is a similar conjunction; used to change the heart of the passage in Habakkuk. In today’s passage, Habakkuk is lamenting a message he has had from God in a vision. In verse 16, he begins to describe his feelings from the vision. He goes on, in 17 and 18, to basically say that no matter what happens, and even if these bad things DO happen, he will YET rejoice in the God of his salvation because He knows that God’s way and plan are perfect. Habakkuk must go on in faith that God will be in charge, no matter the outcome.

Just as Job did and Habakkuk did, we should remember that through our bleak times, God is watching out for us. When the way seems long and dark and frightening, we should still praise God for He is the God of our Salvation. We can rest assured that He is in control and He will take care of us and our situation.

Kari Farnell